“I was assigned to work on building a new crematorium with a small group of prisoners. There were so many corpses piled up that the SS officers were desperate to burn the evidence of their brutality and hate efficiently and quickly. We had to haul water, sand, and cement. We did everything we possibly could to slow down the process, moving at a snail’s pace in order not to complete the crematorium. We knew that once it was done, they would murder more people. Everyone was beaten. I received blows from a club and a rifle butt was slammed into the side of my head. We were told that if we didn’t finish the crematorium on time, we would be the first to be consumed by its flames. Inevitably, we finished by the deadline. The next day, three hundred twenty-seven men and forty women were gassed, then burned in the ovens I helped build.”

He pauses again, struggling for composure. “My British bunkmate was shot in the head for trying to escape. My other bunkmate, the French airman, was caught trying to steal the sawdust mixture they called bread. The Nazis punished him along with some Polish and Russian prisoners of war by stripping them naked, dousing them with water, and forcing them to stand in the snow for forty-eight hours. They all froze to death. Dutch Jews were pushed off a hundred-foot cliff. Dogs tore others apart. I tell you this because it’s important to understand how hate can be twisted to the point where men feel no shame for their actions.” This time, Lieutenant Franklin looks at Jesse.

“One of my most difficult moments was when a prisoner I had become friendly with informed me that my name was on a list for execution. He worked in an office that kept the records, and he said I was to be gassed the next day. I didn’t ask and I don’t know how, but he said he could exchange my name for another. Not for a second did I consider allowing that. I couldn’t be responsible for another person’s death.”

Mr. Bartley has his eyes closed and his brow is pinched.

“Then a miracle happened. The next day, May 6, 1945, a platoon of men from the Eleventh Armored Division of the US Third Army liberated us. To this day, I celebrate on May sixth like it’s my birthday.”

Lieutenant Franklin nods to Mr. Bartley. He picks up the clicker and all eyes turn to the Smart Board. Mr. Bartley says, “This is a short documentary of Mauthausen after liberation. It shows the results of hate, bigotry, antisemitism, and the apathy from a world that did next to nothing to stop this from happening until eleven million had been murdered. Six million were Jews from across Europe.”

As the students watch the short film, Lieutenant Franklin notices that Cade is staring down at his upturned palms, flexing his fingers.