A Duty to Remember and Never Forget

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” –Elie Wiesel

It has been almost 2 months since I have left New York to indulge myself in the Polish culture and increase my knowledge in Jewish-Christian relations. Thinking back to the flight from Amsterdam to Krakow, I remember feeling incredible nervous: what will this trip bring me? As we landed, I felt ready, ready to embark on the journey many people do not get the opportunity to. And for that, I felt lucky. We drove in separate buses to the Center and I had no idea what the week would bring. Fast forward 7 days later, being in those same buses, but with a completely different outlook on life. My thoughts on this bus ride and the flights following reflected on the innocent lives of 6 million people. 6 million. How could this happen? Who could do this? As Dr. Annamarie Orla-Bukowska mentioned, studying the Shoah only left me with more questions than answers.

As I saw my friends and family the weeks following our trip to Poland, I received the same questions, “How was Poland?” An answer to this question seemed almost impossible. I had two options: say it was good and move on, or educate others on the living memorial of the Shoah. I explained to many of them the tragedies I saw, the wonderful people I had met, and the effect the trip had on my own life. I could no longer be a bystander to the ignorant and hateful views of people around me. I could no longer sit quietly when I heard someone being mistreated. I have a voice that must be heard. The Shoah was real, it affected real people, and caused real pain and suffering on innocent lives. This is not something we shall forget, but something we shall remember indefinitely.

Dr. Annamaria Orla-Bukowska, a professor from the Institute of Sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, spoke at Iona College on April 16th for the “William H. Donat Shoah Commemoration Teaching the Holocaust Where It Happened” event. Although we had already traveled to Poland, this presentation taught me even more about my experience and studies in Jewish-Christian Relations. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Annamaria Orla-Bukowska traveled to Poland to learn more about her Polish heritage and the tragedies that occurred under the Nazi Regime. As she became integrated in the Polish culture, she found herself with more questions than answers in her field of study. Eventually, she moved to Poland fulltime to fulfill her passion for the Holocaust and it’s living memorial. Dr. Annamarie Orla-Bukowska’s dedication to the memory of the Shoah is something we should all look up to as students in Jewish-Christian relations. Like she said during her speech, we must use the Holocaust as a lens to other issues that can occur in the world.

Memorial site at the Plaszow labor camp in Krakow, Poland.

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Childhood Innocence

Above portrays a drawing from a child and their interpretation of the Shoah. This drawing exemplifies how the Shoah stripped many children from their childhood innocence.

“I’ve found that there is always some beauty left—in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” - Anne Frank

As I walked through the bunkers at Auschwitz I, I felt chills as I looked at photos of small children and their families. As humans, we selfishly have the tendency to think of our own lives during tragedies. As I walked throughout Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau, I thought my little siblings: the people who mean the most to me. It is so difficult to imagine how the Nazis chose the evil side. How could these humans treat other humans in such a way? I asked myself this as I walked through the bunkers and could not wrap my head around these atrocities. As soon as the Jews were taken to Auschwitz II- Birkenau, they faced selection. Here, families were torn apart and lives were changed forever. Mothers had to make terrible decisions whether to go with their children to the gas chambers or to better their chances at selection by leaving their children.

As I approached the exhibit full of children’s shoes, my heart broke for the millions of children and families who had to experience the unimaginable. Next to this stood a glass exhibit box that contained clothes from some of the suitcases. Here lied a little girl’s sweater, a sneaker, some socks, and a boot. I could not help, but imagine the people who these precious items belonged to. A little girl, perhaps, who enjoyed playing with dolls or had dreams of being a teacher. These precious items symbolize how pure and innocent their lives were. I cannot fathom the cruel and inhumane conditions they experienced or how they felt when were separated from their mothers, siblings, grandparents, etc. As the days in Poland have passed rather quickly, I find myself thinking about these children more and more every day.

As these children experienced such cruel and inhumane punishment, I also think about the children who went into hiding. The children who were again separated from their parents and forced to conform to a completely different lifestyle. Stan Ronell, a survivor of the Shoah, who visited Iona College and told his story of how he went into hiding with his mother when the war began. They were hidden in many different houses throughout the war where he stayed in a small, dark closet with two books to read. Luckily for him, one of these books contained Christian prayers which allowed him to expand on his “act” and survive the war. Mr. Ronell’s story reminded me of Alexander Donat’s son, Wlodek, as his story was quite similar in the novel, The Holocaust Kingdom. Wlodek was a three-year-old boy who was brought in by a local Polish friend and cared for throughout the war in hiding. Wlodek learned Christian prayers, got rid of his Yiddish accent, and lived a “typical” Christian life to deceive those around him. This is what saved his life and allowed him to be reunited with his mother and father after the war. These stories exemplify what most survivors suggest that allowed them to survive the Shoah: youth, health, and luck.

I will never understand how these atrocities took place. However, I can remember those innocent children and adults were affected and keep their stories close in my heart. As I left Auschwitz I on Monday, I left the grounds many people prayed to run free from. And for them, I walk forward into my future with the knowledge to share some of their stories and prevent this kind of evil from ever existing again.

The above photo further represents the innocence that was stolen from many children throughout the Shoah. Families were ripped apart, and the drawing above exemplifies the absence that many children and parents faced.

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The Eyes are Windows to the Soul

An endless hallway full of photos of the many prisoners of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau which were mostly taken by Wilhelm Brasse, a Jewish inmate.

Hundreds of faces looking back at me; faces of people who were doctors, engineers, teachers, and many more. Sad, scared, and fearful faces displayed down a never-ending hallway. “How could this be real?,” I thought to myself as I stood in the bunker speechless. How could these human lives have been taken? These are questions I asked myself throughout this entire trip. I gave myself a few minutes to look at these photos and continued my walk throughout Auschwitz I. As many different things caught my attention, I could not stop thinking about these faces. But more importantly, their eyes. As Khaled Hosseini once said, “The eyes are windows to the soul.” Looking into the eyes of these victims pained me. Their stories were jumping out through the frames, but I could not hear them. I could not understand what they experienced or what they saw or what they wished to pursue. I could not understand any of it for the Shoah is unimaginable to those who did not experience it.

During the atrocities committed by the Nazis, I cannot help but wonder if the Jews or other prisoners could have escaped their fate. During a workshop we attended at Auschwitz I, we watched many videos of scholars who shared their interpretations of many questions regarding the Shoah. When speaking about the Jews and their fate, many scholars suggest that they could not escape their fate. There were so little opportunities for Jews to act on their own fate. For example, the Germans threatened the lives of individuals and families who would potentially help the Jews. Therefore, there were many little opportunities for Jews to accept the help from non-Jews. The Jews were blindsided with the atrocities that were committed due to the manipulation and lying of the Nazis. There is no such way for an individual to prepare for something as terrible as the Shoah which made it difficult for Jews to escape their fate and save the lives of themselves and others.

Therefore, I think of the people displayed in this hallway, and I cannot help but wonder what they could have contributed to this world. One of them could have found the cure for Cancer or saved the life of another person. These were real people with lives, families, dreams and aspirations. As we near the end of this experience in Poland, I reflect on the lives of those who were taken too soon and wish peace upon their families and the survivors of the Shoah. These survivors can spread their stories and reflect on the atrocities that occurred. And for those who did not survive to tell their stories, we remember them for “the one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again” (George Santayana, Auschwitz I bunker).

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