No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home

Irene Sees Beno

They took Arthur to one camp and Beno and me to the different camp. There were big cars for the transport of animals. Beno and me wind up in Plaszow. Arthur had a better camp.

I saw Beno. He was fourteen. He grew so much, I could not believe it. Beno was a short little guy, he grew to six feet. They took him from Plaszow after a year. He was sixteen. I don’t know where Beno went and I never heard from him and Arthur he feels guilty. It’s his nature that he blames himself. We don’t know where he was and where he died.

Losing Beno was worse for Arthur than his father and mother. That he was not taking care of his little brother. Like Sam would feel guilty that he didn’t take care of James. It’s a terrible feeling. I was lucky enough that I didn’t really have guilt. My mother, I saved her for three months. I could not do more than I did.