Thursday, March 20, 2014

Birkenau and the Survivor - Joanna Ziegelbauer

Arriving in Poland, I was not prepared for the sites I was going to face.  After visiting the first camp, Auschwitz I, I was sure that I could not feel a deeper connection to this place and its history than I had while walking through exhibition blocks.  The next day, however, I found I was wrong.

Auschwitz II - Birkenau Front Gate

Our group visited Auschwitz II, Birkenau the next morning.  While driving up to the camp, I saw the iconic railroad tracks which led to the large brick building and gate.  I knew that this camp was much larger than Auschwitz I, but I had no idea how much larger.  Reaching the top of the front guard tower, I looked out over the 25 acres of land, unable to see the far borders of the camp.  Although not all of the buildings are still standing, the outlines of these barracks can be seen, reminding visitors of the camp’s size and its capacity; the view was truly humbling. 

As our group was guided through the camp, I saw so many images that I had previously seen only in books and on websites.  Even while visiting this historic site and having the infamous structures before me, it was hard to truly comprehend the atrocities that had taken place there not even a century ago.  Aside from our small group and a few other visiting tour groups, the camp was empty, creating a desolate and solemn feeling.  The barracks in Birkenau did not contain exhibits like the blocks in Auschwitz I.  Instead, these barracks were either empty, or contained some of the original wooden bunks from the time of the camp’s operation.  Even though I understood the events that took place in Birkenau, without the displays or other depictions of life at the camps, it was much more difficult for me to imagine human life there.  I was unable to put faces among the sites I was seeing, which is of great importance to me in dealing with this harsh topic of the Holocaust.

2014 Poland Group with Professor Długobroski 
Later that day, when we returned to the Center for Dialogue and Prayer, we were blessed to have an audience with a survivor of Auschwitz II, Birkenau.  The survivor, Professor Długobroski, was a young member of the Polish Resistance Army in 1942, receiving military training through the underground organization.  With the help of a translator, the Professor shared his story with our group. 
Unfortunately, because of his involvement with the Hope Army, the Professor was arrested in May of 1943.  Professor Długobroski and his comrades sent to a flat of the Gestapo in Warsaw where they were able to hear shootings from the Warsaw Uprising.  On August 28, Professor Długobroski was transported to Auschwitz Birkenau along with approximately 1,500 other men.  He told us of his experience in the camp as a non-Jewish Pole. 

As I listened to the Porfessor’s story, I thought back to my trip to Birkenau earlier in the day.  Having visited the site, I was able to visualize the places he was referred to and imagine the scenarios he spoke about.  Unlike with the other survivors I had met, I was easily able to follow the events of his story.  As the Professor recalled his sleeping quarters, I could vividly picture the long rows of wooden bunk beds that I had seen that morning.  I was also able to mentally follow his path from Birkenau to Auschwitz I, as he struggled to carry heavy stones and gravel with his commando.  Although it was sad, it was extremely helpful to me to add this human perspective to the Birkenau camp since I had a hard time connecting to the site earlier. 



Personally, I think that Professor Długobroski’s account of his time in the camp allowed me to connect in a different way than I had previously done in Auschwitz I.  Without this personal description, it would have been much more difficult for me to feel as though I understood the human experience in the camp.  Furthermore, having a personal interaction with a survivor of the camp just after having experienced the camp for the first time added a whole other remarkable dimension to me, allowing me to associate with the history in a very deep and meaningful way.



-Joanna Ziegelbauer
Class of 2014

0 comments:

Post a Comment