Auschwitz-Birkenau

Words written on the wall of a cellar in Auschwitz, by a Jew in the camp.

“I believe in the sun even when it is not shining And I believe in love, even when there’s no one there. And I believe in God, even when he is silent.

I believe through any trial, there is always a way But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair My heart cries for shelter, to know someone’s there But a voice rises within me, saying hold on my child, I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining And I believe in love even when there’s no one there But I believe in God even when he is silent I believe through any trial there is always a way.

May there someday be sunshine May there someday be happiness May there someday be love May there someday be peace….”

We sang this song last year in Chamber Singers, and I'm not sure we will ever be able to fully sing it again without crying after visiting the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps in Poland.

Honestly, I have been dreading writing this blog post for a while. How does one write about visiting these horrific camps, and do it justice? Even just looking back on the day, I start to get emotional and feel a pit in my stomach. It was absolutely horrifying. Also, I only took 6 pictures the entire day. It didn't feel right.

I headed off on the sunniest day to my favorite coffee shop, and hoped it would help the depression that was inevitable from looking back on these events.

This post is not about giving you all the gory details and the most heartbreaking stories. I think in honor to truly understand Auschwitz-Birkenau, you must go there yourself. As a human being, you should go.

Days like these are why I went abroad. Studying abroad is more that sunny selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Studying abroad is such an eye opening experience, and learning about humanity teaches you about yourself.

Disclaimer: I am a religious person, so I wrote a lot of this post through that perspective. However, even if you don't have a faith, I hope this still can teach you about the possibility of evil that can stem from mankind.

The front entrance of Auschwitz states "Arbeit macht frei," a German phrase meaning "work sets you free."

The entire camp smells of formaldehyde, and instantly we knew the day was going to be harder than we thought.

Auschwitz was opened in 1940 by the Nazis and was the largest concentration and death camp during WW2. Located outside Krakow, Poland, Auschwitz was a camp where Jewish people, gypsies, and prisoners of war were exterminated. Many people died in the gas chambers, or under harsh labor conditions. Some prisoners were also placed under barbaric medical experiments led by Josef Mengele. More than 1 million people lost their lives.

Number of Jewish people per country deported to Auschwitz:

Hungary

430 thousand

Poland

300 thousand

France

69 thousand

The Netherlands

60 thousand

Greece

55 thousand

Bohemia and Moravia

46 thousand

Concentration camps and other centers

34 thousand

Slovakia

27 thousand

Belgium

25 thousand

Germany and Austria

23 thousand

Yugoslavia

10 thousand

Italy

7.5 thousand

Norway

690

When Jews first marched into Auschwitz, many had no idea what they were going into a concentration camp. Authorities told them they were being relocated to a new area, and had them pay for "new homes." This money they gave actually ended up paying for their journey to the concentration camps. They sold themselves into death sentences.

They entered in a long line. A man at the front would point to the right or to the left. The sick, the elderly, and small children would be sent to the left, which meant gas chambers. Men and women who looked like they could be strong workers were sent to the right. They then had to suffer from terrible working conditions and slave labor in order to survive. Many froze to death during the winter or of starvation. It was nearly impossible to escape due to watch towers and barbed wire fences. Escaping to many meant a higher chance of death than working.

900 thousand Jews were murdered in the gas chambers immediately on arrival

Of the 400 thousand prisoners registered in the camp, 200 thousand people died there.

The question so many people ask is "how did no one know this was happening?" Well, Auschwitz was surrounded by a huge forest. Germany labeled it as an area of special interest, which no one questioned. People living directly outside the forest and German controlled zone had no idea of the terrors happening inside. The propaganda of the media didn't help.

The concentration camp Terezin in The Czech Republic was used as propaganda. All of the Jewish musicians, actors, and artists were sent there to put on shows and show what a "great quality of life," these "relocated" Jews had. Many of the sinks, kitchens, and bathrooms in Terezin were actually fake and didn't work. Everything was created to make the illusion that the Germans were treating these Jews well. We are going to Terezin next month on a field trip for my Jewish Prague class, so I will write more once I visit.

If you were a musician, you had a much higher chance of survival. Even at Auschwitz, there was a band of Jewish people who would play the German marches every day. I can't imagine playing the Nazi's songs and watching people of your religion march to their deaths. Many saw people they knew get pointed to the gas chambers. But playing music meant a chance at life.

We walked inside the dormitories the men and women stayed in. The rooms were filled with close bunks, and people used to have to huddle together to stay warm during the winter. They slept on nothing but wood and hay, like animals. Many people died from diseases in these awful living conditions.

There was a room where one side was completely filled with human hair shaved from the Jews heads. Nazis used to completely shave each Jew's head and sell their hair to be used to make materials. They would tattoo numbers on the arms for identification, even on the younger children not sent to the chambers.

Another side of a room was filled with the shoes from Jews sent to the gas chambers. This was one of the most emotional parts of the tour for me, as you could see all of the baby shoes. It was truly horrific.

We walked through a gas chamber, and saw the urns where they dropped the hydrogen cyanide.

A majority of executions of prisoners were carried out in block 11 in the main camp, in front of a specially built “Death Wall.” A whole family could get executed for one person stealing something. Kids would be shot first, (in front of their families) then the mothers, then the father. Leib Langfus, a Rabi, once took the place of a man going to be executed, and he is now considered a Saint.

I will say, I think it would be hard going the camps without believing in a higher power. It is amazing to me, that throughout the hardships, the Jewish community stuck steadfast to their faith. We heard stories about how they were still saying prayers and organizing secret services in the camps till the end. Now they are in a place with their creator, and can be exactly who they are.They are reunited with their loved ones, and eveyone evil is FAR away.

We headed over to Birkenau, the largest and most lethal of the 3 main Auschwitz camps

A cable car that transported the Jews to the concentration camp.

I can't imagine 80-100 people fitting in here, and being transported like animals.

The tracks that led in and out of Birkenau

Trees planted to represent the victims of the Holocaust, planted by Holocaust survivors to symbolize life continuing to exist.

So how do we, as humans, move on from this monstrosity?

We need to never take our freedoms for granted, and use our voices to stick up for those who have none.

We need to continue to learn and study about the Holocaust and WW2, so that we never forget about the terrors of the Nazis. I would encourage you to go to a Holocaust museum, go the the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, or a concentration camp abroad. We can't let history repeat itself.

We need to grow our mental health programs and help out those who are struggling.

Pray. Pray for those who lost their lives, and pray that people never resort to being this evil. Know that people weren't created to be bad.

Lastly, I will leave you with a prayer by a Holocaust survivor

Written by Alexander Kimel

Prayer for the Children:

Almighty God, full of Mercy remember the generation of Jewish children that were reared for slaughter. Reared for slaughter. Remember the multitudes of children, who in their short lives never experienced joy, knowing only hunger, deprivation and fear. Almighty God, open our hearts to the plight of the deprived and hungry children of today. By helping them, we shall keep the memory of the perished alive. Amen.

Prayer for the Mothers:

Almighty God, full of Love, remember all the Jewish mothers, that carried their babies to their execution, led their children to the gas chambers, witnessed their burning, poisoned them with cyanide, or killed them with their own hands. Almighty God, let their anguish, pain and torture never be forgotten. Never be forgotten. In our memory they will live forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Elders:

Almighty God, full of Compassion, remember the plight of the Elders, the Sages and Rabbis of Israel, who instead of teaching people how to live in peace, had to teach them how to die with dignity.Ruler of the Universe, fill our hearts with compassion toward the Elders, the infirm and the sick of today. By helping them to live in peace and die with dignity, we shall honor the memory of those who perished. Amen.

Prayer for the Unknown Heroes:

Almighty God full of Wisdom, remember all the forgotten and unrecognized heroes of Israel, who knowingly and willingly sacrificed their lives, for the sake of others. In our hearts they will live forever and ever. Amen.Ruler of the Universe, open our hearts to the plight of the displaced and discarded members of our society, victims of the downsizing and reorganizations. People, who in silence bear the crushing burden, fear and despair of their collapsed world. By helping them, we will honor the memory of the unknown heroes of the Holocaust. Amen.

Prayer for the Fighters:

Almighty God, remember the Fighters of the Ghettos, the Jewish Partisans and members of the Resistance. They fought without weapons, without ammunition and without hope. Their heroism paved the way for the rebirth of our people. Without the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Six Day War would have been impossible.Ruler of the Universe, open the hearts of the religious fanatics who kill in Thy Name, for the lust of power. Let them understand that there cannot be love of God without love for the felow man. Let them understand that religious dogma can override Your Command: Thou shall not kill.

Prayer for the Six Million Victims:

Almighty God, remember the six million people that were gassed, killed, drowned, burned alive, tortured, beaten or frozen to death. For the sake of one man, a whole nation was crucified, while the world looked on in silence. In our hearts, their sacred memory will last forever and ever. Amen.God of Our Fathers, let the ashes of the children incinerated in Auschwitz, the rivers of blood spilled at Babbi Yar or Majdanek, be a warning to mankind that hatred is destructive, violence is contagious, while man has an unlimited capacity to cruelty. Almighty God, fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares . . . nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Amen.