Priestblock 25487

Donald Moore

The book Priestblock 25487 A Memoir of Dachau by Jean Bernard made me feel sick to my stomach. I have all these bad images in my head now of the brutality of the Nazi Regime. Father Bernard was lucky to get out. The very end of the book had me so nervous about his release, especially all the small details that led to his miraculous release. Divine intervention if you ask me. The part about the medical examination at the end, the regular doctor happen to not be on duty at the time he came in for the examination. He weighed one hundred pounds, that just hurts my heart to think about the calculated torture techniques that were used to break their spirits.

As I read through the book, the part that was really disturbing to me was more new arrivals, upon more new arrivals, upon more new arrivals. They just kept coming and coming, people, human beings, fathers, brothers, uncles, priests, children of God. They were being rounded up like animals from all over Europe. This was such an evil system to break people down. I say system because there is no humanity in the equation at all, none. It was just an evil thoughtless system specifically created to break people and control minds. Total disregard for human rights.

The part when the guard urinated on the food was disgusting. I have a great Aunt who is still living and she tells me stories about WWII and to think all this happened not too long ago is scary. The other thing going through my mind as I am reading this book is how could something so dark and sinister get so out of hand and gain such control? How it even got to that point is just mind boggling. I guess you can piece it all together one step at a time, how it grew. I just feel sick to my stomach to think about the torture they were using to control people all over Germany to pump fear into them, so nobody would resist in any degree.

When they let him go home to attend his mothers funeral. I don't think they let him go home because they were kind and caring people. I bet they had something up their sleeve and were trying to set him up or something. I bet they were watching his every move. Just to think this madness was not just happening at Dachau, but was happening all over Europe on a large scale is unimaginable.

As Batty Esch they were going to sleep, Father Bernard told Batty that he was dragging others down. Then Batty and Father Bernard cried and Batty said "let's stick together." That part really hit me hard on the personal human relationship between friends and how we can make it if we stick together in our own lives. It's awful how Dachau wanted to turn prisoners on each other, ruin friendships, families, they didn't want anybody to care for each other at all in any way. As I kept reading the book, I kept feeling the emptiness and emotionless of this place. No feelings, no love, just a system designed to break people and ends lives, like your local animal shelter.

The end though gives me hope. I am glad I was left with some hope at the end. Father Bernard inspirers me and teaches me that no matter how awful circumstances we may find ourselves in, with God's help, we can pull through anything. I find deep symbolism at the end. He crawls on his hands and knees to the train but then stands at the alter in the end. We crawl through life on our hands and knees dependent upon God. Sometimes we are beaten down with trials, bruised and banged up. But we keep crawling on our hands and knees and God lifts us up, rejuvenated and renewed and then we have the strength to stand at the alter in communion with God.