Silent sun

Silent Sun chronicles one man's journey to uncover his heritage amidst the horrors of Nazi labor camps, showcasing the resilience of the human spirit. Solomon Gross, living in Chrzanow, Poland, sensed impending doom as Polish cavalry passed silently by in September 1939. By 1940, his fears materialized when he was imprisoned in Sakran, a labor camp where he endured grueling conditions—cutting sod in the heat, shoveling snow in freezing temperatures, and subsisting on meager potato soup. His ordeal intensified at Graditz camp in 1941, where one hundred people were forced to survive on rations meant for forty. Over two and a half years, Gross moved between Graditz and Faulbruck, relying on his survival instincts. He smuggled food and used his blacksmithing skills to distract the guards. In late 1944, Gross was transferred to Sportschule, part of the Grossrosen concentration camp, where he was stripped of his identity. Despite the bleakness, he found ways to persevere—writing letters to his future wife, Dorka, and sharing food with friends. Gross reflects on his four-year wait for liberation, which arrived with the sound of Allied bombers. While wartime life had its fleeting joys, including a sweet courtship and kindness from some, postwar challenges persisted. Yet, Gross remained irrepressible, ultimately finding warmth in the heritage he longed for, like the silent sun he admired.