Longing

The non-camp world was longed for as a general space of freedom, as a paradisiacal place, often described with words of warmth, lightness, softness, light and colorfulness. For many, the longing was nourished by the perception of nature in the surroundings of the camp, with the need to cling to something, and to forget everything at least for a moment. Dreaming of the respective homeland, family, loved ones took a wide space. Coupled with feelings of hope, however, longing also meant a painful awareness of the unattainability of what was longed for.