Music saved the life of a young Jewish cellist in Auschwitz

Music turned out to be the main savior of the young Jewish cellist Anita Lasker in the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The prisoners were released by Soviet troops on January 27, 1945. Anita managed to survive there only because the camp orchestra needed a cellist.

Anita Lasker-Walfisch is now 99 years old, and she is the last survivor of the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra, writes xrust. She recalls: when transports arrived at the camp, a doctor and a commandant stood on the ramp. They were sorting. They were asked about their age and health status. Unsuspecting newcomers, as a rule, reported any illnesses, thereby signing their own death warrant. Particular attention was paid to children and the elderly. Right, left, right, left. On the right is life, on the left is the chimney.

When she first arrived at the unloading platform of Auschwitz, her chance phrase that she was playing the cello was enough to change the course of her life.

Her mother Lasker Edith was a talented violinist, and her father Alphonse was a successful lawyer. The youngest of three daughters, she grew up in a happy family where music and other cultural interests were encouraged. She knew from an early age that she wanted to become a cellist, but beyond the sanctuary of her family home, dark forces were awakening.

Xrust Music saved the life of a young Jewish cellist in Auschwitz