"On Auschwitz" (36): The story of Sophie Stippel, the cook of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss

One of the prisoners in the first transport of women to Auschwitz - 999 women transferred from Ravensbrück concentration camp in March 1942 - was Sophie Stippel. She was registered as prisoner number 619. 

She was arrested because she belonged to the group of Jehovah's Witnesses. 

A few days after arrival, Sophie was employed as a domestic helper in the villa of the camp commandant, Rudolf Höss, which probably saved her life. Her duties included shopping and cooking, and sometimes taking care of the commandant's children.

Teresa Wontor-Cichy of the Auschwitz Museum Research Centre tells about the story of Sophie Stippel.