«The deportees were packed into wooden railway carriages that had previously been used for goods, and sometimes livestock. Between 60 and 80 people were forced into each, packed so tightly that they were unable to sit. (When the carriages were used to transport horses, the limit was six animals per carriage.)

“There were no windows, no toilets, no food and water,” says Santerini. “It was a 1,250-kilometer, seven-day journey to Auschwitz, and took seven days. It’s difficult to imagine what they must have experienced.”»