Jacquie’s Story

One girl can inspire many.

By: Abbie Nelson

It started in 1939 and went until 1945. World War II……… a tragedy that has lasted a lifetime. I’m Jacquie Quarlen and this is my story. I was a Jew living in Nazi-occupied Germany during World War II. In 1942, when the Nazi people were getting stronger, my parents were getting worried about our safety. It was too late to escape from Germany, so that was not an option. Finally, a few days later, my parents decided to go into hiding. They also decided to hide my whole family. My mom, my dad, my elderly grandmother, my cousin, Sara, and me. A few days later, we went into hiding. Where? In an underground hole in a kind German lady’s barn. Food was scarce and couldn’t go out of the hole until nighttime. Frau Michellea, the German lady, was very kind and she brought us most of her food rations. A few weeks after going into hiding, I climbed out of the hole in the night. Then, the tragedy happened. Nazi soldiers were now everywhere around Germany. One of them was standing right outside Frau Michellea’s house when I had gotten out of the hole for a breath of fresh air. He spotted me and my life was changed from that moment on. He ran to me and ordered me to tell him where I had come from. I didn’t dare tell him. My mother came out of the hole a few minutes later to see where I was. The guard spotted her and grabbed her arm. When he looked down, he saw my other family members all huddled in the corner of the hole, crying quietly. He ordered everyone to get out of the hole and to follow him to his truck that was parked in the street. We were all so worried about our discovery and what was going to happen to us. He took us to a concentration camp called, Auschwitz. It was a harsh place that had hard bunk beds with bugs and little food. We spent our days taking apart old batteries, which was worthless work. My beloved Mama died of starvation in Auschwitz on June 25^th, 1943 and my father died in Auschwitz of typhus on July 15^th, 1943. My grandmother survived the war, but died of cancer 4 months after World War II ended. My cousin, Sara died of typhus sometime between January and March of 1944 in a different concentration camp. I am very lucky that I survived the war because many children my age did not live long with the Nazis in power. I am very glad to be alive and my story inspires many.