SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 283
9. Sobibór: Propaganda and Reality
9.1. Fake “Baths” or Real Baths? Sobibór as a Transit
Camp
As we have seen in chapter 4, the witnesses have described the alleged
gas chambers of Sobibór as fake baths, but faked in such a way
that they could have been real: “At first glance, everything looks as a
bath should look – faucets for hot and cold water, basins to wash in”
(Pechersky, see p. 70); “The bath was arranged as if it were really a
place to wash (faucets for the shower, a pleasant environment)” (Feldhendler,
see p. 71) and “everyone would be given a piece of soap.”
(Razgonayev, see note 283).
At the Eichmann trial in Jerualem there was the following exchange
of arguments between the presiding judge and the witness Dov Freiberg
during the 64 th session (5 June 1961): 856
“Presiding Judge: One moment. When did you become aware,
when did it become clear to you for the first time, that these were not
shower rooms, but gas chambers?
Witness Freiberg: In the first days. There were some doubts, but
it was known.” (Emph. added)
But on this point, Y. Arad writes: 857
“The unawareness of what happened to the Jews who were taken
to Camp III weighed heavily on the daily life of those selected to
work. Days and even weeks passed until the Jewish prisoners who
worked in Camp I and Camp II found out that those who had been
taken there were gassed. In Sobibór, unlike Be��ec, the extermination
area with gas chambers was more isolated from the other parts
of the camp, and nothing could be seen.”
He then quotes another statement by Freiberg – in blatant disgreement
to the one above – according to which “for two weeks he and
856 State of Israel, op. cit. (note 137), vol. III, p. 1176; the witness is the same person as Ber
Moiseyevich Freiberg mentioned earlier.
857 Y. Arad, op. cit. (note 49), p. 79.