[4k, 60fps, colorized] (1944) Settela Steinbach’s last trip to Auschwitz

Recording the deportation of Dutch Jews (and some Sinti-Roma) from Westerbork on May 19, 1944, this film captures the loading of train cars bound for Auschwitz. The cameraman, Werner (Rudolf) Breslauer, was a German Jew who fled to the Netherlands with his wife and three children. He was ordered by a camp commander to film daily life, including this deportation. In September of 1944, Breslauer and his family were themselves deported to Auschwitz via Theresienstadt, where Rudolf, his wife, and his two sons were killed. His daughter, Ursula, survived the war. Within this footage appears a now-iconic image of a young Sinti girl as she boards a train for deportation. Settela Steinbach was one of the 245 Dutch Sinti killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Settela’s last, and world renowned, picture was taken on May 19, 1944 moments before the train door was bolted and locked in front of her. The image of Settela peeking through the train doors, head covered, has become a symbol