News Archive January 2010

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 27 JANUARY 2010



On 5 November 2009, Michael Bennett, Elaine Brown and Stephen Terry visited Poland as part of the Lessons from Auschwitz Project.

In the last week of January 2010, they presented their experience across the College in tutorials and displays.

Holocaust Memorial Day was commemorated with a lecture and video presentation which featured survivors’ testimonies. Assistant Chaplain, Liam Finn, also led a debate in tutorials as to how the Holocaust is relevant to modern day life and how we can prevent such an episode of brutality happening again..



THE HOLOCAUST (1933-1945)

The Nazis hated everyone who was ‘different’, including those who fitted the Aryan concept of normality but had different views to the Nazi ideal. The hatred which built up led to the murder of 11 million men, women and children.

6 million Jews were imprisoned and exterminated during that state-led campaign known as ‘the final solution’.

They also murdered millions of their own innocent citizens and the citizens of the countries they invaded, on the basis of skin colour, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs or political affiliation.

They believed that the people they were persecuting were “lives unworthy of life”. Huge extermination camps were constructed across the occupied countries. Their purpose was to kill as many “unworthy lives” as was possible, but the victims were told that they were being re-housed and were promised better lives.

The largest killing centre was Auschwitz-Birkenau. The 4 Zyklon-B gas chambers there could kill 600 people in 15 minutes and it is estimated that 1.3 million innocent people perished there.

VISITING AUSCHWITZ

On entering Auschwitz-Birkenau, you are first struck by the sheer enormity of the entire camp. From the observation tower of the famous gates, the back of the camp is not even visible.

Inside the camp is the station platform. At the height of the war, 2 trains would arrive daily – each carrying around 2,000 people.

At the end of the platform Crematoria 2 and 3 (the largest gas chambers) are still visible. You can stand at the steps into the gas chamber and it is thoroughly chilling to think that people actually stood there, in the exact same place, queuing to be killed.

Auschwitz 1 is now a museum. In it, there are belongings taken from the victims, such as: Suitcases (complete with addresses), shoes, makeup, hats, clothing, false limbs, photographs and 2 tons of human hair (still with hair bands and bobbles).

It really is hard to absorb exactly what you are seeing; especially when you realize that the last time some of the items were used, they were on a train – going to Auschwitz.

There isn’t really a way to describe how you feel during the visit. In fact, for most of the day you feel completely emotionless. Perhaps it is so barbaric that it is impossible to understand.

The story below highlights the truly evil events that took place inside the death camps.

BARBARIC TIMES

One sunny day they brought in 600 boys aged between 12 and 18. They were accompanied by 25 well-armed SS officers. In the yard, the captain of the guard ordered the boys to get undressed. The children noticed the smoke that was pouring out of the chimney and at once realised they were being lead to their deaths. Panic seized them. They began to run up and down the yard – frantic – desperate. The captain of the guard and his men beat the hysterical youngsters until their cudgels broke. Many of them ran up to us and threw themselves into our arms, clutching us tightly, begging us to save them. We just stood there, helpless, completely frozen, as if paralyzed. The SS men, with the arrogant expression of victors, and not showing the slightest sign of compassion, dragged the battered boys off to the gas chamber. Haven’t any of these people ever had children? We will bury our notebooks and diaries deep under the ashes. We have done as much as we could. And you – searching for truth and liberty. What will you do?

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE HOLOCAUST?

We think that if we learn from the happenings at Auschwitz we can shape our futures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

We think that the best way to do this is to keep an open mind on other people’s beliefs and to make sure that we know exactly why people believe things before we form an opinion of them.

Remember that the people who are discriminated against are innocent people, with lives just like you and I.

Lastly, speak out when you see something around you that is disrespectful to your beliefs or the beliefs of others.

We know that one man can’t stop war, but if we all work together and take control of our own actions and environments, we can stop something as terrible as the holocaust from happening again.