 |
| The Jewish Cemetery within Oświęcim |
We
arrived in the town centre of Oświęcim, just like any other it
had a bustling community: for a second it was easy to forget that
something as atrocious as the Holocaust had occurred right where we were
standing. However, after a short while we came to a gate that opened to a
Jewish cemetery. Unlike many other cemeteries this had been destroyed
due to the Nazi's belief that they had a more practical use for the stone, which I felt was
an absolute atrocity; that the sanctity of death should be dismantled
and disturbed in this way. After, we travelled to Auschwitz I, which
held around 1.3 million people throughout its tenure. Something that
astounded me when initially setting eyes on the World Heritage site was the
regimentation and organisation of the buildings, I had envisaged it to be
this vast expanse of land with few buildings, however this was to be the
structure of the extermination camp - Auschwitz II. Auschwitz I has been
preserved and holds much of the information that you receive: the most
harrowing fact that I personally heard was that out of the 1.1 million
people who had died within the confines of Auschwitz-Birkenau, around
200,000 of these were children, many younger than I, just 16 years old.
Children who had futures and lives to live, unfulfilled due to the
savagery of the Nazi regime.
Along with this was a photo that depicted
an elderly man having his fate decided merely by his appearance and
physicality; this was the last photo that this man would ever be the
subject of, the guards smiling ensuring not to create any mal-feelings
due to being grossly outnumbered. There were various exhibits displaying
such things as fading hair, some still plaited; a multifarious amount
of shoes along with an abundance of suitcases belonging to these people.
After a while we came to a glass casing that held a copious amount of
Zyklon B, the poison that was used to execute the prisoners; we were
told of a story that because the Nazi's were so economical they initially used the
least amount of Zyklon B possible. This meant that the prisoners who
were subjected to this test were left in excruciating pain for hours on
end until they eventually died; something like
this is so hard to comprehend as it is so inhumane and words cannot
truly describe how horrible it is to hear of these events. Amongst all
of these exhibits we saw various other items including baby clothes and
pictures of the prisoners. Moreover we saw first-hand the dank and unjust living conditions they were expected to occupy, something that no being should
be subjected to.
 |
| Canisters of Zyklon B |
 |
| The vast expanse of Auschwitz II |
When entering Auschwitz II we arrived at a large
entrance with the guards tower standing above which offered a clear view of
the whole site and after walking through we were greeted by a vast
expanse of land, the buildings more sporadic. This was the location of the photograph that I had seen earlier wherein the elderly man stood: I could not help but
think that I was here, where hundreds of thousands of peoples' fates had
been decided just 70 years ago and I experienced a heart-wrenching feeling in that instant. Many of the prisoners believed it was simply work, and we were told of a story of a man's set of keys that were taken at the
'Canada' camp (named 'Canada' because it was perceived as a land of
plenty, as this was where prisoners' possessions were taken), and I could
not help but think that this man had locked up his house and had
expected to return: instead he was held a prisoner and forced to spend the rest of his life in this hell on earth.
It was said that the Nazi's were so efficient
that as soon as you were off of the train you had 25 minutes until your
fate had been decided - another nauseating fact. Although all of this had
happened we should not paint the perpetrators as monsters; they, just
like you and I, were people; some did not believe in the cause and saw it
as unjustifiable, some did believe. Everyone had to try and survive.
After
the whole experience we sat down in Auschwitz II and listened to Rabbi
Shaw's prayers along with poems spoken from other students. We were
given candles, lit them and lay them down on the train tracks; which generated a true
sense of community to represent how if we all come together then we can honour those who were subjected to these injustices and make sure nothing like it happens again.
One
thing that became clear throughout the whole experience was not just to
regard the Holocaust as a mass genocide, but to focus on various
different people and their stories. This is when I personally found the
message of the Lessons From
Auschwitz project, which attempts to show us how 1.1 million is not just a
number - every single one of these represent a person who had a family
and friends; it is so much easier to disregard an event if you make it
impersonal, but the whole events of the Holocaust should be remembered,
along with as many people's stories as possible. Never should we forget
the atrocities and adversity that these people were subjected to, simply
due to a different belief on the world. Should there not be an attempt
to live in harmony, instead of attempting to eradicate a race due to
their differing views? A question that I would like to pose to anyone
reading this is how can we attempt to prevent something as atrocious as
the Holocaust happening again? We must work as a community ensuring that
the Holocaust shall never be forgotten.
As soon as you walk
into the first block at Auschwitz I you are greeted with a quote.
George Santayana affirmed, "The one who forgets history is bound to live
through it again". An affirmation that I still contemplate today, and I
hope you will.
I would like to thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for the great opportunity to learn about Auschwitz and hopefully I can impart the knowledge that I gained on the trip to others - it is something that I will never forget. I would strongly advise anyone to visit Auschwitz and then ensure they spread the message that we should never forget about the barbarities of the Holocaust, and to honour and remember the survivors and their stories.
Joe Whiteside
