preview

Belzec Concentration Camp

Decent Essays

The Belzec concentration camp was established November 1941. Belzec was located in southeastern Poland between the cities of Zamosc and Lvov. Gypsies, Jews and other people were sent to Belzec. Belzec was supervised by an unknown SS officer known as Der Meister. The entire camp occupied a relatively small, almost square area. Belzec was surrounded by barbed wire. The fence was camouflaged with tree branches. It had 5 towers and it was divided into two sections. There were 3 barracks. One barrack was 50m long and 12.5m wide and another was 25m long and 12.5m wide and the third one was 12m long and 8m wide. In March 1942 they established the killing center. There was 3 gas chambers and then six. The chambers could kill 1,200 at a time. …show more content…

It was estimated that about 600,000 Jews were murdered in Belzec and probably dozen thousands of Gypsies. In 1943 the camp was closed. Those who were alive were sent to Sobibor where they were murdered. Then the camp was turned into a farm. The Museum of Tolerance in LA educates people about The Holocaust with exhibits like the stories of people that were Jewish. One of the more well known victims of the Holocaust is Anne Frank. She was a Jewish girl who lived in Germany. Her story is recognized all over the world because she was a girl that wrote in a diary while she was in hiding. The Holocaust exhibit helps people to understand what happened back then so in the future it won't happen again. The Museum of Tolerance is a fascinating place to learn about. One important lesson we can take away from Anne Frank is that the human spirit can never be broken. There was only two survivors of Belzec, neither of them whom is still alive. They were Rudolf Reder and Chaim Hirszman. Rudolf Reder was born April 4,1881 and died in 1968. Chaim Hirszman was born October 24, 1912 and died March 19,1946. These were the only two survivors that were able to testify. This is the story of Belzec concentration

Get Access