I could not initially fiqure out my resistance to letting her shave my head and get rid of all the hair completely. Did I think I was better than all the other cancer patients who do this? Was I being vain? I could not understand it at first but little by little it came to me about the rituals performed as women arrived at concentration camps. I could not let my head be shaved. I am not dying. I am not a prisoner. I am a free American Jewish woman who is being treated for breast cancer.
Upon arrival, Jews were forced to shave their heads clean of hair, this was later used for mattresses, boots, socks, and other clothing. To facilitate easy recognition of any escapees from the camps. They also cut off their hair to humiliate them.
"Mr Blatt only survived Sobibor because he was selected as a so-called "work-Jew". Instead of being murdered upon arrival, he was chosen to shave the heads of women in a barrack room before they were dispatched to the gas chambers next door. The women's hair would ultimately be sent to Germany and turned into blankets for U-Boat crews."
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