Liberation of Auschwitz - 70 year anniversary

[Deidre32]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30996555

Wanted to take a quick moment to post this as I’ve always been interested in the history of the Holocaust. May we remember those today who lost their lives, and that freedom is something to never take for granted. I’m reminded of that every day as an American, living in the U.S.

I pray for all people who are living in war torn areas of the world, unable to live free lives, always in fear.

[aitm]

Judging by the amount of people that died during "those" days. Prayer didn't do anything. Judging from the occurrences around the world, prayer still does nothing.

[GrinningYMIR]

Arbeit mein frei

Some ominous words when the entirety of the camp is taken into consideration

[Solitary]

Auschwitz, a shining example of mans inhumanity to man.  Solitary

[SGOS]

If I ever went to Poland, which is unlikely, I wouldn't leave without seeing Auschwitz.  I first heard about it in the late 1940s when I was a very young boy (at least younger than 7), and my father told me about it's liberation and the surprise it was to most people when soldiers discovered the camps.   I suppose at that time, my father was also surprised, as the knowledge was almost still close to being a "current event."  It is still mind boggling for me to comprehend.

30 years ago, there was a documentary on PBS where a survivor (still a fairly young woman) visited Auschwitz with a camera crew following her around as she described what she had witnessed at various places in the camp.  She stopped at one place and told of people who were slaughtered and buried at this non-descript location in the camp.  She got down on her knees and scraped around with her fingers and uncovered some bones.  Her descriptions were more vivid and personal than what I had gleaned from other written descriptions.  She cried at that one spot.  She said just using the filthy toilets often included a beating from the guards.

The article makes a big issue about the survivors, and while that's appropriate, those who died there remain unknown and unseen, and beyond our ability to empathize with.

Of course, on an individual scale, the horror one person suffered and died under is probably no different from what an individual experiences dying under ISIS or in some East African Hell hole, but the grand scale of the horror remains truly mind boggling. 

[Hakurei Reimu]

Arbeit mein frei

Some ominous words when the entirety of the camp is taken into consideration

(Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk.)

It's "Arbeit macht frei." â€" "Work makes (you) free."

Damn it! But, yeah. If evil exists, it surely must take this form.

[GrinningYMIR]

Sorry reimu, my phone hates German apparently XD

[Deidre32]

(Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk.)

It's "Arbeit macht frei." â€" "Work makes (you) free."

Damn it! But, yeah. If evil exists, it surely must take this form.

yes, I've thought that, as well. (the last sentence)

[Agramon]

(Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk. Don't be a jerk.)

It's "Arbeit macht frei." â€" "Work makes (you) free."

Damn it! But, yeah. If evil exists, it surely must take this form.

[Sal1981]

Never forget.

What really angers me, this wasn't the first, nor the last time such atrocities were committed.

[doorknob]

This is what happens when humans are taught to submit to an insane dictator. What saddens me is similar atrocities are still being committed in some eastern Asian countries. In the sense that there are still concentration camps for those who dare to speak out against the thought police.

[Atheon]

If I ever went to Poland, which is unlikely, I wouldn't leave without seeing Auschwitz.

I went a year and a half ago.

It's near Krakow, which is a fantastic city, a mini Prague.

Auschwitz itself is a truly somber, forbidding place that reaches into you and rips your heart out. But it's an absolute must-see for the perspective it brings. The tours are conducted with all the dignity and professionalism due for this place.

What's odd about the time I went was that I was in Eastern Europe for a month, and every day I was there was warm, sunny, absolutely beautiful weather.... except for the day I visited Auschwitz. That day was cold, dreary, drizzly and overcast, exactly the kind of weather befitting such a place.

If you're ever in Krakow (which I highly recommend!), then do NOT leave without visiting Auschwitz.

[Deidre32]

I went a year and a half ago.

It's near Krakow, which is a fantastic city, a mini Prague.

Auschwitz itself is a truly somber, forbidding place that reaches into you and rips your heart out. But it's an absolute must-see for the perspective it brings. The tours are conducted with all the dignity and professionalism due for this place.

What's odd about the time I went was that I was in Eastern Europe for a month, and every day I was there was warm, sunny, absolutely beautiful weather.... except for the day I visited Auschwitz. That day was cold, dreary, drizzly and overcast, exactly the kind of weather befitting such a place.

If you're ever in Krakow (which I highly recommend!), then do NOT leave without visiting Auschwitz.

If I had a bucket list, this would be on it. I would definitely like to go ...

That's interesting in an eerie kind of way, about the weather. :(
I read a book not too long ago about the Holocaust, and this one survivor talked about the sunny days that came over them during his imprisonment, and it kept him going, that even in such darkness, there was some beauty in the world ...

TY for sharing.

[trdsf]

I can't think of anything better to add than Dr Jacob Bronowski's unbelievably moving closing, filmed at Auschwitz, to "Knowledge or Certainty", the eleventh episode of his series The Ascent of Man.  Skip ahead to 45:10, although I heartily recommend this entire episode and this entire series.

The producer was Adrian Malone, who later that decade produced the original Cosmos, and these two series are in  many ways complementary.