A trip to the past: A documentary about Stanislaw Zalewski
On December 4th, 2024, the 7L class, along with many other 7th and 5th graders, had the privilege of attending a screening of a historical documentary about Stanisław Zalewski, a Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps. The film was deeply moving and shed light on the unimaginable cruelty people endured during World War II.
After we had all found our way to the Cineplex cinema, all classes gathered in the designated movie lounge and got prepared to watch the documentary. As soon as the first second of the film began, all classes were silent. The movie led us through the life and horrors Stanislaw Zalewski had experienced, revealing shocking and unknown details. Before his time in the concentration camps, Zalewski was part of the Polish protest movement against Nazis and manipulated Nazi car engines in his factory so they would stop working after a few thousand kilometres. He also painted protest symbols on walls. Unfortunately, he was caught and sent to his first concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. From hearing screams at night to enduring long train journeys without food or a place to sit, Zalewski experienced it all.
What horrified us most were the stories of how these poor, innocent people were killed in this camp. Even stumbling once after enduring weeks of hard labor could resulted in immediate death. Zalewski said that if he had spent another day carrying heavy cargo for the Nazis, he surely would have been killed. Zalenski also spent long time periods in the concentration camps Mauthausen, Gusen 1 and Gusen 2. In between passages about his time in the concentration camps, we were further shown footage of Zalewski’s work after the war. He became involved in official memorial services for the victims of World War II. His speeches, often delivered in the presence of officials like Karl Nehammer or even the entire parliament, put our own complaints into perspective. The most touching part of these services was when Zalewski, along with other survivors, wore their old uniforms. This reminded the audience of the horrors they had endured.
All in all, the documentary not only gave us a detailed look at the suffering during World War II, but it also really touched us. Hearing about the horrors that Zalewski and millions of others went through was shocking and reminded us once again that these kinds of horrors must never happen again. A big thank you to our history teachers and the Lisa Support Association for giving us the chance to watch such an important and moving documentary.