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Vladek is Born
Vladek Spiegelman is born in Silesia, Poland. -
Vladek enters the Army
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Vladek starts dating Lucia
They were together for three or four years -
Vladek meets Anja
Vladek's cousin introduced him to a girl in her class, Anja. His cousin says Anja is incredibly clever and comes from a rich family. The three of them met the next morning and Anja and Vladek exchanged phone numbers. In the beginning of their relationship, Vladek lived in Czestochowa and Anja lived in Sosnowiec, so they often called, wrote letters, and visited each other a couple times. -
Vladek and Anja get engaged
Vladek, 30, and Anja 24, get engaged by the end of 1936 and Vladek moved from Czestochowa to Sosnowiec. -
Vladek and Anja get Married
Vladek and Anja get married and Vladek moves into one of his Father-in-laws apartments. He gave Vladek part ownership of the apartment and a gold watch as a wedding gift. -
Anja translates communist messages
A little after Vladek and Anja got married, the police came to Anja's house looking fro Anja. She had been translating communist messages into German and passing them on. Her friend warned her that the police suspected Anja, so she packaged the papers and gave it to her seamstress asking her to hide the package. Later the police came to the seamstress's place and the seamstress was arrested. -
The Seamstress is Released
Miss Stefanska, the seamstress, is released from prison because the packaged wasn't enough evidence for the police to keep her. -
Vladek starts a Textile Factory
Anja's father helps Vladek buy a textile factory in Bielsko. By October , the factory was going. -
Richieu is Born
Richieu, Vladek and Anja's first son is born prematurely in October -
Vladek sees a Swastika
When taking the train to inside Czechoslovakia, Vladek sees the swastika for the first time, hanging high in the center of town. -
Vladek gets Drafted
Vladek receives a draft notice and being part of the polish reserves army, he had to go right away. They all packed, they knew the war was starting. Anja, Richieu, and their governess went to Sosnowiec to Anja's father and Vladek went to the frontier against Germany. -
Germany Invades Poland
WW2 begins. -
Vladek is sent to a Prisoner of War camp
The Nazis separated the non-jewish Polish and the jewish Polish. Vladek, along with another 4/5 jewish people, were told to clean a stable in an hour. When the Nazis came back and they hadn't finished, they lost their dinner. -
Vladek is sent to a another POW camp
The polish are moved to a bigger prisoner of war camp where the non-jewish polish stayed in heated cabins and the jewish stayed in tents outside. The other prisoners are allowed two meals a day, the jewish prisoners are allowed barley one. That Autumn was very cold, some of the jewish prisoners got frostbite wounds. -
Vladek gets out of POW camp
The prisoners are told that they may volunteer for labor assignments to replace German workers called to the front. They are told housing and abundant food is supplied. Many of them thought this was a trick, but Vladek volunteered and so did his comrades.They were taken to wooden houses, beds, and food. The next morning they were sent to work, where they moved mountains, creating a leveled land. Some went back to the POW camp. -
Vladeks Dream
Vladek's grandfather came to him in a dream telling him "You will come out fo this place - free! ... On the day of Parshas Truma". -
Parshas Truma
In the middle of February, on Parshas Truma, Vladek is made to sign a release form, and he is free to go. The next morning he was loaded on a train to Poland. No matter their destinations, they were all sent to Lubin, controlled by the German Government. -
Vladek is leaves Camp
In Lublin, Vladek is lead to large tents. He hears the last group of prisoners that arrived at the camp were marched into the forest and killed. He meets Jewish authorities in the camp that have bribed the guards to release prisoners into the homes of nearby Jews. and Vladek tells them that he has a cousin in Lublin. The next morning the cousin arrives, and Vladek is set free. -
Vladek Reunites with his Family
Vladek disguises himself as a non-jewish Pole and with the help of a Polish train man he gets on a train to Sosnowiec. Richieu is now 2 1/2 years old. -
Notice for Relocation
Vladek and other Jews living in Sosnowiec receive a notice from the Nazis that they must relocate into the Stara Sosnowiec quarter by January 1, 1942. Non-Jews will be moved to a vacated premises. -
Vladek is Relocated
Vladek and Anja's family now live together in very small, cramped, rooms in the Stara Sosnowiec quarter. -
Jews are Hanged in the Street as an Example
Four Jews were caught by the Nazis for dealing goods without coupons (Black Market Business) and were hanged on Modrzejowska Street as a threat to the rest of the Jews. Vladek traded with Cohn and Pfefer, two of the men. They were left hanging on the street for a week. Vladek began to sell gold and jewelry hiding them in a child's stroller. -
Anja's Grandparents are sent to Auschwitz
A few week prior, the family received a notice from the Nazis that all jews over the age of 70 will be transferred to Theredienstadt in Czechoslovakia on May 10, 1942. They were told that they would be sent to a community better suited for the elderly and would be cared for. Anja's family tried to hide the grandparents but eventually they had to give them up to the Jewish Police. They were sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. -
Jews must Register at Dienst Stadium
Almost all the Jews of Sosnowiec and other villages near came to the stadium. Thousands of people were inspected and sent to one of two groups, a group on the left, or a group on the right. Vladek and Anja came to the table where his cousin was sitting, their passports were stamped and they were sent to the right. Those sent to the right were sent back home, those to the left were never seen agian. 1/3 of the people who came to the stadium were allowed to go back home. -
Vladek is Relocated to Stodula
The Jews left in Sosnowiec must move to Stodula. Anja and Tosha (her sister) worked in a clothing factory while Vladek worked with Lolek (his nephew) in a woodworking shop. The guards in Stodula were Jews, who acted like the Germans. They marched the Jews to and from work, counting and locking them in at night. -
Vladek and Anja see Richieu for the Last Time
Persis, Wolfe's Uncle promised that he could keep Richieu safe. He has connections in Zawiercie with the Germans, he says he can bribe them in return for their safety.He managed papers to take Wolfe, Tosha, Bibi, Lonia, and Richieu. -
Nazis take more people to Auschwitz
They took over 1,000 people from Stodula to Auschwitz, mostly kids. -
Richieu Dies
The Nazis shot Persis and the rest of the Jewish Council and are evacuating the Jews out of Zawiercie. The Nazis are bringing them to Auschwitz, but Tosha refuses to go and poisons herself, Bibi, Lonia, and Richieu. -
Vladek and others hide in Celler
In Vladek's celler, where the coal was stored, he and other Jews hide in a bunker from the Nazis. They hid behind a false wall behind the cellar and under the kitchen. There they had some food and hide for a few days. -
Vladek and others are Caught in the Attic
Vladek had been moved to a new house and stayed in a bunker in the attic with others. By this time, the Nazis has taken away 10,000 Jews in one week. There were roughly 1,000 Jews left in Sosnowiec. Vladek and others hid in the bunker and only went out for food. One night a stranger found their bunker, promised he wasn't an informer, and left. The next morning the Gestapo found them and took them to a building in Stodula separated by fences/wires. -
Vladek hides in Bunker
Earlier, Vladek got a job resoling German boots. Miloch, a friend of Vladek's cousin who also worked at the shoe shop, showed Vladek a a tunnel inside the stack of shoes in the shop. The tunnel lead to his bunker made for 15/16 people. Anja and Vladek chose to hide in the bunker along with others. -
Vladek Escapes
After a while of hiding, Pesach, one of the people hiding in the bunker, contacted a Nazi who promised to look the other way while they escaped. The group who agreed to the plan payed the guard and left. The group was killed. The people who stayed in the bunker organized themselves good clothes and ID papers. They disguised themselves as Poles and split up, heading in different directions. Vladek and Anja walked towards Sosnowiec. -
Vladek stays with Mr. Lukowski
Vladek and Anja hide in Mr. Lukowski's barn -
Vladek stays with Mrs. Kawka
Vladek and Anja hide in Mrs. Kawka's barn -
Vladek stays with Mrs. Motonowa
Vladek and Anja hide in Mrs. Motonowa's house. After a while, the Gestapo searched Mrs. Motonowa's goods and afraid they would come to her house, she kicked Vladek and Anja out. -
Vladek hides inside a Construction Site
Vladek and Anja get kicked out of Mrs. Motonowa's house and hide inside a Construction Site for a few hours until day time. -
Vladek comes back to Mrs. Kawka
Vladek and Anja come to Mrs. Kawka's barn agian and hide there. She tells them of smugglers who might be able to take them into Hungary. -
Vladek comes back to Mrs. Motonowa's House
While looking for someone else to hide himself and Anja, he sees Mrs. Motonowa agian. She feels guilty about chasing them out earlier and invites them back in. -
Vladek and Anja are sent to Auschwitz
Vladek and Anja pay the smugglers (the ones Mrs. Kawka told them about), but on the way to Hungary, the smugglers betray them to the Nazis. They are taken to Auschwitz, where they are separated. -
Vladek's Kapo keeps him "safe"
In Auschwitz, Vladek teaches his Kapo English. In return, his Kapo does what he can in his power to keep Vladek safe. The Kapo tells Vladek the S.S. will line all the prisoners up the next day, and that Vladek should stand on the far left. The Kapo also gave him food and proper fitting clothes. His Kapo continued to keep him safe from being taken away from the germans (he needed Vladek near him to teach him English). -
Vladek works as a Tinsman
Vladek works as a Tinsman in Auschwitz. This job later helped him get into Birkenau and see Anja agian. -
Vladek goes to Birkenau
The Nazis needed workers to fix the women's camp roof in Birkenau, Vladek was one of few men who went over there to fix the roofs -
Vladek and Anja Reunite
They meet and talk but a Nazi caught Vladek talking to someone and beat him. -
Vladek becomes a Shoemaker
Vladek becomes a very skilled Shoemaker, this eventually helps Anja. Anja's Kapo was cruel to Anja, Anja noticed her shoes were falling apart and offered to take them to Vladek to fix. When Anja returned her shoes fixed, she became nicer to her. -
Vladek brings Anja closer
A few thousand women came to the new barracks in Auschwitz, Anya was with them. Vladek had been saving cigarettes, enough to eventually bribe someone to make sure Anja was in these new barracks near Vladek. -
Vladek does "Black Work"
Vladek is transferred into “black work,” heavy construction work, but after a few months he returns to the tin shop. -
Vladek sees the Gas Chambers
As a tin worker, Vladek is sent over to Birkenau to take apart the gas chambers. The Germans wanted to leave no trace of what they had done, because the Russians were coming near. The Tinmen took out the pipes and fans for ventilation. -
Death March
Thousands of prisoners were being brought into Germany. The Gestapo chased everyone out of Auschwitz, each prisoner was given bread, a sausage, and a blanket and they marched to Gross-Rosen. Those who couldn't walk or walked too slow were shot. -
Vladek + others are left to die in a Train
The prisoners are pushed into a train meant for cattle. They're was no room, if you fell, you were stood one. Vladek used the blanket he had from before to create a sort of hammock, to have space/room so he wouldn't get trampled over. The trains stood still for weeks until one day the Nazis opened the door and ordered the remaining prisoners to throw out the dead. This pattern continued. -
Vladek is sent to Dachau
Eventually the remaining prisoners were sent to a camp in Dachau where they were closed in barracks, siting on straw. In the straw there was lice, and from the lice there was Typhus. -
Vladek gets an Infection on his Hand
Vladek got an infection on his hand. He made it worse and worse until they would take him to the infirmary. There he got three "meals" a day and a bed to sleep. Eventually his infection healed and they sent him back to the barrack. -
Vladek gets Typhus
Vladek gets Typhus and is sent to the Infirmary. He was so sick he thought he might die. -
The Prisoners are Exchanged as War Prisoners
It was announced that those who were strong enough to travel will line up outside where they will be exchanged as war prisoners at the Swiss Boarder. They were put on a real train to Switzerland. -
WWII Ends
The Americans come to Germany, they came to an empty house Vladek was staying at and gave him canned food. They said the house would be a part of their base camp, so Vladek is moved to a displaced persons camp in Germisch-Partenkirchen. -
Vladek and Anja reunite in Sosnowiec
Vladek went on both foot and by train to Sosnowiec, but eventually he had to walk to Sosnowiec taking 3-4 weeks. -
Art is Born
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Anja, Art, and Vladek enjoy a Day on the Beach at Sweden
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Anja commits Suicide
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Vladek Dies
