Today I was e-mailed an article about a group of Muslims that visited Auschwitz to "prove they are not Anti-Semitic". One of them, an American professor in Connecticut, said he had once been a Holocaust denier, but was no longer. While I agree, no one could possibly deny the chilling feeling that "being there" brings on- how could you possibly deny such an event? How could anyone create something so horrible? We can see pictures, we can see numbers tattooed on survivors' arms, we can hear testimony- or silence from those who cannot be heard. What an arrogance to believe that our race is incapable of such actions. It is with those types of people we could expect to see history repeat itself.
One of the places we visited was Majdanek, a concentration camp near Lublin, Poland (this may have been the one featured in the movie "The Devil's Arithmetic"- if you've never seen it, rent it- it's not terribly graphic, but a really good portrait of a teenager's perspective). For whatever reason, that camp was sent most of the victims' shoes and clothing to be sorted by prisoners. Today, the camp's barracks are each and exhibit of a museum. The barrack housing the shoes- (pictured above) over ten thousand of them- burned down Tuesday. Last I read, they weren't sure if any of them were left, but what a tragedy. If you've been to the USHMM, you saw the shoes. Those shoes were from Majdanek. My heart breaks a little for the shoes, even though no one needs them now.
I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this program. It is such an honor to carry the legacy of Vladka Meed, other survivors, and even the memory of those lost.
And yes, being there was a tremendous experience. I'm not sure you will ever find anywhere so eerily quiet- it's almost as if the sadness- or horror- lingers, long after the last victim was gone. They may be gone, but we must- we will never forget.
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