Josephine (Jo)'s Reviews > Giants: The Dwarfs of Auschwitz

A wonderful book about the heart breaking and heart rending things that happened to people in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. The Ovitz family were very rare and very special people, the family consisted of ten children, seven of whom were dwarfs. The condition was inherited from their father who had the children during his two marriages. The Ovitz's were proud, self reliant in as many ways as their smallness would allow them to be. They were all talented musicians and singers, they performed all over Central Europe, billed as the Lilliput Troupe. When the war reached their home in Romania they were rounded up with all the other Jewish families and put onto the dreaded cattle train bound for Auschwitz and almost certain death because of their supposed deformity and imperfection. As they descended from the train at the camp they were spotted by the infamous Dr. Joseph Mengele Because of their unique appearance and the fact that they were a family with a mixture of so many children some of whom were tall and some dwarfs, they were perfect subjects for his cruel and evil medical testing. Mengele was fascinated with any one who was 'different' even sets of twins had to undergo his awful tests and so many died at his hands. During their time at Auschwitz the ten siblings and other members of their family were subjected to constant tests, having blood taken until they passed out. Their courage was phenomenal, they were allowed to keep their own clothes which they had made themselves and used to perform in, they continued to dress themselves smartly, wore makeup and tried to keep up standards as far as they could. The amazing thing is that despite their ordeals they all survived and were liberated from the camp! Most of the family eventually settled in Israel and lived long lives, in fact Perla lived into her nineties.
This book is a testament to the courage of the Jewish people in general and a memorial to all those who underwent the horrifying abuse at the hands of the doctors who carried out the atrocities called 'testing' on innocent men, women and children.