Hiding from the Holocaust

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Would you be brave or patient enough to hide in a tiny space for three years with little food and nothing to do? Like the Frank family, many other Jewish families found secret places to hide. The Stermers, Bileckis, and Haars were all involved with hiding during the Holocaust to avoid being sent to concentration camps by the Nazis. For example, a family of 8 escaped to a cave in Ukraine around October 1942 (Arkell). This family, the Stermers, hid in a cave with five other Jewish families, 38 total people (Arkell). The mother, Esther, the father, Zaida, two of the brothers, Sam and Saul, and two more waited for 18 months in this cramped space (Arkell). They probably didn’t have to be quiet since they were in a cave away from civilization, but I wonder if they were scared of people roaming around. An SS officer came and invaded the cave, but after they had a little talk with Esther, they left and never came back (Arkell). She said, "What are you afraid of here? The Fuhrer is gonna lose the war because we live here? “(Arkell). At the end of the hard year and a half, the Russians liberated their Ukrainian town and they were saved (Arkell). There is a movie that came out that explains all the hardships that they suffered (Arkell). Unlike the Stermers who were hiding from the Nazis, the Bileckis actually helped many people hide. The Bileckis hid about 23 Jewish people in an underground shelter, says Louis Bülow. They made a shelter in a cave and disguised it with limbs and leaves so no one would know they were there (Bülow). They were forced to change their location because they were concerned of pedestrian traffic by the cave (Bülow). Their new spot was a lot closer to the Bilecki's home which made it a whole bunch easier to delive... ... middle of paper ... ...his were to happen again. This tragic event in history will forever remain in our hearts. Works Cited Arkell, Harriet. "Astonishing bravery of the Jewish family who escaped the Holocaust by hiding in an underground cave - for a year-and-a-half." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 05 Apr 2013. Web. 13 Nov 2013. . Bülow, Louis. "Julian Bilecki, A Holocaust Hero." The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes and Villains. The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes and Villains, n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2013. . Kelly - Goss, Robert. "Hiding from the Nazis, a Jewish family survives the Holocaust." The Daily Advance. The Daily Advance, 09 Jul 2011. Web. 18 Nov 2013. .

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