Book tells tale of 'Tattooist of Auschwitz'

There is a good book out, "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". For those who know history, Auschwitz was one of Hitler’s extermination camps of Jews and other people he deemed as undesirables, including Gypsies, the disabled, some Catholics, etc. 

Lale Sokolov was a Jew and he was sent to Auschwitz in 1942. He spoke five languages, and thus was picked to be the tattooist. He tattooed incoming people who were chosen as workers, with a number on their arm. It is estimated the over 1.1 million people were killed or died in Auschwitz.

Lale was lucky; as he was the tattooist, he was given extra rations. He would save some of his extra rations and give to those in need secretly.

He met Gita, another prisoner and they fell in love. Gita worked in a warehouse called Canada, where the suitcases and extra clothing of the prisoners were put upon arrival. The owners never saw their belongings again.

When the prisoners arrived, they went through the “selection process.” Those who looked able bodied enough to work were sent one way; the others were sent to the gas chambers. These unfortunates were the older people, children and the sickly.

Around 480,000 were selected to work and were tattooed with a number. Of those, about 65,000 were still alive when the Russians came in and drove the Germans out. After the war, Lale went back to Slovakia. Many of the survivors were also sent there by train.

Lale and Gita had been separated when the Russians approached. Lale was left in the camp, Gita and thousands of others went on a forced march toward Germany. She and three others escaped the line as most died as it was in the winter, and they were starving, if they fell, they were shot and killed. Eventually, Gita made it to Slovakia also, and Lale had been checking every train, and one day, there was Gita. They married, eventually moved to Israel and lived out a happy life.

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran, serving in the 1st Infantry Division, and is business owner in Priest River.