Which leads me to today's entry, as you've noticed. I am no longer writing as if I were in Europe. I am not. I am in my office with my puppy asleep on the floor next to me. Today, on our virtual tour, we would be visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau. I don't want to attempt to pretend that I am there. Instead, I will be writing from the perspective of a teacher who has visited twice, both times with students, and both times with very different experiences. I will include some photos that I took on my most recent visit, simply because they are easier to access for me, but I might be able to locate a few from the fist trip.
I hope you understand my deviation from the virtual tour and that you find my reflections to be thoughtful and interesting.
First, some general information about Auschwitz-Birkenau. The grounds of this place are divided into three different camps. Auschwitz I is where your tour begins. It is located on the grounds of a former Polish military camp. Barracks were used to house prisoners and now are used as a walking memorial to the victims. Auschwitz II is also known as Birkenau. It is the largest of the three camps and was the one that housed and exterminated the most people. Much of it has been torn down today, but the stables some prisoners lived in and a large memorial stand as reminders of the size and severity of the location. Auschwitz III is not part of a high school tour. It was a labor camp not far from the other two locations. In fact, there were many sub-camps in the vicinity, but these three share the Auschwitz name. The website hosted by the memorial and musuem is amazingly interesting and I'd suggest all interested should visit. Click here to see the website.
In 2007, Mr. Fontenalla arranged a trip that very much mimicked the one that we were scheduled for this year. We, along with Ms. Nancy Lemoine, took about 18 kids along with us. We had seniors through Freshman, boys and girls, and we did not share our experience with any other school districts. It was us, Arnoud our Tour Director, and Zoltan, our Bus Driver. It really set the tone for what student travel could be and I eternally grateful for Font allowing me to attend. I did not blog about that trip. My memory may be a bit faulty, but here is what I remember:
Auschwitz was less busy on the first trip. I do not remember a crowd. Our guide took us into the first camp and every once in a while, we would stop to hear him discuss some of the history. In the first camp, as you walk through the barracks, you can look through large windows into rooms that used to occupy beds. Now, however, the stand as eerie reminders of the magnitude of the Holocaust.
At that time, I was not terribly emotional and throughout the first part of the barrack's tour, I was speechless, but able to hold my composure. We walked down the long hallway and saw hundreds of suitcases. We then saw even more shoes (photograph is above). I was at the end of our line. It is a habit that I have, but I do not want to leave anyone behind when we are walking somewhere. Directly in front of me were two freshmen girls. They were becoming closer friends on the trip, but I don't recall how close they were before we left. As we turned into the next hallway, one of the girls crouched over and began to cry. This brave young lady was Jewish and we knew the visit would be especially hard for her. I saw her and began to move closer to try and provide some comfort, but before I could, they other student scooped her into her arms and gave her a safe place to cry. In the horrors of Auschwitz, I saw the beauty of humanity. I cannot tell that story without crying (nor can I type it). Those two 14 year olds taught me more than I could ever pick up in a book and I am forever grateful. I have also never told them the impact that moment had on me personally.
We continued down to a small home. It was the Commandant's quarters. A small swingset stood by the building. Next to it, was the gas chamber and furnace used at Auschwitz I. It was a dark and foreboding place, as we traced the footsteps of others into what they had been told were showers. The numbers were too high, however, and the Nazi's determined they needed a larger facility.
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| The Showers at Auschwitz I. The Commandant's Quarters are to the right. |
Our group left for Birkenau which was a short distance away and rejoined our guide. He took us through the larger part of the camp. He showed us where the train would pull up and how the victims would be separated by gender and by presumed strength. He pointed out the chambers which had now been destroyed. His tour was the most impactful tour I have ever taken. He concluded by reminding us that the Holocaust was not a Jewish event. It was not a Polish event either. It was an event that challenged all of humanity. He charged us with the task of remembering that idea and working towards helping all in need.
My second time visiting Auschwitz was in 2014. The trip was designed to be a History of the Holocaust tour. We had about 18 kids. The chaperones were myself, Ms. Alongi, Ms. Mottola, and Joanie (the longtime nurse at SHS). We also shared our experience with a group from Saskatchewan, Canada. The trip had our students previously visit Dachau near Munich. That small labor camp became the model for almost all of the other camps in the Nazi regime. Dachau had a furnace, but it was never used. It's museum tells the rise of Hitler and the party and discusses the first political and religious prisoners. It is somber, but it is not Auschwitz.
Read About the 2014 Trip to Dachau here.
Read About the 2014 Trip to Auschwitz here.
I will not recap the entire trip in today's reflection. You will understand much more of what we saw, and experienced, by reading the entry above. I will, however, reflect on the moment that connects these two times in my life. Our group had people from all walks of life. We shared some things in common, but our differences also resonated. We only had one freshman student with us...a young man. Leaving Dachau, I think, he asked me what the larger point of life might be if there is so much darkness in the world. It was a scary question, and while I don't address it directly in the blog, there is a reference to my answer. It was an answer that gleaned from my first visit to Auschwitz. It was an answer that rests on the strength of our humanity.
Now in Auschwitz, we found ourselves at a relatively new memorial. The camp, in 2014, was much busier. There were lots of groups and we formed a very long, almost impersonal, line through the barracks portion of the tour. At this memorial, however, our guide said some departing words. She was a lifetime resident of the city. Her family had lived in the shadows of the camp for all of her life. The story she told, similar to one I had heard years before, was deeply personal. When she concluded, Joanie gathered us all together. She had brought stones from hear her home and as a sign of remembrance, she asked us all to leave one in honor of all of the victims. Joanie is Jewish and the visit for her was something quite difficult to take. Our combined group honored her request. Vic Thunderchild, a chaperone from our Canadian group, then began to speak. His words, however were not words...they were song. From his native tongue, Vic led us through a spiritual hymn and prayer of honor. When he concluded there was silence, but that deafening silence was broken with a prayer from Ian, one of our students. Ian was a soft-spoken gentle giant. He is also quite religious. He words came from deep within his heart and he asked us to honor all of those impacted by the Holocaust.
These three actions all carried the same message. The heavy weight of this act of depravity rests on our shoulders, but we are not alone. We carry that weight with all of the good and caring people who are out there. My answer to the young man questioning the futility of it all, was that when bad times are in front of us, the call to humanity is always there. We live in troubled times. We are making personal and professional sacrifices to help others simply by staying home and washing our hands, but those actions are indeed helping. In the camps, during the worst of time, the stories of shame resonate in our history books, but the innumerable times where one person helped another amidst great danger are largely untold. The evil that men do never triumphs over the good we can do.
Mr. Lavoie, I hope today's reflection finds you well and that the greater message connects with how you are feeling during this time of crisis.
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