I remember being horrified when one of my friends asked to see her tattoo [of her Auschwitz identification number]. [It was] the first time I saw it properly, a shocking moment I’ll never forget.
We didn’t discuss it again for years. But recently we’ve got a new sense of urgency. Stories we’ve never heard flow out of Safta.
The more she tells us, the more I want to know.‘The truth is, if you weren’t there, you can never understand.’ But I want to try.
I’ve not dared ask too many questions before. Every time she talks about the past, she has to relive it. I don’t want to cause her pain.
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