Page 19 - Issue 22

Auschwitz; Its name is etched in everyone’s mind. It’s
location was home to the brutal torture and killings during
the Holocaust. Arriving at the former death camp was
strange, because most of the landmarks were there. The
most vivid was seeing the railway line, traveling through the
gate and into the camp, running towards the crematoriums
and gas chambers. One of the most notable inmates at this
camp was Elie Wiesel, who’s experience was recounted in
the book Night. For some people in my kvutza, it was heart
wrenching seeing all these places where people have died.
Auschwitz had three camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, the
extermination camp, Auschwitz II, the concentration camp,
and Auschwitz III, the labor camp. There was a display of
empty cans of Zyklon B and shoes of the victims before their
“showers.” Other displays featured luggage, personal items,
and even hair. I felt that the camp’s fearsome reputation
wasn't as intense as I'd expected. I knew that others were
more sensitive than me, but my bones and body didn't
shiver at the sight of the hair or shoes. We ran a tekes
(ceremony) in remembrance to those who died in Auschwitz.
I knew I had the care and sympathy for those who lost their
lives, but I felt that my intimacy to these people was not as
strong as I thought.

The third day was focusing back on Kraków and we learned
about the resistance in the ghetto. We visited a
pharmaceutical shop called “Under the Eagle,” a place
where information passed from one another. The owner was
Polish, and knew he was risking his life to allow Jews into
his shop. Defying the Nazi’s authority of harboring Jews
would aid the resistance. Unfortunately, the uprising failed
to mobilize the Jews and the ghetto was liquidated. The
pharmacist would be a recipient of the “Righteous Among
the Nations” for his actions. Even if such a resistance failed
to spur together people, it demonstrated a willingness to