One Day in Auschwitz

Auschwitz-Birkenau was engineered for mass extermination. Its four gas chambers claimed thousands of lives simultaneously, releasing smoke and human remains into the air. Starvation, dehydration, illness, and grueling labor shortened the average life expectancy to under three months. Over a million individuals lost their lives in this largest of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Seventy years after her liberation, Kitty Hart-Moxon returns one last time to Auschwitz-Birkenau, accompanied by students Natalia and Lydia, who are now 16—the same age Kitty was during her imprisonment. As Kitty shares her experiences of daily survival, certain themes emerge: the constant threat of death, resilience, friendship, human strength, defying the Nazis’ relentless murderous intent, and maintaining one’s humanity despite living in inhumane conditions. Natalia and Lydia pose questions, and Kitty responds, ensuring her legacy is passed on to the next generation.