Auschwitz - Day 3

Today we saw evil. Pure evil. We toured Birkenau and Aushwitz. Nothing can prepare you for seeing the image that is so closely associated with the Holocaust. I knew it would be there, but when I saw the gate I couldn't breathe. We knew the meaning, we knew the lie, those who entered during the holocaust did not.

The oddity - Auschwitz was originally an army base, so the bunkers as they look today seem benign. It almost looked like a college campus. We had an amazing tour guide. A Polish woman who has been doing this for 25 years, she is a teacher and does this once a week. Her passion and compassion are still evident in her tours. She explained although there is grass, there was none when it was in use as the prisoners ate it or used it for other needs. The bunkers now house artifacts and are a museum. The hair. The shoes. The personal items. SO MUCH. SO MANY.

Birkenau on the other hand was constructed by prisoners and looks exactly as we have seen camps  in documentaries. It was partially destroyed by the nazis, but there is enough left to know what was there. As we were walking the set up for March of the Living ceremony had begun. As they worked, there was music playing. Maybe it was Dave Mathews, something like that. It seemed wrong.

The day wrapped up with dinner and a special symphony to commemorate erev Yom Hashoah.

Tomorrow we March. We will Never forget.


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