Last week, during the holidays, our school sent the history students to Poland and Germany. During our stay in Poland we visited Autchwitz. I don't want to sound disrespectful by any means, but the whole experience din't really move me up untill we were shown the hair of the victims. I saw a short blonde ponytail, which was still perfectly kept. That really moved me and I will never forget that experience. I'll upload some pictures hopefull next weeek. So, I ask have any of the BB users been to Autchwitz/Birkenau? Were you moved?

Sounds like a very interesting trip. Maybe one day I will get a chance to visit. God Bless all of the victims.

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"Auschwitz as tourist attraction is more evil than Hitler ever was."

Discuss.

(Allah bless the victims.)

I had a class on WWII writing and we covered the holocaust and saw a video of what it looks like now and really it looked like a big empty field surrounded by trees on the video.

Had to go to the holocaust museum in Terre Haute ran by Eva Kor. She's an interesting person.

Before this class I saw Jews as a religious group rather than a race. I'm still not sure if I really know the difference.

I don't believe it's a tourist attraction in the way that Disney World is. I certainly would hate to think that people would see it that way.

I believe that maintaining it and having people tour it serves one important purpose - to remind people about the evil that was wrought there in the hopes that it never happens again.

As we can see from the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, it is a vain hope, but one that needs to be kept alive.

Eventually, people may learn. Perhaps that's a good reason.

I am not even skeptical here, it just isn't going to happen.

From the impression I got, Autchwitz is the complete opposite from a tourist attraction. I saw no advertisemnet on the journey to Autchwitz, and none in magazines in Poland. There are houses right next door to the camp, a motorway behind the execution wall and even a Naval Base acriss the road.

It is not a race. Judaism is a religion that has become so closely identified with Semitic ethnicity that they are hard to distinguish apart. There are also cultural features that accrue to Judaism. But Sammy Davis, Jr. was Jewish and he was hardly Semitic.

By the way, there are a plethora of books available about the Holocost. I would suggest that one start with Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

Yes, Judaism is a religion, not a race. There are Jews of all races, just as there are Christians and Muslims of all races. "Semitic" refers to the ancient origins of Judaism among Semitic people, and to the derivation of the Hebrew language.

Still the definitive work.

There is a program on this topic tomorrow at 9.00 PM on NGeo

Elie Wiesel's 'Night' is a compelling account of his experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It should be required reading in our high schools or colleges.

Around 1991 I was working at a voting location helping a colleague of mine, who was running for a local office. I spent the day working there with an older man, who was supporting another candidate in another race. His name was Sam Sharon. From the early morning on he talked to me about everything from the weather to newspaper stories, and asked me all kinds of questions about my family, work, etc. He had worked elections for many years, and I began thinking that this little old man was a party hack, who was going to drive me crazy.

He referred to his father dying young, and I asked what had happened. He said he wasn't sure, but they had been separated on a train to Auschwitz. He recounted how he couldn't understand at the time why his father was crying when he hug him, which was the last time he saw him. He was also separated from his sisters and mother, who all died during the Holocaust. He showed me the number tatooed on his arm. I was transfixed, and ashamed that I had dismissed this guy as an old blowhard after learning his story.

He has spoken in grade schools, high schools, churches and scout troops, and I understand that he would have as many questions for the kids as they'd have for them. A young neighbor was doing a school report on the Holocaust and I referred her to Sam. She said he was a wealth of information, but he talked her ear off about anything that would pop into his head.

He died 6 or 7 years ago.

FWIW, he converted to Judaism.

Extremely compelling!!! It IS required reading in the private high schools in my area. And I think that everyone should read the book.



Unfortunately SB there are people who do view it as a tourist attraction in that manner. It's probably because they are either insensative or perhaps just plain oblivious to the horrors that took place. What are you going to do.

Both of my daughter's have read Night and The Diary of Anne Frank for English classes, as well as visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC with school.

I also recommend Simon Weisenthal's Justice Not Vengeance, as well as his other books.

I have always wanted to go to Poland and Germany to visit the camps. World War II was something that really interested me in high school and even until this day.

I have read Night as well. Good book.