Concentration Camps

Children survived in concentration camps, essentially

(1) Pretending to be older and being treated as adults and slave workers.

(2) Being employed as errand boys.

(3) In some family camps (Theresienstadt, Bergen-Belsen).

(4) Being selected for medical experiments (at Auschwitz and elsewhere).

Errand Boys

Self-disciplined children who could speak German (and other language), could serve the Germans or the Kapos as errand boys. In the language of the camp they were called Piepel.

Among them were Thomas Buergenthal, Luigi Ferri, and many others.

The way they were treated depended on their protector. Some were relatively well-treated, others were badly abused. physically and/or sexually.

Their reputation in the camp also depended on the reputation of their protectors. Some of these children were hated by the other inmates since in order to please their protectors they behaved badly with the other inmates. Some were pitied as innocent victims and the other inmates understood their suffering. Some were loved as they tried their best to help as much as they could.