The young Hungarian Jew Klayn was deported to Auschwitz in August 1944. The 15-year-old had a knack for languages, which helped him escape the gas chamber. He translated documents and served as an interpreter for the nazi-administration. When the Russians threatened to liberate the camp, along with tens of thousands of other prisoners he was “evacuated” to another camp.
It was January 1945, and in freezing conditions, they had to march for kilometers to train stations. They were crammed into open freight cars and transported to the German heartland. Many thousands did not survive the transport due to the cold, hunger, and executions. Klayn endured that horrific transport and ended up at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where he was liberated by the U.S. Army some 4 months later.
On a gloomy Monday afternoon in 2026, a relative of Klayn is the only visitor at Buchenwald. She lays a stone as the camp’s caretaker locks up the crematorium for the night. A solemn silence reigns.