April 30 - Arielle Hendel
We started the day at Birkenau and walked the camp which is huge.
Pictures don't really give the perpective of the enormity of the camp.There were between 10,000 - 20,000 people "processed "at the camp each day. We walked through the disinfection room which looked more like a barn than a place for people. We then went to the area for selection where families were separated into three camps: women's, men's and death. We also saw the women's barracks which was profound. The barracks were basic bunks with brick and cement walls with wooden pallets stacked two up. Women would sleep on the cement floor, and the two pallets -- several people to the pallet and we asked the question about which one you would choose to sleep on? Many of us chose the top to avoid the personal fluids falling on us.
We walked past the ruins of the crematoria and also people setting up for the March of the Living the next day. Finally, we toured the Sauna and "Canada" (the place for sorting through prisoners' belongings). The Sauna was reconstructed to show the process of dehumanization through shaving, showering (often with icy or scalding water) and marching naked to get ill fitting and shabby prison garb. We held a memorial service in "Canada" where Rabbi Leslie Alexander also shared her mother-in-law's experience in this camp during the war. On the way out of Birkenau we saw Israeli soldiers who were preparing for the March of the Living on May 1st -- this was the first time I breathed and relaxed for a moment -- and actually felt safe. Our guardians -- albeit the ages of our sons and grandsons were right there in the flesh ready to protect us and a symbol of our strength.
After a mundane box lunch, we went to visit Auschwitz I. While much of the camp is preserved and intact. The gate still says Arbeit Mach Frei -- giving us an eerie feeling walking through. We saw vats of hair, suitcases, brushes, pots, shoes, prosthetics, baby clothes, family photos and personal belongings of the inmates. But nothing could prepare me for the gas chamber in this camp. You can see the scratches on the walls. You walk into the building -- the ceiling is low and snakes around without seeing the exit. I couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough and actually had a hard time breathing for several minutes. This gas chamber is built into a mound -- prisoners were forced to undress before entering the building and the Nazis 'tested' their methods. The gas chamber was right in front of the officers' quarters and was therefore moved to Auschwitz II
(Birkenau) fairly quickly. The company that made the ovens for the camps is still in existence today making kitchen ovens-- ew!
Joining us today we had several college and university students from the local Krakow University. For one, Magda, her personal history was similar to ours. Her grandfather and great uncle were imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravenbrook (and several other concentration camps). She is Polish and not Jewish. Other students also shared their family experiences from the war.
Surprisingly, these non-Jewish students opened our eyes to a spark which really "got going" when we heard from a panel of Polish professionals about anti-semitism in Poland today. These three remakable non-Jews are preserving the history and culture of Jewish Poland and as one mentioned, "if we don't understand your history we cannot understand ours." While about 30% of the population is anti-semitic these folks are teaching their students and museum guests about Jewish culture and Judaism in Poland and preserving the history through their teaching. They were rays of hope for us which was reiterated again at the March of the Living on May 1st.
I am having trouble processing my thoughts --Krakow is a quaint European town, the Poles have been lovely, our hotel is modern with every amenity.
I came prepared to hate the Poles, hate Poland and feel bitter. I am feeling imbalance. The countryside is beautifully in bloom for spring with cherry trees and tulips and lush green hills -- Birkenau and Aushwitz are the lowest humans can sink. While we are created in G-d's image and have free will -- what makes humans repeat this kind of genocide? Why have we not evolved? As my thinking emerges and with Pesach just recent -- I think that maybe we need two generations of people between us and this traumatic event to develop a collective memory which honors the victims and doesn't betray their memory but also reconciliates with the descendants of the perpetrators. It took us two generations to get from the exodus of Egypt to Israel -- maybe two generations will take us from the Exodus (ship) to reconciliation.
