Day 3 of Poland took us through an array of emotions. It was the first time we visited a
concentration camp, that being Maidanek.
It was also when we first got a bit of free time around the Lublin Old
Town. It emphasized how life was like
before the Shoah. The town was an
experience that I never thought I would have in Poland. It was very unique and has a lot of charm to
it, in my opinion. Thought it was in a
very European style, even though a lot of the buildings were renovated.
It was very
interesting for me to see what it was like before and to be able to connect to
how people used to live. It used to be
called little Jerusalem. The remains
from the 19th century are there, but no earlier. There are only two lamp posts left, which we
are still able to visit. It was not originally the Jewish quarter, but then it became that and we got to walk through "The Jew Gate".
Maidanek
was the first concentration camp we went to.
It was very emotional seeing the buildings still standing and walking
exactly where people had to walk just 70 years ago. Maidanek had a lot of the buildings there
because it was poorly managed and the Nazis didn’t manage to destroy everything
in their attempt to cover up what they were doing. The Soviet Army had also moved in very fast,
which also helped keep some of the camp intact.
Maidanek was a labor and death camp.
It was originally meant for prisoners of war, but then it changed to
hold mainly Jews. This camp was
extremely close to the city, which led to some people wondering how nobody
asked about what was going on. Sadly,
there was not a very good answer to give, since most likely people just turned
a blind-eye to it. Even though nobody
helped, the people in the camp could also use it to their advantage.. They were able to communicate with other
people outside, by smuggling notes in and out. We followed the story of Helena Berrenbaum and it was very heart-wrenching.
The hardest thing for me to see was
all the ash, especially after hearing that about one cup is only one
person. As I was walking up, I was
expecting some medium sized pile, but I was thinking in my head, “I don’t think
I want to see this at all.” I did walk
up though and I saw the huge hill, which completely shocked me. It was so difficult to comprehend and imagine that such a horrible event and place actually existed. It was very unbelievable to me and I still am unable to picture any of it, even after seeing all the proof there is. I felt extreme sorrow for the people who had to live through this, and everyday for them was a hardship. They had to struggle to live. It was a good and bad feeling knowing we got to walk out of there while so many others didn't. As we discussed it is as if we are showing everyone that yes we all survived and we can still walk out and we are strong enough to do so. At the same time it is horrible that such a place exists to walk out of and we might have felt a bit guilty doing so when a lot couldn't.
It was a very eventful day, we got
to see all sides of before, during and after the Shoah. It was very interesting and nice to see the
town before the destruction of the Shoah interrupted the lives of everyone
there. The Yeshiva was very moving,
especially seeing how close it was to where we were walking around just a few
minutes beforehand. Maidanek was a very
shocking, emotional, heart-breaking experience. So havirim, my question for you is... Since it was the first concentration camp we visited, did you experience the emotions you thought you would or was it different? Was there anything that really intrigued, surprised, or upset you the most?
When we arrived at the camp, I was rushed with emotions when I saw the watch towers, the barbed wire fence and all the barracks, but I was not as emotional as I thought I would be while visiting the camp. What made the the most emotional was the pile of ashes, when it was first mentioned I had no idea what to expect when I walked up. When I walked up and saw how massive the pile was my heart just stopped and I was in shock. I was not expecting anything near that size and I was very disgusted that they were human ashes and just the amount was unbelievable.
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ReplyDeleteWhen we first got to the camp I knew that I would have a huge sense of depression and just overall sadness. I didnt realize there was a huge pile of ash at the end of the tour though. But it wasnt how big the pile was, it was how many people it took to make the pile that big that really changed my emotions and really gave me the biggest shock.
ReplyDeleteI felt more or less what I expected; a sense of surrealism with a solemn tone. When we first got there, I was just surprised at how calm the camp itself was, which made it very ominous. Being there was overall like being inside a holocaust museum, but being where the actual horrible events happened. The experience was for sure an experience, for a lack of a better description.
ReplyDeleteI had a completely different reaction than I though I would. Of course I felt sick and disgusted by the things I was seeing and by the atmosphere and history of it, but after an hour or two my attitude completely shifted, and I began to feel so proud and honored to be able to walk on the ground and a free Jew. and as an 'FU' to Hitler. It was an odd experience nonetheless, but it was so empowering to be there and to finally prove that the jews were winning.
ReplyDeleteI definitely thought I was going to cry or feel some really strong emotions but when I got there I felt really numb. Books and pictures cannot prepare you for how it really is and even though I knew what I was going to see, it was still shocking. Like the forest, it kind of felt like I shouldn't be able to walk around so freely because during the Shoah, the Jews didn't have that luxury. I'm happy I got to see everything in person though, I feel like it's an experience we should all have at some point.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I didn't really feel much. For most of the time at Majdanek, I just felt numb. I thought I would be more sad, but I think it was just really difficult to comprehend. The time I did feel something was when we got into the crematorium. Just imagining the saunderkommando forced to burn the bodies was really difficult.
ReplyDeleteI was honestly surprised by how little emotion I felt in regards to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I was very sad and numb during the whole experience, yet not as overtly emotional as I thought I would be.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd definitely get emotional at some point. But I didn't. It was just so hard to believe, to imagine, the horrors that took place right where I was standing. I needed to see things but I just couldn't. however I did feel something though. It was a sort of heaviness, mentally weighing me down as I walked through the camp. It wasn't an easy day, but it was necessary.
ReplyDeleteI was not as emotional as I thought I would be until the ceremony. When we said the mourner's Kaddish, I thought about how many people were killed there and how their families were too dead to say Kaddish for them and it made me very sad. That was the only time that I cried in Poland.
ReplyDeleteA the camp, although the site was very sad and it is difficult to look at gas chambers, shoes, and bunk beds that were once loaded with people, I felt proud. I was a bit angry at what the nazis had put us through and seeing the extent of it made me mad. But, when we reached the end and were able to sing hatikvah at the memorial, I was proud to have been able to stand there as living proof of Judaism, which I think is what is most important.
ReplyDeleteAt the camp, I thought I would feel very sad the whole time. However this was not the case. I just felt mad most of the time. It is still really hard for me to understand how someone could do something as horrible as this. The one thing that made me the most upset was seeing all of the shoes that belonged to the victims. I just broke down when I saw them.
ReplyDeleteAt the camp, I thought I would feel very sad the whole time. However this was not the case. I just felt mad most of the time. It is still really hard for me to understand how someone could do something as horrible as this. The one thing that made me the most upset was seeing all of the shoes that belonged to the victims. I just broke down when I saw them.
ReplyDeleteI did not feel as sad or connected as I thought, i felt more physical pain. I had a pit in my stomach, just knowing something bad happened.It was not until later that I felt what i thought i was supposed to.
ReplyDeleteWhat I experienced was totally different than what I thought I would have. I didn't really expect to be able to handle my emotions, but for the most of it I was able to actually take in my surroundings. By the end, I was kind of raw and overcome with everything in my head, but for the most part I was able to look at the camp with a somewhat level-head, something I thought I wouldn't be able tot do.
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