“Owning Auschwitz”

"Owning Auschwitz", by Zypora Frank, Israel, 1998

“Owning Auschwitz” is the title of my aunt’s book.

It’s a true story, part of our family’s history.

At some point in my childhood, I learned (and –  strangely – did not inquire about it) that my great-grandfather (in Poland) owned a tar-paper factory, with large ovens and train-tracks leading into it, pretty much right where the Auschwitz death-camp was built.

And that my grandparents, after the war, had managed to get back into Poland, and among other things, officially deed the land to their children. That, via my father and aunt, we, my family, we owned Auschwitz.

It was not something we discussed.
It was just a fact of my family’s history, I thought.

It turned out to be something that had never been fully verified.

My aunt, Zypora (in Israel), back in 1998, after the passing of her parents, decided to go to back to Poland (an English documentary film crew following her), yellowed documents in hand, and ask the question of the current powers that be: does my Jewish family indeed own Auschwitz?

In addition to making the documentary (Granada TV) – Zypora wrote the story of her story. It’s a very very personal account.

I’m proud of her that she wrote it, and wrote it in this way, revealing so much of herself.

“Owning Auschwitz” is available to purchase at http://bit.ly/OwningAuschwitz.