"We Must Be Their Voice That Cries Out"

"As the generation of survivors and liberators dwindles, the torch of remembrance, of bearing witness and of education must continue forward" Dan Gillerman.

Although it was a warm April afternoon when I arrived in Auschwitz, there was an undeniable solemn atmosphere encompassing us. Standing at the gates to Auschwitz the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" glare down upon us. The phrase meaning "work sets you free" seems to be a cruel joke aimed at the victims as they arrived at the concentration camp. Little appears to have been changed from the original structure and surroundings in an attempt to preserve the haunting image and accurately tell the story of the people who walked here before us. You can almost feel the presence of hundreds of lost and despondent souls who never escaped. People just like you and I walked over these gravel paths.But unlike you and I, their journey was not by choice, and unlike us, most of them never left. Looking around, you couldn't possibly imagine the atrocities that took place, but upon leaving and having learned of the demonic crimes committed here, you no longer see it the same way. You fight back tears, silent in your own acknowledgement of the horrific things you have just encountered, and feeling thankful that you will probably never experience a living hell like this.

Entrance to Auschwitz

Auschwitz I

Our visit to Auschwitz comprised of a visit to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau. The first was the main camp, the concentration camp where those fit and healthy were sent to work. The second camp,Birkenau was the death camp where over 1 million people were killed. While Auschwitz I was for people capable of work, Birkenau was for the elderly, children, or ill people.

Most of us have learned of the Holocaust in school and been educated on the tremendous crimes of mankind and heard tale upon tale from courageous survivors. A lot of what I saw and learned I had already learned at school, but seeing the exhibits up close brings it to life and makes it more relatable. When we hear the number of people who lost their lives during the Holocaust, we don't really appreciate just how many people that is, but when you see their lives staring back at you from the enclosure of the exhibits, it reinforces the horror inflicted and the sheer magnitude of lives lost.

Humanity in its most horrific form comes to life in the various buildings and depicts the torturous and inhumane conditions these people were forced to endure. Haunting exhibits illustrate the vast number of people who were brutalised and murdered here.

Exhibits

The display titled "Material Evidence" still sends a chill down my spine when I think about it. In one long, glass display window, we see mountains of human hair. Taken from an estimated 140,000 victims this exhibit goes someway to highlighting just how many people moved through this establishment.

Chamber of human hair

Other chilling exhibits include a huge glass case filled with shoes belonging to men, women, and children. The variety of sizes, style, and colours comes up to an estimated 43,000 pairs.

Perhaps one of the most upsetting exhibits was the large display of suitcases brought by the victims. Upon arrival, they were instructed to write their name on their case for identification purposes. The thought of so many people holding onto the false hope of eventual freedom disturbed me. Not only were they being put through horrific ordeals and forced to live in grotesque conditions but they were then given a false idea that they might soon be free.

Other exhibits include cases filled with glasses, prosthetic limbs and home-ware goods such as pots and cups.

The exhibit that disturbed me the most was the room filled with small toys, tiny shoes, tattered blankets, and moth-eaten clothes. A whole section is dedicated to the children of Auschwitz, portraying the ultimate act of brutality by mankind - the torture and murder of innocent babies and children. Survivor Elie Wiesel describes her feelings at the loss of these innocent lives that had not yet even begun. Elie says "never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky". No longer protected in society, many children were orphaned and now cowered in the presence of adults, not knowing who they could trust, not knowing which ones to turn to for comfort and help, completely alone in a world seemingly filled with hatred and brutality.

Childrens' Exhibit

The Gas Chambers

After these exhibits, we moved on to the gas chamber. As I entered the chamber which closely resembled the layout of a public shower space, I felt a shiver course through my body. All around the chamber we can see hundreds of scratchings on the walls, the lasting fragment of the people mercilessly murdered all those years ago. The scratchings, believed to be made by the fingernails of the victims, shows their desperation as they tried to claw their way out, undoubtedly knowing it was a futile battle.

Birkenau

After our visit to Auschwitz I, we went to Birkenau. This 425 acres stretches for approximately 1 mile in one direction and 1 and a half miles in the other direction and is enclosed with electrified barbed wire. The image of the railway line stretching through the camp is one most people have probably seen in movies and history books. Birkenau held between 90,000-200,000 people at a time and the result of this is evident in the horrendous living conditions.

Living Conditions

The squalor and filth of the living conditions highlights how easily one could become ill. The sleeping area, which resembled nothing more than a barn, was freezing cold, had concrete floors and was filled with small bunk-like cabins stacked on top of each other. These small areas were constructed of wood and would hold up to 5 adults, though they look like they can barely hold two. We were told that the people on the bottom bunks would fear the people on top becoming ill. If those on top vomited or developed diarrhea, it was likely to seep down to the underlying bunks. I was disgusted and horrified that human beings could be treated like this.

Living conditions in Birkenau

Crematorium and Pit

After this, we were shown to the crematorium and the pit. We were told that Jewish victims were often forced to build the pit and other buildings. Survivor Primo Levi says this "represented an attempt to shift onto others - the victims - the burden of guilt so that they were deprived of even the solace of innocence".

Four buildings known as the Krema were constructed for the purpose of cremating the bodies. The four ovens inside the Krema for incineration had a capacity of 4,416 corpses within a 24 hour period. Eventually, the ovens began displaying problems. To counter this, they constructed pits outside in which to burn the bodies. This has been described time and time again as the greatest mass murder of all time, depicting the utmost worst of mankind.

Why You Should Visit Auschwitz

It is one thing to read about the Holocaust but to truly understand the gravity of the crimes committed, a visit to Auschwitz should be at the top of your list to educate yourself. Poland itself is a beautiful country steeped in architecture, history and culture.

In the face of adversity, the words of Simon Wiesenthal need to be remembered, "for evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing" . Let us always remember, educate and aim to prevent. Let us speak out against these types of crimes so they may never be repeated.

Auschwitz survivors pick themselves out from a photo taken at the liberation of Auschwitz

In the interest of transparency, the images used in this piece do not belong to me. They are taken from Google images. The reason for this is this is that I felt uncomfortable taking photos.