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Starving in Darkness
Living conditions in most of these hiding places were miserable. For
necessities such as food and water, families in hiding often depended
on non-Jews who knew they were there. The hidden families could
only hope that their helpers would continue to bring supplies and not
betray them to the Nazis.There was rarely enough food or water to go
around, much less to satisfy the appetites of growing children.
In addition to the lack of food, sanitation was a problem. Bathing
was out of the question in most hiding places, as was disposing of hu-
man waste. In some hideouts, a person who brought food and water
also brought a bucket for the hiders to use, but for many there was no
one to cart away waste. Infants and toddlers too young to be potty
trained posed an additional problem because diapers were difficult to
come by and impossible to wash.
Filthy living conditions put the health of everyone at risk, but
small, frail children especially struggled to fend off disease. Skin in-
fections were common among hidden children during the Holocaust,
as were illnesses of the digestive tract. People, especially children, who
endured long periods with little food were inclined to overeat when
sporadic meals were provided. “People died by eating too much,” says
Ilana Rosen, who survived theHolocaust inHungary as a child. “They
started to eat a lot, out of hunger. . . .They got diarrhea and died. My
sister took care of us. If it weren’t for her, we too would have died.”
9
Not only were most hiding spaces overcrowded, filthy, cramped,
and unhealthy, but many also were cut off from sunlight or fresh air.
Nazi soldiers or even neighbors willing to turn in hiding Jews might
see hiders through windows or other openings. Some of the most ef-
fective hiding places therefore lacked any view to the outside. In fact,
many hiding places, such as underground caves or secret compart-
ments in basements or attics, were nearly or completely dark all the
time. Some young children who lived through the hiding experience
had no recollection of sunlight when they finally emerged.
Childhood in Silent Spaces
The need for silence was especially important during hiding, and this
complicated the experience even more for children. Many families
hid in abandoned buildings. A thump, a voice, or a whimper might
