81st Anniversary of the First Deportation Transport of Slovak Jews to Auschwitz
March 26 is a date etched in sorrowful memory, marking a grim milestone in history. On this day in 1942, the first deportation transport of Slovak Jews arrived at Auschwitz, signaling the start of unimaginable suffering.
This first transport, „Transport 999,” carried 999 Jewish women from the Slovak city of Poprad to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp. The women, many of them young, were among the earliest victims of the Holocaust, targeted as part of the Nazi regime’s “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.”
Auschwitz would become the largest killing center of the Holocaust, claiming the lives of over a million people. The 999 women on that first transport faced forced labor, starvation, and unimaginable cruelty. Few survived to tell their stories.
This anniversary reminds us of the importance of remembering these victims, ensuring their voices are never forgotten. Honoring their memory strengthens our resolve to stand against hatred and intolerance and work toward a world where such atrocities are never repeated.