Schach im Holocaust
"Elhanan Ejbuszyc, a talented carver of miniatures, was deported from the Lodz ghetto to Auschwitz-Birkenau in the summer of 1944, where he was imprisoned in Block 20. The block leader was known for his cruelty, particularly for using his club to beat prisoners who got in his way. Rumor had it that he had been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and children.
One day Ejbuszyc took a chance and offered the cruel leader, who habitually bragged about his prowess at chess, to carve chess pieces for him. He dared to suggest that the block leader's club would be perfect for the task because it was round and thin. His hope was to temper the block leader's treatment of his fellow prisoners. To his surprise, his offer was received positively, and the leader even gave Ejbuszyc a pocket knife to carve with, not without a warning that if he didn't complete the task within four days and return the knife, he would be put to death.
For the next few days Ejbuszyc was allowed to stay in the block and carve the chess pieces instead of going out to work with the other prisoners. He was pleased that he had managed to grant his fellow inmates a temporary respite from the dreaded club, but before he managed to complete the task, the prisoners were summoned to a "selection" and a group of them, including Ejbuszyc, was sent to the Goerlitz labor camp. He managed to hide the chess pieces, the pocket knife, and what remained of the club, and take them with him to the new camp."
Der Beginn von einer von 13 Geschichten, die die Holocaust-Gedenkstätte Yad Vashem zu ihren Schachexponaten erzählt. Um die 20 selbstgemachte Schachsets sind in Yad Vashem zu sehen, einige während des Krieges in Konzentrationslagern oder im Versteck hergestellt, andere vor dem Krieg und von deportierten Juden mitgenommen.
