Ann Zelenka-Berkinau

Visiting Berkinau was extremely surreal for me today. It was so insane to realize that we were all walking amidst the ashes of the beloved fallen. When I saw all of the photographs in one of the rooms, especially of the little babies and children that died, it really hit home for me. These were all beautiful people who had so much uniqueness and potential within just being human and with being gifts from God in their creation, and along with that adding all of their talents and dreams that are perhaps known or unknown now. I was honored to be able to have the chance to offer a few Hail Marys as well as the prayer of Requiem for these souls that perished as I walked by the ponds. It is just literally unbelievable to me that I was walking there among the remains of these dear human beings. Although this was a sad experience, I also appreciated the strange beauty in the midst of all of this pain. The air, the trees, the pinecones, the leaves, the nature was just so beautiful and freeing. It reminds me that He always has been there, and at Auschwitz too. He was there for these people, even if it did not seem like it. We cannot explain all of the suffering nor can we attempt to begin to understand the true reasons behind WHY this happened. But I do believe God was and is still there, and it is within the small moments of hope and even in the tremendous despair that we can see Him. It is difficult for me to put this idea into words, which is unusual, as I always have something to say about anything and everything, but the fact is that there WERE survivors of the Shoah. That does not make anything better, or easier, or answerable regarding those who suffered or those who died. However, it does bring us a sense of calm to the storm, or a beacon of light after the darkness. A point I would like to make about forgiveness in regards to the Nazi perpetrators. As I stated during class, these individuals were humans too. While we hate what they did, and hate their ideologies, and hate their attitudes: hatred of them as a people is wrong. The Germans are beautiful people, with an amazing culture and an exquisite language: I actually met some German students while on this trip and they were wonderful young people. Basically, what I am stating here is that if groups start boxing one/other groups of people into these negative stereotypes just because of something that occurred in the past, then the cycles of evil continue and we will never solve anything. Not to say that forgiveness is easy. Ephesians 4:26 says: “Be ye angry, and sin not”. We have every bit of right to be angry about what happened: Jesus was angry when individuals were buying and selling items within the Temple, a holy place of reverence, to the point where he overturned the tables! Imagine this peaceful Man, who is also God, experiencing the emotion of WRATH! Just a thought. We must also remember to be patient with ourselves in our journey of forgiveness, and remember that it does not happen overnight.