I Am Left Speechless

Report by SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Wippern, Concerning Value of Money, Precious Metals, Other Valuables, and Textiles of Jews

Quantity	Item	Collective Value (RM)
17	Gold Fountain Pens	1,900
4	Platinum Watches	1,200
2,894	Gold Gentlemen’s Pocket Watches	1,427,000
7,313	Ladies’ Gold Wristwatches	1,828,250
6,245	Gentlemen’s Wristwatches	62,450
13,455	Gentlemen’s Pocket Watches	269,100
51,370	Watches to be Repaired	258,850
22,324	Spectacles	66,972
11,675	Gold Rings with Diamonds	11,675,000
1,399	Pairs Gold Earrings w/ Brilliants	349,750
7,000	Fountain Pens	70,000
1,000	Automatic Pencils	3,000
350	Razors	875
3,240	Pocket Books	4860
1,500	Scissors	750
2,544	Alarm Clocks to be Repaired	7662
160	Alarm Clocks, Working	960
477	Sunglasses	268
41	Silver Cigarette Cases	1,230
230	Thermometers	690
462	Boxcars of Rags	323,400
253	Boxcars of Feathers for Bedding	2,510,000
317	Boxcars of Clothes and Linens	10,461,000

I think most of you can tell that this is related to the Holocaust, because of the title. This chart was in my second independent reading book, which is called Not Me, by Michael Lavigne. This book is about a man named Michael, who is left a series of journals by his father (Heshel) who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Ever since Michael was little, he has heard about his father's tragic stories of the Holocaust and his traumatic experiences at concentration camps. It is not until Michael begins reading his father's journals that he realizes his father may not actually be a victim, but rather a Nazi/Gestapo officer who stole a Jew's identity in order to escape prosecution. However, Michael cannot be sure that the entries refer to Heshel because they are written from the third-person point of view, as if it's a novel.

I haven't finished this book yet, but this chart is recorded in one of Heshel's journal entries.  Believe it or not, this chart represents items taken from Jews over the span of merely 3 months. I don't know how much of this is true, but I have to believe that the author didn't make all of these numbers up. Also, the numbers in the third column are monetary values measured in reichsmarks. One US dollar is said to be equivalent to 4.2 RM. Even so, this amounts to a lot.

Anyway, I was reading and this chart really astounded me. I'll admit, when I come across a chart or picture in a novel, I tend to skip over because I lack the patience to read it. But this chart really made me stop and think. Therefore, I thought it was worthy of blogging. Yes, I understand that we've been learning about the Holocaust since before any of us could remember, but this chart left me speechless. So don't skim over it like I (and I'm sure plenty of others) do. Mull over it, and think about what it really means.