ABSTRACT
November 1943 brought freezing temperatures and a new regime to the Jews in the camp. Rumors that Ipfling was leaving to be replaced by Paul Kuehnemann had started in October. As soon as the prisoners caught sight of their new commandant—short, chubby and hunchbacked—they immediately labeled him “der Hojker” (the hunchback) and knew they were in for trouble. Not only did he speak fluent Yiddish, but he constantly toured the camp. Ipfling might have been a murderer, but at least they saw very little of him. What was this new one up to? Those in the know reported that before the war Kuehnemann had been a nightwatchman in a Jewish factory where he had learned their language and customs. 1
