For them, tomorrow simply never came. Today, we walk in their footsteps.

Possessions of the Victims of Auschwitz I Display that contained 40,000 pairs of shoes left at Auschwitz Prayer Shawls from the victims of Auschwitz I Eye glasses from the victims Pots and pans from the victims             Going to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps was like entering a new world in which unimaginable suffering took place. When we walk through the camps,...

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Birkenau and the Survivor - Joanna Ziegelbauer

Arriving in Poland, I was not prepared for the sites I was going to face.  After visiting the first camp, Auschwitz I, I was sure that I could not feel a deeper connection to this place and its history than I had while walking through exhibition blocks.  The next day, however, I found I was wrong. Auschwitz II - Birkenau Front Gate Our group visited Auschwitz II, Birkenau the next morning.  While driving up to the camp, I...

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Was God present during the War? - Kara Pacewicz

Franciscan Center at Harmeze. The first day I spent in Poland, Father Manfred came to lecture us on his knowledge about the Holocaust. As I stated in earlier blogs, Father Manfred’s lectures are incredible. He is very philosophical and has realistic and relatable facts and opinions. The first question that popped into my head during his lecture was, “Where do you think God was during the Holocaust?” Today Father. Manfred dedicated his entire...

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Innocence by Thamara Diogo

The word innocence can be defined in multiple ways. One may say that innocence means purity or righteousness. But I believe that innocence can be interpreted in more ways than one. When analyzing what innocence means, I believe it is important to apply its meaning to children. What struck me the most today was learning about how children were mistreated and killed at Auschwitz concentration camp. Clothes and shoes belonging to babies...

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Forever - Kara Pacewicz

Auschwitz II - Birkenau. 25 acres of land was devoted to only one of the horrific concentration camps. Auschwitz - II Birkenau is bigger than anyone could imagine. When driving up you could see the train tracks that lead directly through the entrance of the camp. When turning to your right you see barracks on barracks that seem to disappear in the distance. As we walk up the dipped in stairs from all those who have walked up and down them we...

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Trust. -Jackie Martinez

Father Manfred Signing His Book for Our Group "This world is not lost, and God does care." Today we heard a lecture from Father Manfred, and these words of his really spoke out to me. As I mentioned in my first blog post, Father Manfred spoke a lot about trust and healing, and in today's lecture on "Where was God?" he continued more on the topic of trust. At our first lecture, Father Manfred discussed trust in the context of the Poles/Jews and...

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Always Remember. Kelly McGovern

March 20, 2014 Today I went back to Auschwitz 1. I was a little nervous as I walked up because I was expecting to become flooded with emotion like the first time. For some reason, I saw it in another way. Sorrow and anger were still emotions that filled me. When I walked through the gate all I wanted to do was walk the dirt paths within the camp. All of the information that I learned about Auschwitz 1 was jumping around my head.  Auschwitz...

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Forever. Kelly McGovern

March 18, 2014 Today we visited Auschwitz 2-Birkenau. Standing at the front gate looking around, I could not believe how large the camp was. It went on for what seemed like forever, which is probably the reality of those who were imprisoned in the camp. The number of buildings that are standing, and even the number of buildings that are no longer standing amazed me. I learned that all of the prisoners of Auschwitz 2 had to build the...

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