The Choice

Imagine stepping off a train into a world of barbed wire and brutal uncertainty while carrying your deepest fears. That was the reality for a teenage girl who found herself in Auschwitz, one of history’s cruelest corners. Her ordeal was only the beginning of an incredible life story.

Her early struggles started long before the camps: a household filled with discontent, a rigid mother who demanded more than her father could give, and a sense of never fitting the mold. Even before the war, she felt lesser—her mother told her she wasn’t beautiful enough, and her father had once wished she were a boy. But she learned to carry on, trying to find strength in whatever spark of hope she could muster.

This summary introduces you to a remarkable account of suffering, survival, and overcoming guilt. Most of all, it is a lesson on how to embrace life’s darkest moments without letting them define your future. We begin here: at the threshold of a world seemingly determined to strip away her humanity.

Life altered drastically when the German soldiers rounded up her entire family and sent them to Auschwitz. Upon arrival, she was torn from her parents, and soon learned the horrific truth: her mother and father would never return. She clung to her older sister Magda, attempting to stay afloat in an environment where rules vanished and dignity was stolen.

In the concentration camp, every day was survival on the brink. Starvation, disease, and the constant threat of death marked her life. She realized that, strangely, maintaining hope could be the most subversive act—they stole everything else, but they could not seize her power to dream. Her mother’s criticisms echoed in her mind, yet she also recalled moments of kindness or personal triumph that reminded her who she was.

She discovered that in darkness, small choices matter—choosing to share a scrap of food or to mentally relive treasured memories turned despair into quiet perseverance. Survival was shaped by moral boundaries: stealing from guards was applauded, but confiscating a fellow prisoner’s meager ration was judged harshly. Even in brutality, a moral line lingered, guiding humans to uphold their compassion.