"Arbeit macht frei" a quote from most Nazi German concentration camps meaning literally, "Work will make you free"I cannot describe these feelings adequately...
I felt angry and nauseous and of course deep sorrow while visiting Auschwitz. I had to divert my feelings along the way because it was overwhelming for me to take it all in. I have thought about this mass murder on an unimaginable scale for many years so for me I was pretty well-informed before walking in. I was still shocked and I felt I had to use a lot of self-control to avoid breaking down in and sobbing in public. So many emotions... But I didn't want to let it sink in completely because it would stay in my bones for a while I think and throw my mind into a spiral of confusion, disgust and anger for God knows how long.
Some of the photos I took were so disturbing to me that I won't post them here. As I was walking through the large outdoor area of ovens I was trying to think of words to describe the feeling of this place and the only discription that fell upon me was "this is a glimpse of hell". An endless display of evil in different forms.
There was a sign to warn prisoners not to touch the 120 volt fence, however, it was a quick option for suicide. The piles of shoes, brushes, combs, empty cans that held cyclone B to gas the prisoners, suitcases and baskets, pots and bowls, and childrens toys and clothes were really hard to take in. Seeing human size ovens and gas chambers were really gut-wrenching. The paintings of kittens on the walls in the wash rooms made my mind reel. Most of us would perfer to turn away than to see this because it is truely tormenting and profoundly disturbing. I, however, think it's important for people to see how wicked people can be if they let things go like this and turn a blind eye to it.
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