Inside the Gas Chambers

Eight Months in the Sonderkommando of Auschwitz

By: Shlomo Venezia

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Slomo Venezia was born into a poor Jewish-Italian community living in Thessaloniki, Greece. At first, the occupying Italians protected his family; but when the Germans invaded, the Venezias were deported to Auschwitz. His mother and sisters disappeared on arrival, and he learned, at first with disbelief, that they had almost certainly been gassed. Given the chance to earn a little extra bread, he agreed to become a 'Sonderkommando', without realizing what this entailed. He soon found himself a member of the 'special unit' responsible for removing the corpses from the gas chambers and burning their bodies.

Dispassionately, he details the grim round of daily tasks, evokes the terror inspired by the man in charge of the crematoria, 'Angel of Death' Otto Moll, and recounts the attempts made by some of the prisoners to escape, including the revolt of October 1944.

It is usual to imagine that none of those who went into the gas chambers at Auschwitz ever emerged to tell their tale—but, as a member of a 'Sonderkommando', Shlomo Venezia was given this horrific privilege. He knew that, having witnessed the unspeakable, he in turn would probably be eliminated by the SS in case he ever told his tale. He survived: this is his story.

©2009 Polity Press (P)2022 Tantor

Grim details of the horrific life in the camps

The storyline and narration was very engaging but many times during the story the narrator stopped and said “note then further explained something”. That was quite annoying. Should have just incorporated the details in the story

Unique

This was an insightful telling of an individual’s experience with the management of various aspects of the cremation process utilized at Auschwitz. It’s inconceivable that these things occurred yet we know they did. I feel an obligation to know about the horrible things that occurred during WWII. These things can never occur again. These horrors cannot be forgotten.

Concise and powerful account and history

This book provides a unique and rare perspective that I have never heard before (and I've read listened to several Holocaust survival stories). It is concise, well written and well narrated.

As a bonus of sorts, the end of the book provides a full chronology of the Nazi's despicable treatment of European Jews - again, something I've not encountered in any other books on the topic.

As I've said in my reviews of similar books, this is a story that must be heard, especially in today's environment of rising antisemitism. The unique perspective of the author drives home the horror, brutality, and stark inhumanity of the Nazis and illustrates clearly man's capacity for cruelty when groupthink takes over.

Excellent book

This book is actually a Q&A with a survivor of the concentration camps, and it's one of the better books I've read on the subject. Everything in it seems completely believable, the claims don't sound exaggerated or embellished, which is a real problem with some books in this segment. I've probably read close to 50 books from Holocaust survivors at this point, and this is absolutely in the top tier of those books.

Although it's a Q&A format, the questioner stays out of the way of things, ands because of that it reads more like a narrative history, which is great.

Overall this is a very good book, it's easy for anyone to pick-up and read (so long as they can handle the subject) regardless of their familiarity with the holocaust, and it's never boring or dry.

The reader also does a very good job, sounds engaged but also doesn't veer into overacting, which can distract from books with this subject matter.

Amazing listen

Such a powerful book detailing all aspects of the gas chambers.
Honestly I struggled to listen to it at times, as it’s very descriptive, but amazing book nevertheless.

Accurate

I really appreciated the historical accuracy and the facts that were presented both along the way and at the end. Thank for sharing your story.

Powerful

It's hard to understand it unless you go there to see it for yourself. To survive it and tell the tale is a blessing.

Wunderbar. It’s a long review but it’s detailed.

“Inside the Gas chambers” is an extremely fascinating title giving the first place account of
Shlomo Venezia. The book is written differently than a typical story. It is written more as an interview between Shlomo and a woman as she prepares to write his story. At first it is a tad confusing but after a couple times it adds to the effect of the book, and, for me, helped my understanding of the barbaric Nazis. Also to understand the moral decline of starved mistreated people. How they began to steal each others food. Making others starve in order to help himself, etc. Horrifying. This book comes from the perspective of an Italian Jew, different from the normal Holocaust books. The narrator may be a bit dull for some but I found it fitting for the way the book is written and sometimes it’s easier to swallow certain topics. The way the pronunciation of German in the book is done is executed perfectly by the narrator immersing the reader further into the land the millions of people lived in the 1940’s and earlier. Shlomo’s accounts are well documented and detailed leaving no room for doubt or questions. All are answered very deeply. A neat tid bit I would suggest to the reader who really should read this book is also to read “Auschwitz” by Dr Miklos Nyiszli (I read this book before Shlomo’s). There are multiple crossovers between these two books and it’s so enthralling and baffling to think that these two men were working at the same time in the Crematoriums and experienced many of the same events; however they detail many different things. Miklos was Dr Mengele’s top assistant (forced of course) and dissected all of Mengeles victims. He worked in Crematorium 2. Whereas Shlomo worked in Crematorium 3 (if I remember right) as a typical Saunder Commando. Also for further reading the “Tatooist of Auschwitz” also had crossovers with these above titles in respect to the Romas and when they were liquidated etc. all these men were in each others lives and had no idea. Fascinating. Wunderbar.

Excellent history

What a well narrated account of some of the most horrific atrocities in history. Appreciated the notes

sticks to you

it's an interview but the narration and story is unreal. one of the best I've ever heard.