Pipel

English

Noun

Pipel (plural Pipels)

1. (historical, rare) Among Nazi concentration camp detainees, an attractive male child who receives special favor or privileges by maintaining a relationship with another detainee who has been granted some authority over other detainees.

References

Laurence Rees, Auschwitz: a new history (2005) p. 98:

The young boy was a “pipel”—camp slang for the young servant of a Kapo (and someone with whom the Kapo often had a homosexual relationship).

Hermann Langbein, People in Auschwitz (2004) p. 405.

A remedy for sexual distress that was customary in other concentration camps, in which no women were interned next to men, was frequently used in Auschwitz as well. Capos kept Pipel, young fellows who in return for personal services were exempted from hard labor and enjoyed other privileges. Quite a number of capos abused their boys sexually.

Frank Stiffel, The Oxymoron Factor 2 (2001) p. 240:

He had a Polish Schreiber, a homosexual who was attended to by a Pipel, a German Gypsy who was the Schreibers valet, his cook, his shoe shine boy, his lover, and his alternate, in which capacity he proved to be as much of a trouble to us as his boss.

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Page 266:

None of Kapo Rudi's three Pipels was German, but, knowing what was good for them, they learned all the songs by rote.

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The third Pipel was Raoul, a sixteen-year-old French Jew with a pair of sweet eyes of a doe and seductive plump lips.

Heidi L. Nordberg et al, Religion and Literature: A Reader (2000) p. 144 (quoting Night by Elie Wiesel):

He had a young boy under him, a pipel, as they were called--a child with a refined and beautiful face, unheard of in this camp.

Shlomo Venezia, Sonderkommando Auschwitz (2007) p. 64:

In quarantine's camp, Blockältester was Polish, a carrion. His room was at the entrance of the barrack. Opposite, a small room was used by both store-room for the Pipel, a young man of about twelve years that the Blokaltester always kept with him. He was his all-boy, who had to obey his orders and satisfy his every desire. He polished his shoes, he cleaned the cabin, he drew his bed, and when Kapo wanted, also had to satisfy his unhealthy fantasies. The boy knew that if he were sent back, would go to meet death and therefore had no choice. In exchange he received more food than the others; for Blokältester was sufficient give less to other prisoners to ensure more for his protections.

Elie Wiesel, Night (1958) p. 63:

At Buna, the pipel were loathed; they were often crueller than adults. I once saw one of thirteen beating his father for not making his bed properly.

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