Preaching in the ‘Fiery Furnace’

Over the years, much has been written about the concentration camps and the suffering of our brothers there. Among those who were in the camps were Jehovah’s Witnesses from Czechia. We will not dwell on the details of their suffering but, rather, on how they were spiritually upbuilt and how they upbuilt others even in that ‘fiery furnace.’—Compare Daniel 3:20, 21.

In those days people around the world knew the name of the Czech village Lidice. On June 9/10, 1942, at Hitler’s direct command, the whole village was razed to the ground in retribution for the death of a German officer. Its name was to be blotted off the map of Europe. Božena Vodrážková, who survived that horror, later recalled: “The Gestapo rounded up our whole village. All the men were shot, the children taken to unknown destinations, and the women transported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. There I met Witnesses of our Lord Jehovah . . . Once a friend told me, ‘Božena, I have spoken with the Bible Students. They speak remarkable things. It sounds like a fairy tale, but they claim that what the Bible says is true, that God’s Kingdom will come and do away with evil.’ Later I met them personally. They witnessed to me about God’s Kingdom, and I felt very much attracted to their message.” Yes, she became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Many prisoners were deeply impressed by the conduct of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the camps. Alois Miczek recalls: “During the war I was imprisoned for my Communist activities and placed in the Mauthausen concentration camp. The Witnesses there were somehow able to obtain The Watchtower and other literature, which they used in teaching some fellow prisoners, and the SS were incapable of preventing this. So as a warning, the SS decided to shoot every tenth Witness in the camp. They lined up all the Witnesses, and every tenth one was taken aside under armed guard. But all of a sudden, as if it had been prearranged, the remaining 90 percent of the brothers turned and started walking toward the group selected for execution. ‘If you want to shoot every tenth one, shoot us all!’ The entire camp was awestruck by this gesture, and the SS were so impressed that the command was reversed. I was an eyewitness to this event.” (John 15:13) And how did it affect his life?

His daughter, Marie Gogolková, explains: “Observing Jehovah’s Witnesses at Mauthausen led my father to embrace the truth. He was baptized immediately after the war, and he zealously preached about God’s Kingdom and helped many people to learn the truth.”

Oldřich Nesrovnal, from Brno, was also in a concentration camp. Why? He had an aversion to war, so he tried to escape across the border to Switzerland. He was caught in the process, accused of espionage, and deported to Dachau. He recalls: “In the prisoner train that carried us to the camp, I spotted a quiet 13-year-old boy sitting near the window reading something. It seemed he was trying to hide what he was reading. I asked him what it was, and he replied: ‘The Bible.’ He told me he wouldn’t give up his faith in God. I didn’t understand, but I stuck with the boy. His name was Gregor Wicinsky; he was from Poland. The next day I learned that he was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He had refused to sign a list of items that he had to turn in. The list was in German, and he was afraid he would be signing a compromising statement. He was beaten, but even that did not break him . . .

“I wrote Mother, asking her for a Bible, and remarkably enough, it arrived. I began reading it regularly. A certain man from Ostrava [in Moravia] observed me. He asked if I understood what I was reading, and I told him I understood about half. ‘And would you like to understand more?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘So meet me tomorrow after 6:00 p.m. at such-and-such place.’ This was the first time I was at a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The meetings were held daily after 6:00 p.m., and three times on Sunday. Both the conductor and the topic were preassigned. My ‘teacher’ was the literature servant. He was the camp’s cobbler, and all the hand-copied literature was hidden under the seat of his work stool. I didn’t hear of Gregor again, however, for a year and a half. Then at the end of 1944, I watched a crowd of prisoners returning from various side camps, and I spotted my Gregor. He appeared to be almost half a meter [1.5 feet] taller but terribly thin. After quarantine he joined us at the meeting. We warmly welcomed each other, and then he said, ‘I prayed to the Lord Jehovah not to leave you here alone.’ Jehovah had answered his prayer.”

Memorial in a Concentration Camp

Was it possible under such circumstances to commemorate the Memorial of Christ’s death? Yes, indeed! But at times, individuals wondered how it could be done. Božena Nováková explained: “The Memorial was approaching. I felt horrible because I believed that I wouldn’t be able to partake of the emblems. But Jehovah took care of things. He knew my desire, so on the day of the Memorial, I was called to one of the barracks. Several sisters of various nationalities were already there. The Memorial, including the partaking of emblems, took place without disturbance. Thanks, glory, and honor be to our God, Jehovah, and to his Lamb!”

But how had the unleavened bread and the wine been obtained? She added: “It happened that nearby, in the town of Fürstenberg, there were some Witnesses of Jehovah working at a State farmstead who managed to supply us with the emblems.”

After this blessing Sister Nováková had another experience—difficult, yet faith strengthening. She recalled: “One day I was called to the washroom. It was a washroom with showers, but when the showers were turned on, there was gas instead of water. Poisoned women, sometimes still alive, were thrown into ovens. I wasn’t aware of it until a female guard told me: ‘So you, Bibelforscher [as Jehovah’s Witnesses were called], you’re going into the gas! Now let’s see if your Jehovah will save you!’” As Sister Nováková turned away, tears filled her eyes, and she prayed: “Father Jehovah, please, if I am to die, may your will take place. But I pray in behalf of my children. I fully entrust them into your care.” Relating what happened then, she said: “As I was praying, the door opened and the head doctor entered, saw my purple triangle, and said: ‘Bibelforscher, what are you doing here? Who sent you here?’ I answered that I had been sent by the guard. He said: ‘Get out of here! Your place is there!’ and he pointed toward the door. As I was leaving, I heard the guard remark: ‘Now I believe that their Jehovah is protecting them.’”

[Blurb on page 168]

“‘If you want to shoot every tenth one, shoot us all!’ The entire camp was awestruck”