Flor Guzman-Silva Ms. Wyss English I; period 8 25 March 2024. Blooming in Adversity Upon surviving the Holocaust, Gerda Weissmann Klein reflected, “My experience has taught me that all of us have a reservoir of untapped strength that comes to the fore at moments of crisis” (Klein 250). Gerda Weissmann Klein’s memoir All But My Life detailed the hardships Klein and Jews had to endure during World War II. In the year 1939, the Nazi Party invaded Poland; Klein was separated from her family and was obliged to endure the horrific conditions of various concentration camps. Klein underwent a horrendous experience in a matter of a few years. Of all the factors that contributed to Gerda’s survival, the three that were the most impactful were her strong intuition, humaneness from a few SS officers, and promises …show more content…
Klein remarked, “As soon as the policemen left. . . His voice softened to a more human tone. ‘Now run home as fast as you can,’ he said, ‘and forget your English” (Klein 50). To Klein’s surprise, the officer was kind to her by ordering her to run home and forget her English. Second, Frau Kügler, a Lagerführer in the Bolkenhain camp, saved Klein from the SS Obersturmführer. When she fell ill, Frau Kügler helped her get dressed and advised her to work in the looms. Klein reflected, “Frau Kügler led the three of us to the factory. We kept close to the wall as we went. She followed me to my loom and set them in motion. ‘Keep going, Gerda,’ she muttered under her breath as she turned to go. . . Someone caught me in strong arms, and shouted into my ear, ‘Pull yourself together, Gerda, it is a matter of life or death” (Klein 132-133). At Bolkenhain, Klein fell ill. Litzi, the nurse, advised her to stay in theHANDRERER and rest; however, Frau Kügler understood that this would be a death sentence. Any sick and weak Jew would be sent straight to Auschwitz by the SS. Thus, Frau led Klein to the factory and set