Nadya and the Romani Community's Fate

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This character-destiny thread follows Nadya and the Romani community from Lale's honorary membership to the liquidation of the Gypsy camp.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Woman Alone The Woman Alone from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". The Woman Alone Lale Sokolov notices a woman who sits apart from the other Romani families. She has no children, no husband, and no one to speak with.

The Woman Alone from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". The Woman Alone Lale Sokolov notices a woman who sits apart from the other Romani families. She has no children, no husband, and no one to speak with.

The Woman Alone Lale Sokolov notices a woman who sits apart from the other Romani families. She has no children, no husband, and no one to speak with. She is Nadya. A Quiet Presence Nadya helps mothers soothe fussy children and moves through the block without drawing attention. Her voice is the quietest Lale has ever heard, and it is utterly emotionless. The Meaning of Hope When Lale asks what her name means, she says, 'Hope.' The word carries the weight of a truth she can no longer feel.

Talks Until Late Talks Until Late from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Talks Until Late Lale Sokolov and Nadya sit outside after the children are asleep.

Talks Until Late from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Talks Until Late Lale Sokolov and Nadya sit outside after the children are asleep.

Talks Until Late Lale Sokolov and Nadya sit outside after the children are asleep. She listens while he talks about his family in Krompachy and his love for Gita Furman. A Mother's Shadow Nadya is only forty-one, but her answers remind Lale of his mother. He finds himself protecting her and sinking into homesickness he can no longer suppress. A New Kind of Family Lale has found another person to care for, and that care gives him a reason to keep walking through each day.

Honorary Romany Honorary Romany from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Honorary Romany Lale Sokolov becomes an honorary member of the Romani community.

Honorary Romany from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Honorary Romany Lale Sokolov becomes an honorary member of the Romani community.

Honorary Romany Lale Sokolov becomes an honorary member of the Romani community. Children circle around him asking him to play, and older women accept him as a trusted listener. Stories as Schooling Lale encourages the adults to teach the children stories about home, culture, and family. The older women take on the role of teachers, and a tiny spark returns to their faces. A Life Remade Living among the Romani people opens Lale's eyes to a culture different from his own. The Gypsy camp becomes a strange kind of home, filled with laughter and music in the shadow of the crematoria.

Liquidation Night Liquidation Night from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Liquidation Night Late one night, SS officers, barking dogs, and yelling guards burst into the Gypsy camp.

Liquidation Night from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Liquidation Night Late one night, SS officers, barking dogs, and yelling guards burst into the Gypsy camp.

Liquidation Night Late one night, SS officers, barking dogs, and yelling guards burst into the Gypsy camp. Thousands of men, women, and children are forced onto trucks. Nadya's Goodbye Lale Sokolov runs to Nadya and pleads with her not to go. She gives him a brave smile and says she goes where her people go. 'Goodbye, my friend.' The Empty Block Trucks drive off into the darkness. Lale returns to a silent block with empty bunks and never sees Nadya again. Hydra's best thing is that he cannot stop the killing.

Kaddish in the Ash Kaddish in the Ash from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Kaddish in the Ash Lale Sokolov works beside Leon as ash begins to fall from the crematorium chimney. He starts to tremble and drops his tattoo stick.

Kaddish in the Ash from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Kaddish in the Ash Lale Sokolov works beside Leon as ash begins to fall from the crematorium chimney. He starts to tremble and drops his tattoo stick.

Kaddish in the Ash Lale Sokolov works beside Leon as ash begins to fall from the crematorium chimney. He starts to tremble and drops his tattoo stick. A Scream of Grief Lale screams, 'You bastards, you fucking bastards!' Josef Mengele walks over, and Leon covers for Lale with a lie about a broken stick. The Living Remember In the morning, Lale looks for the sun, but it is concealed by ash and smoke. Nadya and the Romani children are gone, leaving only grief and memory.

The Romany Painting The Romany Painting from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". The Romany Painting Among the possessions that Gita Furman refuses to leave behind when they flee Czechoslovakia is a painting of a Romany woman.

The Romany Painting from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". The Romany Painting Among the possessions that Gita Furman refuses to leave behind when they flee Czechoslovakia is a painting of a Romany woman.

The Romany Painting Among the possessions that Gita Furman refuses to leave behind when they flee Czechoslovakia is a painting of a Romany woman. The painting survives every border and ocean. A Permanent Memory Years later, the painting hangs in the home of Gary Sokolov, Lale and Gita's son. It keeps Nadya's face and the memory of the Gypsy camp alive. The Art of Remembering A stolen culture, a murdered people, and a single painted face outlast the regime that tried to erase them. The painting becomes the family's most precious relic.

late 1943, in the Gypsy camp

through 1943, in the Gypsy camp evenings

after weeks in the Gypsy camp, 1943–44

August 1944, when the SS empty the Gypsy camp

the morning after the liquidation, at the tattoo station

epilogue, after Lale and Gita flee to Australia