Saturday, April 3, 2010

In remembrance...

Spending time at Auschwitz-Birkenau this past week brought up immense emotion within me, as much in the days leading up to my visit as after. I feel it is worth sharing a salient reflection which has been in my mind.

Let me please first be clear here that the actions that were carried out during the Holocaust were horrific and unthinkably cruel, and I am truly saddened that such events took place and I in no way excuse what happened.

The guide who showed me Auschwitz and Birkenau repeatedly referred to the German people with phrases like 'Germans are so heartless and greedy, as to benefit from the killing of innocents...' Afterwards, I discussed with him the idea that not every German shared the views of those who were involved in carrying out during WW11, but yet also, there were people beyond their borders that did share the mentality of the Nazis, so that there could be a better way, a better term, than to refer to the German people in general when speaking about the Holocaust. From this, he assumed that I was from Germany, because it bothered me that all Germans, from both then and now, and only the Germans seemed to be blamed.

I received the comment, 'It must be so difficult for you to be in these places, knowing that your people committed these crimes.' Even I was of German heritage, why should I bear blame for what those before me had done? Further, myself and others being categorized in this way, this 'us' versus 'them' mentality seemed to be a limited viewpoint. It seemed to me that some people are perpetuating hatred towards the 'other', maybe not even realizing the torture they are doing to themselves by letting anger run through their veins.

I realize that this is the most sensitive of topics. My point is merely that in remembering and acknowledging what happened, and in continuing to bring justice to the atrocities that happened, it could done in ways that further enable a raised awareness of humanity.

Let me leave you here with the works of a Polish composer who expresses his emotions of these places:
Henyrk Górecki - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs