The next journey begins Poland and Rwanda 2019

The next journey begins  Poland and Rwanda 2019
2019 adventures

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Without air in an open sky

I began this post with the photo  took of Aline, the Rwandan survivor whose story I briefly recounted in a previous post. The Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was her first and it was a difficult day especially at this point which was the childrens barricks ( this one was for Polish- not Jewish children- nonetheless it was for children who were victims of genocide much like she was at 4 and 5 years of age. She was unable to spend more than a few seconds inside the barrick and I caught her in this indelible moment.

The other photos I am posting here may seem and are familar to those who have visited the site , studied it, have seen other photos.  This is my forth visit to this site and it never gets easier. I truly feel a sense of suffocation although I am outside- and yesterday under a pristine blue sky.

I will give a brief descption of the photos here and hope you take a bit of time to look at them and reflect yourself.

the entrance t Auschwitz 1- the famous sign of Work will make you free
the electrified fences
inside the block that is now an enhibit hall
List of the numbers of people sent to this camp
photos of the selection process- calm, collected people who were victims of the Nazi biggest weapon:HOPE
The suitcases clearly marked with information so they would be reunited with their belongings
Empty canisters of zyclon B
Outside the infamous block 11- the torture barrick (like they needed this?) Photos are prohibited here. Inside one can see the standing cell where five or more people were forced to stand for days There was not room enough so they had to stand on one leg most of the tme
There was a suffocation cell with no air no windows and death was slow and painful
It was here , in Block 11 that the gas was used for the first time to see if it worked.
But it was also here that a Catholic priest gave up his life to save another prisoner who was a stranger to him .His story is available on line Maximillian Kolbe
Photo from gas chamber 1 located in Auchwitz 1  all the others are in Birkeneau
The infamous rail lines leading into Birkenau- which was 25 times the size of Auscwitz 1- The train which is authentic- which carried Hungarian Jews-
The pond that still holds ashes of thousands and the memorial which stands in front in several languages
Inside the children barrick were these authentic murals commisioned by the Nazis to make the children feel comfortable- again false Hope
The sleeping areas in the walls in three tiers. 8 people usually per bunk. The bottom was always the worst
There were small so called heaters but I ask you what was used for fuel?

SO these are my photos from my fourth trip to the site. It was one of the shorter visits as it usually is a minimum of 8 hours.
What draws me here is often unexplanable but is understood by the other people who also ponder ths question for themselves as we teach this as best we can.
I am sorry that the conference did not include a panel of teachers in the trenches of school but we talked amongst ourselves. I am also sorry that the tone of the conference was rather cynical and pessimesitc but rightly so as  this internatonal conclave of Genocide historians, teachers, media specialists did not have  an optomtistc view of the world as they put it - In the Age of Trump-


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