Walking in the footsteps of Vrba and Wetzler, Part 3

by Zoe
Hilton-Webb and Max Martel, Vrba-Wetzler memorial march participants

In August 2015, a group of people from all over the world gathered to walk from Auschwitz to Zilina, in memory of the arduous journey Rudolf Vrba and Jozef Lanik undertook after escaping Auschwitz concentration camp. Below are the accounts of two young walk participants – one British (Zoe Hilton Webb, aged 22) and one American (Max Martel, aged 19).

Zoe Hilton Webb

I
went with my dad and three close family friends to Poland to follow the
footsteps of Rudi Vrba (my grandmother’s first husband). I was really pleased that my friends wanted to join me
and my dad on the walk. I felt really supported with them there as there were
times when I found the walk hard.

The
first day of the march we had a tour of Auschwitz. I found it very emotional
and did not realize how big the camp was. We had a tour guide who showed us
around and gave really clear information about what had happened at Auschwitz
during the Second World War. I felt that I understood what had happened in the
camps better than I did before as I could see what was going on during that
time.

As
we started the walk from Auschwitz I began to think what it must have been like
for Rudi to have escaped as it would have been so hard to get out. I began to
understand how brave he had to have been to escape. 

I found part of the walk
hard but I carried on – after all, although it was hard for me it would have
been even harder for Rudi. I was not escaping from Auschwitz and I was not
walking in the dark, in fear of getting caught.

During
the walk, I met some lovely people and it was very interesting to find out how
they knew about the walk. Also during the walk, the organisers read parts of
Rudi’s book which helped to make me more aware of what the conditions were like
for Rudi and Fredie.

I
am really pleased that the walk was organized to commemorate such an important
event. Importantly, my aunt (Zuza) would have loved the walk and as the
original idea was hers, the fact that I was there, made it even more special.
The walk was really well organised and was a very powerful event for everyone
there. I am really looking forward to going back and doing it again next year.

Max Martel

By day four of the march, fatigue
had really begun to set in. The flat
surface which had been easy for us to traverse on day one had been replaced by
steep up and down inclines as we trekked through the Beskydy mountain range for
the next three days. Climbing up and
down these trails was hindered by the loose, rocky terrain, which was unearthed
by the flow of rain water down each mountain.

While walking on these rocks, I
noticed a minor pain in my left ankle.
At first, I tried to ignore it but I did not succeed in doing so. The pain kept creeping up on me like a vine
winding its way slowly around a tree. I
reached a point where I was solely focusing on this pain in my ankle.

Before coming on the march, I had planned to
complete all five days with no injuries. Now I was beginning to worry that I would not make it through without
any. I dwelled on the pain for quite a
while. “Why does this have to happen to
me?” I wondered. Then I thought about
the condition of others on the walk and it struck me how selfish I was,
focusing on the petty pain in my ankle.  

My aunt Robin, age sixty five, had
not faltered at all since the start. I’m
nineteen years old and since I was feeling fatigued on day four, I imagined the
fatigue that she must be feeling. Joseph, a family friend, age seventy two, was also with us from the
beginning. Even older than my aunt, he
had been able to walk just as far as us. 

Then I thought about my uncle Rudi after he escaped from Auschwitz in
April 1944. When he did this walk, he
was traveling in the dead of night in cold April weather with no food, no map,
and only the clothing on his back. On
his way to Zilina, he had to cut off his own boots because his feet were so
swollen. I had no right to be
complaining about the slight pain in my ankle when there were people who were
worse off than me.

I think Rudi realised this at some
point in his life and used it as a motivator for his own survival. After escaping from the camp, he may have
been thinking that even though he was fleeing for his life, the people back at
the camp had it worse than he did. 

Rather than dwelling on how bad his situation
was, he always kept in mind that there were others who had it worse than
him. He made it his mission to help
these people. He headed to Zilina in
order to save the unsuspecting Hungarian Jews who would be transported to
Birkenau for annihilation, all of whom, had it worse than he did. In life, if you think you have it hard, know
that there is always someone in a worse situation than you.

These few comments illustrate the
impact that the the Vrba Wetzler memmorial march had on young people. There is
another march in the footsteps of Vrba and Wetzler planned for next summer.
Information will be available at www. vrbawetzler.eu.