Jozef Paczynski, Auschwitz Commander's Barber

Jozef Paczynski, a former prisoner at Auschwitz, and barber for infamous Auschwitz commander Rudolf Hoess, died earlier today. He was 95 years old.

I recently wrote about this guy for the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, back in February, which explains a bit more of Paczynski's story.

Here is a reprint of that story:




Official Barber at Auschwitz Explains Why He Never Cut Commandant's Throat (published February 9, 2015):

On the heels of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, this story came out about the barber of Auschwitz's commandant, and how he flirted with the idea of slitting his throat but, ultimately, decided against it, figuring that little to nothing would have changed, and that the death camp would proceed with what was then business as usual. Furthermore, it would have likely begun a string of retribution killings that would only have exacerbated matters.

The man's name is Jozef Paczynski, and he has been struggling with the questions surrounding the possibilities open to him as the official barber of the commandant of Auschwitz all of those years ago.

Truth be told, he was probably right.

Yet, he was asked why he did not do so almost from the end of the Holocaust, right up to the present.

So, as one of the survivors who attended the 70th anniversary ceremonies of the liberation of the infamous camp, about one hour outside of Krakow, the city where he now resides, Jozef Paczynski finally got the chance to clear the air a little bit regarding his role at the time, and why he did not go ahead with what he had been considering back in those days.

Paczynski remained at Auschwitz until the day that it was liberated, just over 70 years ago now.





Paczynski described what it was like cutting the hair of the commander of a place like Auschwitz:

"My hands were shaking. But an order is an order. I had to do my job.

"The cut was simple, the standard German style: you had to shave the neck with a razor and then use clippers on the sideburns. I had good tools and my colleagues kept my razor sharp."

He also reflected on his memories, and the legacy of a place like Auschwitz:

"Can we forget all these murders, can we forgive them? I'll never be able to forget all those women and children taken straight to the gas chambers,"

Indeed, he kept the memory alive throughout his life, to serve as warning for future generations.

Paczynski was 95 years old. May he rest in peace now.



Barber considered slitting Auschwitz commandant's throat Associated Press By VANESSA GERA 7 hours ago

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Barber-considered-slitting-Auschwitz-commandant-s-6068164.php


Auschwitz commander's barber, Jozef Paczynski, dies at 95

http://news.yahoo.com/auschwitz-commanders-barber-jozef-paczynski-dies-95-174718769.html