A 4 year old Jewish boy, Istan Reiner, smiling for his portrait shortly before he was executed in Auschwitz, 1944

A 4 year old Jewish boy, Istan Reiner, smiling for his portrait shortly before he was executed in Auschwitz, 1944

“This photo shows 3-4 year old Istvan Reiner from Miskolc, Hungary, taken in the ghetto before he was deported to the Auschwitz death camp. He died in the gas chamber in 1944, a few days after the photo.⁣⁣
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In the short moment when the photo was taken, he did not yet know what fate awaited him, he happily posed for the camera, as any boy of his age would do.”

They generally didn’t take photos of victims who were heading straight for the gas chamber at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The cattle cars would be unloaded and selections would begin. Those thought capable of working or being useful in some way were separated out and headed for processing, which included photos. Everyone else was immediately sent to be murdered.

I tried researching this picture but information is scant. It was donated by the boy’s half brother. The USHMM says it was taken “shortly” before being murdered. Its unclear how long “shortly” is. It’s possible he was processed as a prisoner and then was later selected to be gassed, which happened quite often. For example, a prisoner could be processed and then fall ill several days later, which could cause them to be selected for death.

I’m blind and missed the biography at the bottom of the page on USHMM’s website. Istvan and his grandmother were immediately murdered at Auschwitz. His mother, father and half-brother all survived the Holocaust. His father and half-brother were not deported to Auschwitz but were instead deported to a labor camp.