Stay Close to Your Elder Brother

#25, Auschwitz Album Revisited

Oil Painting by Dr. Pat Mercer Hutchens

These children are in a long line of special needs children. They did not realize they were being sent immediately from the train to the gas chambers. The small boys on the left and right are lead along by the older brother. Small children are not easily herded alone, so Nazi guards selected older, even healthy ones, to go with them. As she had no doubt done many times before, I am sure their mother counted on her big, strong, healthy son. After all, he was their Elder Brother. He could take care of them. She had no idea at that time that all three of them would walk straight into the gas chamber and die together.