Maria Forelle, 18
April 12th, 1939
Dear Diary,
We have been stripped of our German citizenship. We have been forced to wear the 'star of David'. We have been fired from our jobs and businesses. We have been banned from all German schools and universities. We are being forced to pay reparations and a special income tax. This is all because we're Jews...
Now we have been taken from our homes, and promised that we are heading to a 'better' place like the Germans have said. I am getting a feeling that I won't like this new place that they have told us about. They didn’t tell us where it was, or anything else; we were just told it was going to be better than the place we used to live.
I'm in the train squished up against people, and my family is nowhere to be found. There is barely enough space to stand and small little children have been thrown on the top of us. Everyone has been separated from their families. I’m praying that my family is okay, and that I’ll find them when we get to the place the Germans want us to go.
We made two more stops on the way, and this train was getting more and more packed. Children keep getting thrown on top to save space. This train has nothing to use when I needed to go to the washroom. I see people using a small tin pail, but I’d rather not.
I just want to get out of this dark, horrifying place. I want to go back home. I want to be with my family. I want the Germans to treat Jews equally...