To want to visit Auschwitz?

[lottieandmia]

I feel that it's something we all should do. I've been reading Primo Levi's book and I just can't imagine the level of suffering those people endured.

I mentioned it to an acquaintance and he said 'it's the sort of thing Jewish people do' and basically said I should not go, it would be depressing and there have been lots of other genocides. He has really annoyed me with these sentiments which come across as antisemitic imo.

LyndaLa, your post is brilliant and very very moving.

I will go. I've visited war graves and the inscriptions on the headstones reduced me to tears. The scale of slaughter, and our treatment of the commonwealth soldiers was a disgrace. There's a holocaust museum in Newark , anyone been?

One of the corridors at Auschwitz is lined with photos of female "inmates", looking starved and gaunt, their hair cut off and expressions utterly wretched. It's heartbreaking. But the young woman in one photo is looking straight at the camera, with a clear gaze and a wry smile. Her dignity and strength are almost palpable. I remember her often, and the others too. I think it's important that people can go and pay their respects. I didn't see any inappropriate behaviour when I visited.

Has anyone experienced a problem with their mental health after going to Auschwitz?
I'd like to go but I'm not sure how I would cope afterwards, I know it sounds ridiculous after what all those poor people had to endure.

Yjis was what worried me Dilkington. I suffer depression to begin with and wasn't sure if I would be able to cope.

happy do you regret not going or do you think you made the right choice?

I've got anxiety, I think I'd have a nervous breakdown. I'm not sure I'd manage to be in there for long, but I guess you can't tell how you'd cope until your there.

I and DH went a couple of years ago, very disturbing to say the least. Personally, I was traumatised by what I saw, couldn't get it out of my head for days (well, weeks actually). DH (who, unlike me, is not super sensitive or easily shocked) was also deeply moved. There were teenagers (on school trips) there and many were in tears. It is somewhere that people should visit, to remind us of just how evil mankind can be and hopefully, to prevent something similar ever happening again. But, if you are sensitive, be prepared, it is extremely harrowing.

i have read the Primo Levi books too.

We can never forget

Dilkington, I would definitely NOT go if you have or had anxiety or depression. I was really upset for weeks and with hindsight, I wished I hadn't gone, which I know is very feeble, considering what those people endured, but it isn't worth making yourself ill.

I do suffer with quite severe anxiety and I have AS. I think that's why I asked about it really. I still feel it's just something I need to do. It's so hard to understand.

I visited auschwitz in 1999, aged 19. What I saw, experienced and learned has stayed with me since then. I was shocked at the time and struggled to take in much of what I saw. I am very glad that I went and the visit and an understanding of how the death camps and "final solution" evolved has informed my morality and politics since. There is one small gas chamber and I remember an elderly man with short sleeves and a number tattoo on his forearm sobbing and sobbing in that room. I remember the corridor with numerous portraits of camp inmates, the confiscated belongings of people who were sent to their deaths and the clothes - tiny baby clothes - shoes, hair. Everything has stayed with me.

By the time my children are old enough to learn about the holocaust it is unlikely that any survivors will remain. I want them to really learn what the holocaust was and what it means. That may or may not include visits to camps.

I have taken a few different school groups to the holocaust museum in Washington DC. It is an excellent museum and never once has any of my students behaved in anything other than a respectful manner. On the last trip I took some of my students were horrified at the behaviour of some adults e.g. A man commented on the "bad foot odour" of an exhibit of shoes taken from victims

lottie I have a really strong feeling to go as well, It's hard to explain. I don't want those poor people to be forgotten. I don't think I'll be able to properly understand the enormity of what happened until I see it myself.

For those who have been, could a 11 year old and 14 year old cope with it? Both intelligent, politically aware, kind. But young obv

It wasn't just the Jews who were targeted but no group suffered as much as the Jews. Jewish life in Europe was obliterated in many countries. In Poland, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and many others more than 90% of Jews died. The nazis even put resources into killing Jews while they were losing the war like in Hungary where most of the deportations took place in 1944.

While there certainly have been other genocides and crimes against humanity and the holocaust is an important lesson for the world, it was almost unique in its focus, efficiency and systematic nature.

Of course you don't have to be Jewish to go to auschwitz and of course he holocaust isn't just about Jews but I'm very uncomfortable with the assertion that the holocaust affected everyone else to the same extent as it didn't and it is not comparable to other situations (other than perhaps Rwanda) in its purpose, extent and 'success' in the annhilation of entire communities (whole counties were declared 'Jew free').

mercy I would say yes to the 14 year old and it really depends on your judgement with the 11 year old. When I was there there was a 9/10 year old with his dad and the kid was being a kid ( getting bored, bouncing around etc) and he was definitely too young. 11 is sort of borderline.

It's unbelievably moving. The displays of people's personal possessions... really brings it home. I'm a history geek so I've been to a few concentration camps. All sorts of visitors there. They each have their own unique stories and tragedies and we can't allow ourselves to ever forget.

If anyone is ever in West France somewhere similar and not too harrowing is Oradour Sur Glane. In WW2 Nazis came into the village of Oradour, took all the people out their homes, schools and businesses. They put the women and children in the church and lined men up against walls. They shot the men and gassed the people in the church. About 1,000 people dead. I think six escaped. They then burnt down the village. They did this because they mistook it for a different village, also called Oradour elsewhere in France, which know POWs escaped to.

The burnt down village has been preserved, there's still cars there unmoved, and all the buildings, ruins and the church is still standing. You go through a museum to learn about the history of the village and WW2, then go into the village itself, which also has a memorial dedicated to the victims. Every victim has their own memorial plaque. It's a strangely peaceful place, and as awful as the event was it isn't actually too traumatising to look round (and I'm of a sensitive nature when it comes to these things).

Lots of info on their Wiki page

Cherry I just read about it. Just awful. I'm not sure how anyone could do such a thing.

I think a visit to Auschwitz or another concentration camp should be widely encouraged, regardless of faith.

When I was a teenager Jewish charities often took you around the age of 15 for a day trip, and it was such an eye opening experience. If there was the money, it would be great to offer it to far more teen-agers (I think below 15 may be too young).

I don't think religion comes into it; last summer I went to Dachau with a non Jewish friend (and Dachau had a huge number of political prisoners) and I don't think it upset me more than her. I've also been to the genocide museum and killing fields in Cambodia. For me, it's about remembering recent human tragedy, particularly in light of recent politics.

mercy if you think they are mature enough to discuss their fears and concerns with you I'd take them. I think a visit in a small group with family members is different to a school trip (in my OP) as you can support them more if they do get upset.

DH and I have been to Auschwitz and Birkenau as this is where the family were who both died in and survived the camps.

We will in years to come, take the DC to them, if we can.

I think that anyone who can possibly go, should. It is something that never leaves you.

I've been to Auschwitz but also Mauthausen in Austria. I was actually more affected by Mauthausen. It's not as well known so not as busy. It was also the contrast between the beautiful Austrian countryside and the horror of what happened there. You actually stand in the showers where the gassings took place and relatives had placed candles and photos in the crematorium area. I actually started crying at that point.

It is odd to me that parents who would not expose their children to alcohol or drugs, to pornography, to unsupervised contact with strangers will decide that it is 'good' to take children to the site of genocide.

I think it is equivalent to issues around sexual consent.

When young people are old enough to travel independently and make their own choices about whether or not they want to do holocaust tourism, then that's fine.

I realise that many parents who wish to take children to view such sights have the best of intentions. But you cannot know how children will process things, and the idea that a few hugs and cosy chats will take all the Nazi nastiness away - while simultaneously turning their children into good caring adults for life - seems to be to be wishful thinking.

I am speaking as the child of a survivor, and it seems to me that how we bring up our children to understand and deal with racism and discrimination and the human capacity to commit evil acts is a very long and complex business.

Entirely up to you if you want to go. I wouldn't want to, I feel very distressed about the thought of suffering and murder, death etc and it would be an unnecessarily harrowing experience for me.

The fact many people prefer not to visit doesn't make them wrong or uncaring. I think some people must also visit for the 'wrong' reasons because they get a kick out of the horror.

I wouldn't want my children to visit until they are adults and can make that choice.

I believe that the Holocaust is included in the KS3 National Curriculum, usually done in Year 9.