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In the spring of 1944, Phillip Maisel had reached the lowest ebb of his life. Held captive in an Estonian labour camp, the 21-year-old Polish-born Jew and his fellow inmates were forced, every Sunday, to haul a pile of rocks from one end of an icy field to the other, back and forth, over and over again. It was back-breaking work, made even more miserable by their gnawing hunger and perilously weak physical states. The task had no practical purpose, since the workshops and shale-oil mines were all closed on this supposed day of rest, but their Nazi overseers had a unique talent for inflicting misery: this exercise in futility had been expressly designed to shatter the men’s spirits.
Holocaust survivor Phillip Maisel shares his story after recording testimonies at Melbourne s Jewish Holocaust Centre for three decades smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.