Faith in the Face of Death

Blog Post 3 - 3/25/16 - Corrine Valenti

      This experience has expanded my knowledge beyond measure and shaped me into a stronger and more compassionate human being. Seeing the horrors of Auschwitz in person, walking the ground where so many perished, is truly indescribable. Walking through the barrack with the remains of human hair encased in glass, torn from the victims upon arrival, was one of the most chilling experiences I have ever had. An intense question I have been faced with this week has been where was God in Auschwitz?

     We have examined this question in a multitude of ways during this week: walking the footsteps of prisoners through Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, speaking with Mr. Ignacy Krasnokuki a 91-year old Holocaust survivor, visiting the art exhibit of Christian survivor Marian Kociniak, and listening to two powerful lectures by Father Manfred Deselaers and historian Teresa Wontor-Cichy.

     Auschwitz was a place of pure and utter evil however that evil, in my opinion, did not succeed. The goal of the Nazi party, to completely eliminate the Jewish people from existence, was not achieved because Judaism is still alive today as evidenced by the creation of the State of Israel and my group attending a Shabbat service in Kraków on Friday evening. Prisoners showed great deals of bravery, hope, and faith in the camp that I previously thought was impossible. Just to give one example, a group of Sonderkommando, prisoners responsible for emptying the gas chambers and burning the bodies in the crematorium, in Auschwitz II-Birkenau revolted in 1944 and successfully destroyed one of the gas chambers. They were all executed for their bravery and died as martyrs. They found purpose and faith in the face of death.

     Although the evils experienced in the camps were unimaginable, love and faith were never completely lost. Something that was very powerful for me when listening to the story of Mr. Krasnokuki was his discussion of his "camp brothers". Krasnokuki was separated from his parents and two elder brothers during the war, a fate I could only imagine in my worst nightmares. He like so many others faced the Nazi death camps completely alone. He described to us his "camp brothers", a small group of men who he met in the camp who vowed to stick together and help each other survive. "For [we] are all children of God through faith" Galatians 3:26. These strangers, experiencing hell, created a beautiful pact, brothers in every sense of the word; children of God.

     When listening to Father Manfred's final lecture I experienced God's presence in a powerful way. My parents, two of the most incredible people in the world, love me beyond measure. They were extremely nervous about me going on this trip because of the state the world is in right now. However, despite their worries they gave me the freedom to make my own choices and sometimes mistakes. No matter where my choices lead me, even if they are mistakes, I know my parents will be there to guide me through them. This is how I look at my relationship with God. He loves each and every one of His children so much that He granted us the freedom to choose. This all powerful God loves you so much He grants you freedom just like my parents did for me. Unfortunately this freedom comes at a cost. Because we have the ability to choose sometimes our choices hurt others. This happened in Europe during World War II to devastating proportions. God has the power to alleviate all suffering from the world but He entrusts part of that responsibility to His children.

     World War II is a shameful look into the horrors that can happen if we ignore the uniqueness God granted to each person. Labeling people into categories is extremely dangerous and something I plan to stop myself from doing moving forward. We each have a responsibility to creating God's love on Earth because simply saying "never again" is not enough. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Lord's Prayer). I have come to realize through my journey to Auschwitz that the real question is not where was God but where was humanity during the Holocaust?

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Mourner's Kaddish in Auschwitz-Birkenau

Blog Post 2 - 3/22/16 - Corrine Valenti

 

     As we end our two day visit of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau I am truly speechless. The horrors endured during the years of operation of this camp are truly unimaginable. A quote shared with us by our tour guide from a survivor said, "We expected the worst but not the unbelievable". The camp is now run as a museum in order to ensure the world never forgets what happened to the 1.5 million men, woman, and children who were ruthlessly murdered during the Shoah at Auschwitz. We have learned that the Holocaust can also be called the Shoah, which is a Hebrew term which can be translated to destruction. Names are extremely important. This is one of the most crucial lessons I have learned from this course. A name, of a person, place, or thing, is an identity and something so vitally human. When the Nazi's occupied Poland they changed all the names of Polish towns to German names, stripping Poland of it's nationality and identity. The town of Oświęcim was changed to Auschwitz which was also what the camp was referred to as. 

     Prisoners upon arrival at Auschwitz were split by Nazi doctors into two lines; left meaning forced slave labor in the camps and right meaning death in the gas chamber. The prisoners sent to the left who were strong enough to work were further stripped of their identity when they were robbed of all personal belongs including clothes, toothbrushes, and even hair. The living quarters in the camps were absolutely appalling: filthy, cramped, dark, damp. Sleeping bunks shown in the photo below were made with three tiers with 4-8+ prisoners sleeping on each level.

     Men, women, and children were all exposed to the same unlivable conditions and were only allowed to use the bathroom twice a day; once in the morning before work and once in the evening on the way back from work. Kapos, or prisoners assigned to supervise each barrack, were often German criminals or prostitutes who treated the Jewish prisoners worse than some of the SS officers. Kapos had slightly better living conditions than those of other prisoners. As the war was coming to an end and Russian forces were soon to liberate the camp, the Nazis began to burn evidence of their unspeakable crimes. The multiple gas chambers of the Auschwitz II-Birkenau were destroyed. The camp is one mass grave for millions of innocent human beings.

     Experiencing the camp, even 71 years after its liberation, was devastating. It is so hard to imagine peace in such a place. However, in a place where Jews were ruthlessly tortured and murdered for their faith our team got to say a Jewish prayer called a Mourner's Kaddish at a memorial on camp grounds. This is an ancient Jewish prayer said in honor of those who have passed usually at a service called a Shiva. As we prayed standing on the mass grave of over a million people the sun came out for just a minute and I finally felt a sense of peace in the camp of death.

    The Shoah raises many issues of theodicy, or the justice of God in the world. How can a God of love allow such evil to take place in the world? Auschwitz has made me realize through every devastation a small amount of God's love shines through. I saw this love in the story of Father Maximilian Kolbe who willingly gave his life by taking the place of a Jewish prisoner being sentenced to death. I saw this love in the compassionate hearts and tears of my classmates and professors who exemplify hope for our future. I saw this love in the beautiful Hebrew melodies being sung in Auschwitz II-Birkenau by a group of Jewish youth visiting from Israel. Although the question of why is an extremely difficult one to grasp the only way to cope with the devastation is to believe that pure Godly love exists even in the darkest of places. "Forever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about 1.5 million men, woman, and children mainly Jews from various countries of Europe - Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940-1945"

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Jewish Cemetery

Blog Post 1 - 3/19/2016 - Corrine Valenti

 

      Today we visited the only surviving Jewish Cemetery in Oświęcim on the corner of Dąbrowaskiego Street and Wysokie Brzegi Street. This sacred resting place was destroyed during World War II and some of the tombstones were used to make roads in the town. This was a complete disrespect of Jewish culture and human life. Jews were not given proper burials during the war and many were killed in mass graves with their place of death never marked or remembered. Names and identities were lost during this time in history for so many. Fortunately, after the war this cemetery was able to be revived by the help of many dedicated volunteers. Today, there are over 1,000 tombstones that have been preserved but many more that will be lost forever. The tombstones no longer marks the actual graves of loved ones but they stand as a remembrance of all who lost their lives during the War and all those who had their final resting places disturbed. There were a couple of small towers made out of broken tombstones in the center of the cemetery created as a memorial to all those that will never be found.

     After visiting the Jewish cemetery we walked to a Polish cemetery nearby and the contrast between the two was astounding. The Polish cemetery was filled with beautifully preserved tombstones, flowers, candles, and people. It truly fit the description of a "living cemetery" as people filled the rows of graves saying prayers and leaving flowers. The Jews of Oświęcim were deprived of that basic human right to mourn the loss of their loved ones and visit their resting place.
  
      The once thriving Jewish population of Oświęcim is almost nonexistent today as a result of the systematic killing performed by the Nazi's during World War II and the further dispersion that followed after the war. All but one of their synagogues in the town were ruined. The devastation of these people in every aspect is extremely difficult to grasp. The Jewish people have faced dispersion all throughout history and it is so evident in Poland. Even those Jews who had passed away prior to the war were dispersed when their graves were pillaged. As we experience these different aspects of history in Poland today in 2016, it is imperative to become true witnesses. This word "witness" has been used a lot throughout the course and I am slowly starting to develop my own interpretation of it. My goal in taking this course is to grow in my faith, learn of the monstrous capabilities of the human race, and become a more tolerant, generous, and compassionate person. As we attend Auschwitz 1 on Monday for the first time I will be directly faced with the horrific events of the Shoah and hopefully grow as a witness to history.

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