Unearthing Family Histories: A Journey from Auschwitz to Understanding

As the great-granddaughter of a Holocaust victim, Amie Liebowitz connects with Cornelia Stieler, whose grandfather played a role in transporting Jews to their deaths. This poignant encounter highlights the complexities of family histories tied to the Holocaust and the importance of remembrance and understanding.

In a powerful exploration of intertwined family histories, Amie Liebowitz, the great-granddaughter of a woman murdered in Auschwitz, confronts her past while interviewing Cornelia Stieler. Cornelia's grandfather, once a coal miner, transported Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust.

Amie never met her grandfather Ludvig, who survived the concentration camps and separated from his mother Rachel as they were deported in 1944. Rachel, as Amie recounts, was ultimately tortured and murdered, a trauma that lingers in her family's narrative.

While Amie reflects on her family's painful history, Cornelia shares her grandfather's journey with a sense of urgency. Initially a proud coal miner, the accident that left him trapped under coal prompted him to seek new opportunities as a train driver for Deutsche Reichsbahn. Yet this role evolved into a horrifying job as a train conductor to Auschwitz, a transformation that weighed heavily on his conscience throughout his life.

Amie's heart races as she hears about Cornelia's grandfather's guilt, acknowledging the horrors he witnessed. They share an emotional moment, with Amie expressing a complex mix of empathy and anguish. The enormity of their shared history underscores the generational impact of trauma, as they ponder whether Cornelia's grandfather can be classified as a perpetrator or simply a man caught in a horrific system.

Cornelia reveals that many in her home town, Schönwald—now Bojków—struggle to reconcile their past with their identity. This village held pivotal moments during World War II, from the Gleiwitz incident to the brutal death marches of prisoners fleeing Soviet forces. As the two women discuss the history of Schönwald, they confront a painful truth about the lingering denial of local complicity in Nazi atrocities.

Despite the emotional weight of their conversation, they remain hopeful. A new memorial recently unveiled in Bojków honors the victims of the death march, demonstrating that remembrance can lead to healing.

As descendants of both victims and perpetrators, Amie and Cornelia embody a collective memory that demands recognition. In discussing their relatives' roles in history, they highlight the necessity of understanding human complexity, acknowledging that morality can become blurred in the face of societal pressure.

Their stories serve as a solemn reminder that confronting the truth of the past is essential for fostering empathy, challenging antisemitism, and ensuring it never repeats itself.