Morris Frenke
Lodz Ghetto & Auschwitz Survivor

Wearing long trousers saved the life of Morris Frenkel when the Germans first invaded Lodz in 1939. Morris was a young teenager and his mother had told him to wear long trousers 'to look older'. It worked - he was selected to work. Just before the Lodz ghetto was evacuated in 1944, he and his family were taken to Auschwitz. Morris was the sole survivor.They arrived by cattle truck and were lined up for selection by, among others Dr. Josef Mengele. Morris recalls, "The last thing I remember is my mother, with my brother and sister either side of her being sent away with the women. They were exterminated."

Of the selections, Morris says, "We didn't know when they'd come - it was completely at random. Sometimes during the day, and sometimes at night, they would wake everyone up, make us undress and those with more bones sticking out would be taken to Block 11 and killed."

Back to Stories