In the spring, we were taught statistics and shown images of the murders that occurred at Auschwitz and other death camps. Visiting Auschwitz both aligned with that information and made it seem like they were an underwhelming representation of the true scale of the camps and the horrors committed within them. We visited the camps while it was raining, which fit the ghastly and sickening tension that permeated throughout our visit. Our tour guide, although he spoke quickly and without much inflection, conveyed the severity of the atrocities committed there by how bluntly he described the murders and abuses toward Jews, Poles and other groups.
Being at the site taught me more about how the camp was structured and just how industrial the operation was. In one room, a display case held two tons of hair cut off of murdered Jewish women in order to create fabric. As I walked through this room, I could feel my stomach twist, and I tried to fight back tears as our tour guide explained how this was just two of seven tons that were actually collected. That was just one of several instances where I felt like I could no longer walk, and all I wanted was to be back home in Cincinnati away from the darkness of one of humanity’s worst episodes.
The scale of the camp operation became even clearer once we visited Birkenau/Auschwitz II. Compared to Auschwitz I, much of the camp was cordoned off and you could see the camp stretch a distance that isn’t really captured well in the pictures. I found myself unable to bear the sight of it and tried to keep my head down and focus all my attention on taking my next step forward. Despite my distaste for being there, visiting the site was important because it emphasized the industrial nature of the Final Solution was and reminded us just how much hate lied at the heart of Nazi ideology and Hitler’s regime.
Auschwitz II/Birkenau Camp