Trying to Imagine Auschwitz

It is always a challenge to give people a visual image of the unimaginable, and at Auschwitz there are quite a few displays of things that were left behind. Items that people took with them when they came to Auschwitz in the hope that life there would be bearable, that were then taken away upon arrival and stored in ever increasing mounds in storage rooms are now on display. The above photo is of the cannisters of gas that were used to kill people--that is the most chilling of all. This huge pile is a reminder of how the Germans took murder to a cost effective level.

My favorite example of a visual impact memorial is the VietNam War Memorial. The names of the 58,000+ Americans who died in that war makes a visceral impact (which just couldn't be done in the same way for the 400,000+ who died in WWII of the 600,000+ who died in the Civil War). Here are about 80,000 pairs of shoes. One of the things that is heartbreaking for me is that people arrived with the most impractical of footwear. This was a muddy miserable place. Steel tipped work boots were what every one should have worn, not strappy little sandals.

Then there are the exhibits of things that must have been taken from people after they died. Eyeglasses that were never used again. It is true that if you entered Auschwitz, you did not walk out. There are exceptions, but they are few. The majority of those who had their suitcases taken away at the entrance, left their glasses without someone to wear them not long after. The image is both sad and wasteful. So many talented people murdered. Such a loss for us all.

Whether it was deception or a desire to have hope, packing a suitcase when your train is ending at a death camp is an image that is impossible to erase from your imagination. This exhibit is the one that hit my youngest son the hardest. All these empty suitcases, packed with prayers for survival, ultimately dissapointing their owners.