Roll Camp Persuasive Letter

Dear grandpa.

Mother, Johnny, Ruby, Kate, Leo and I are on vacation on a camp. It’s very boring here, mother said that if we can get the money to leave to America to live with you we would do so. They took Jake to an extermination camp. I want to go to one because mother said it’s better than living here and. Grandma was not that happy about hearing mom’s opinion, she must like it here.

Well anyway it would be nice if you would write us back every once and while. Even with mother, Johnny, Ruby, Kate, Leo and Grandma I still feel lonely without you. And the food hear is terrible, they line up in long lines. When you are there for five minutes it feels like your there for hours from the pain from the heels and ankles. You are not allow to sit

All the prisoners must be at the roll call, including the ones who died during the night. There, poor bodies are aligned in front of you or in front of your barrack. Under control of the SS guards and officers, the kapos are counting the thousands of prisoners. A mistake during the counting and everything must start again, making the kapos nervous and dangerous. During the roll call, you must stand at attention, even if it is raining or snowing. It is forbidden to move or to talk during the roll call. Your poor striped uniform, made from an incredibly rough cloth, does not protect you against the cold weather. Every day, several prisoners catch cold during the roll call and die in the following days. Some others die during the roll call itself. They were too weak to stand at attention during hours. Their bodies, as well as the deaths of the night, will be sent to the crematories after the roll call.

Move Off of the Commandos:

You run to join your work team. You'll leave the camp under the heavy guard of SS and kapos, always barking at you. You'll reach the yard by walk of course. Maybe you'll have to march off to the beat of the music played by the camp orchestra. Or maybe the SS will order to your work team to sing during the march. Just at the gate of the camp, there is a row of SS waiting for your work team. Beatings, insults, barking again and again...

The

The kapos are counting the prisoners and the dead. If a prisoner tried to escape, all the prisoners will stand at attention at their roll-call place until he is retrieved. The evening roll call takes hours, sometimes even 10 hours, before it is over. The evening roll call is also the moment chosen by the SS for the punishments and the hangings. Sometimes, after a hanging, all the prisoners have to march in front of the gallows to look at the hanged prisoner, as a warning. I will write you some more tomorrow but right now I have to eat suffer. It’s not as good as your cooking but it is something. So goodbye and remember that I love and miss you so much