The Holocaust in History and Living Memory

This summer, 27 students and 5 staff members from the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) and 2 students from the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) will embark on a life-changing journey as they travel to Germany and Poland to participate in a 14 day field study to learn about the Holocaust. Throughout the field study, students and staff will contribute to this blog. Please check back regularly for updates.

UPDATE: JULY 15, 2019 - Please note that blog has been reorganized with the most recent entry now posted at the top of the page.

For the last day of our field study trip, we went to a small town called Zakopane, a resort town in southern Poland, at the base of the Tatra Mountains. It’s a popular place for winter sports and summertime mountain climbing and hiking. The town is also known for its turn-of-the-20th-century wooden chalets, symbols of Zakopane-style architecture. We enjoyed a nice lunch at a really nice restaurant. After lunch, we walked up the crowded road up to the base of the Tatra Mountains.The small town had a very nice vibe and the air was clean and fresh. It was really different than the places we went to before. We went on a special train up to the top of the mountain. The view was amazing, we took a lot of pictures too. We also went down the slide, it was really fun and exciting.

Today we visited the world’s largest graveyard - Auschwitz. Going into this course we knew that of all the sites and memorials we were to visit, this would be the one to have the most profound impact on us all. In class we learned the facts, such as how during the Holocaust it became the largest site for the Nazis "final solution to the Jewish question". However, seeing such a place in person was truly a unique and unimaginable experience. We started today's journey by taking a tour of the Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz I.

Walking up to the entrance of the camp we saw the “Arbeit macht frei” gate, which our tour guide translated to “Work sets you free." We had seen it in pictures, but in person I sensed a crushing dread thinking about the victims and their arrivals here. The gate looms above you and casts out a cruel message that only hints at the endless suffering the inmates had to endure. It was haunting to witness. Our guide explained to us that Auschwitz I was initially built for the Polish army, but after the start of the war it was converted into a Nazi concentration camp for Polish political prisoners. It was on January 20, 1942 at the Wannsee Conference in Berlin when Nazi officials decided to use Auschwitz as a part of the final solution. They sent out the first major deportation of Jews to their deaths at Auschwitz, a concentration and death camp.

Those who were deported here would arrive in cattle cars disoriented and afraid. Those who were not fit to work were immediately killed in gas chambers and those who survived the selection faced a living hell. Throughout certain blocks at Auschwitz I, there are many exhibits showing us the immense horror of what happened. There were display cases filled with piles of stolen shoes, prayer shawls, brushes, bags, and more. Of these, the most sinister was the pile of human hair. The SS had the head of every inmate shaved and sold the hair to German factories to be used in textile production. Seeing it all in front of us, I was disgusted to think about how the Reich attempted to profit off of these innocent people in every way imaginable.

There were many photos throughout the exhibits. Before coming to Auschwitz I, I never thought to question who was taking these photos and in what context. It quickly became apparent that the Nazis were not the only ones taking photos within the camp. Certain victims became members of secret resistance and were sometimes able to sneak cameras out of the warehouses filled with stolen goods. These people would document the crimes of the Nazis by capturing shots of particularly appalling sights that would be considered normal within the camp. This was done with the goal of creating evidence of these crimes. Even in such a hopeless situation, they knew that it was important to create records of what happened. One of the most powerful images for me was of a pile of burning bodies clouded with smoke. At one point, so many people were being murdered in the gas chambers that the Nazis got the sonderkommando to start a bonfire to cremate the corpses. Looking at this image I felt only contempt for the Nazis and camp as a whole.

Throughout this entire experience I was in a state of shock. The size of the camp was genuinely one of the most overwhelming aspects of Auschwitz I. Even after seeing where everything happened in person, I can’t entirely comprehend how we as a species allowed this to happen. We can’t change what happened in the past, but together we can stop history from repeating by learning from it. As humans we all share the responsibility of bearing witness, never forgetting, and actively doing our part to make sure that something like this is never allowed to happen again.

On June 14, 1940 the first prisoners were sent to Auschwitz - the largest concentration and death camp in the Holocaust. Auschwitz-Birkenau was primarily a death camp where prisoners were sent to the gas chambers and after that, the crematoria.

Our experiences today at Auschwitz-Birkenau were overwhelming. At Auschwitz-Birkenau there are many buildings, structures, and artefacts that tell of the atrocities that prisoners experienced here between 1940 and 1945. The entire visit was outdoors as we looked at all of the significant buildings, structures, and ruins at the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau. As the visit progressed, our group felt shock and sadness. In particular, the enormous size of Auschwitz-Birkenau shocked many people in our group. Although our experience cannot be compared to that of the prisoners, we were able to see the unpaved roads, barracks, and the remnants of the gas chambers and crematoria. Despite feeling overwhelmed, our group learned much about the personal stories, and the history of different sites at Auschwitz-Birkenau. This experience was filled with historical significance and everyone in our group was able to gain a vast amount of knowledge about the events that occurred at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone is going home with important memories and experiences that will serve as a lesson to them for the rest of their lives.

Today we visited Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyła, A.K.A. St. John Paul II himself. This is a picture of St. John Paul II Square. During our free time, I went ahead and checked out the beautiful Basilica located in the Main Square. I wanted to take a photo inside the church however I noticed the ambience of this place is not fit for it. It was silent and people were praying, it was a place that I felt a sort of holy presence, thus I didn’t want to destroy it with the sound and light of a camera flash. At that moment, I felt more like a disciple of God than a tourist.

From the Wieliczka Salt Mine website: "The Wieliczka Salt Mine tour is very unique experience. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the most valuable monuments of material and spiritual culture in Poland. Today, the Salt Mine combines many centuries of tradition and modernity, the history of several hundred years and an underground metropolis with extensive infrastructure."

The tour guide --- Piotr (Peter), he was very humorous and the tour was never boring. He introduced the history and significance of the Salt Mine. The Salt Mine is deep under the ground. It is very large, like a maze. Most of wall and floor are made of salt. By looking carefully with flashlight, you may see the transparent salt crystals. These crystals and salt were very expensive in the early centuries of Europe and the Mine was privately owned in that time. The Salt Mine was large, but in the past there was no light. According to the tour guide, the miners used lamps and their jobs were really dangerous.

There are three chapels in the Salt Mine. On of the chapels was a really large and special chamber. Some people host weddings here. But the most amazing thing is that there were many things engraved in salt. There were statues carved out of salt in different chambers.

Today we went on a three-hour tour to learn about the history of Krakow. One of the highlights of the tour was when we visited Matejko Square, which we were told was once the marketplace of Krakow. Our visit to this square illustrated how Poland has been fought over by many monarchies in its rich history. The monument shown in the picture below is the monument representing the story of the victorious in Grunwald 1410. Another interesting thing about the area was the fact that there was a church dedicated to firefighters as well as when we entered the main market place where they had the Patron saint of firefighters watching over the gates when entering in.

Another highlight of the tour was the walk over to the oldest university in Poland which we were told was funded by one of the kings of Poland himself. In the garden of the university we saw pictures of several professors who died during World War II. These professors were sent to death camps because they were educated and were able to have their own opinions. They were a threat to the ideology of the Nazi Party if they had taken on any sort of leadership role and were able to convince the people of Poland or others that the Nazi ideology is bad. It’s easier to take control over a population that is uneducated because they aren’t taught to have their own opinions, they are instead taught how to think and act.

Today, I spent a beautiful afternoon with my group as we took a tour around Kazimierz, the former quarter for the Jewish community of Krakow. Our group was fascinated to hear and reflect on the information that we learned. Our tour guide was none other than Jens, our tour director, who took us to a few sites and explained their significance. Unlike his other tours with us, today he encouraged us to look around a few sites and try to find the significance ourselves to test our knowledge. I noticed that our group was a little quicker on our answers and that there was more discussion happening as we were reviewing the things we had already learned and then applied them to the sites. The sites he took us to include Zeroka Street, a few notable synagogues, locations seen in the film “Schindler's List” and Plac Bohaterów, also known as the Ghettos Heroes Square.

When we walked to Zeroka Street. Personally, I was taken aback by how captivating the site was. When we got there, Jens asked us to look around as see what was significant about the street. We walked around and saw a few things such as a gate with a design that involved menorahs, a rock with the Star of David and a plaque on it, multiple synagogues, and multiple restaurants with kosher food. When we went back to speak to Jens about what we had seen, he encouraged us to talk with the group about why certain places were there. One of the most memorable features was a rock with the Star of David above it and a plaque that explained its importance. The rock was there to commemorate the 35 000 Jewish Polish citizens that were murdered during the Holocaust. I appreciated the fact that the rock was put there as a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust as it helps others keep remembering the history of what had happened so that no one ever forgets.

Jens continued our tour and took us to a few sites that were featured in the film Schindler's List. One of the sites was an apartment. In the movie, the apartment was raided by the Nazis and, as they stormed the Jewish people out of their homes, they emptied any suitcases they tried to take with them over the balcony. Even though this was a set for the movie, Jens discussed with us how the events that took place were true, as was the chaos that occurred. When he was talking about this, I couldn’t help but look around and reflect back on this history. I thought about how the Jewish people must have felt, moving fast so they would not get shot and watching their precious possessions being thrown away like trash. This made me gloomy and I discussed with another student on how terrifying and despairing the whole event was. We reflected together and we vowed to teach as many people as we could about the Holocaust and to never forget about these tragic events.

The last place that Jens took us to was Plac Bohaterów, also known as Ghettos Heroes Square. At this site, Jens asked us to look around and find two things that we noticed about it. The group could only find one thing which was the sizes and place setting of the chairs. The smaller ones that were faced in another direction were meant to signify those that were considered weak during the selection process such as the young and the elderly. The bigger chairs were meant to represent other Holocaust victims. Jens pointed out that the bigger chairs faced a pharmacy. He told us about a man and his staff who had worked there and how they helped the victims of the ghetto by acquiring necessities for the residents and helping women dye their hair in order to not be recognized. When he told us this, I felt relieved to hear that people did selfless acts to help those in need and that there was some hope for people in such an evil time. After talking about the men and staff with the group, we wrapped up our discussions for the day and headed to dinner.

Roughly two and a half hours after leaving Warsaw, we arrived in Częstochowa, Poland. As one big group, we walked to the Jasna Góra monastery, home of the original Black Madonna, a famous religious artwork. The Black Madonna is also known as the secret Queen of Poland. The painting depicts a Mary holding baby Jesus, who is holding a book. Hundreds of pilgrims were here to see the painting, and were constantly flowing in and out of the building.

The monastery also had a lot of other unique religious artwork, including an extremely realistic Jesus on the cross. After seeing the Black Madonna we all split into smaller groups and ate before getting back on the bus to depart for Krakow.

Our tour and free time at Krakow Old Town felt peaceful. It is a very lively place with many tourists and small shops. It was pretty relaxing despite all the background noise and the presence of hundreds of people. The sky was blue like always and the sun was shining as usual but the buildings had different colours which is something new for me. Every hour, there's a trumpet player that plays the Hejnal from a window in one of the towers of St. Mary’s Basilica. It was kind of hard to hear the trumpet call but it was nice to experience it, especially since the call at noon is broadcasted throughout the whole country by radio. The Adam Mickiewicz monument located near the center of the square is very detailed and influenced me to learn about his biography as well.

Walking around the old town was interesting as there were many different buildings and lots of shops for souvenirs and for food. There is a lot of history behind this site and I found it fascinating how these buildings survived the war. Overall, exploring the Old Town was a meaningful experience for me as I learned many new things about the history of Krakow.

In July 1942 the death camp at Treblinka was opened. Treblinka was designed for one purpose - death. An estimated 900 000 people were murdered here before the camp was dismantled in late 1943.

Today the site is a memorial to commemorate all those who lost their lives there. The memorial is to be walked through and reflected on in your own way. After a short walk, you arrive upon hundreds of oddly shaped rocks coming from the ground, covering a clearing in the woods. Many rocks have names of places the victims were taken from. Today, a white banner with the names of victims was woven through trees in the forest. With no signs telling you how to feel, you are free to reflect on your own.

Upon arriving in the clearing, there is a overwhelming feeling of despair and solitude. You feel utterly alone in the silence. Despite being surrounded by people, you feel alone. You see the names of the places where the victims lived. In the small on-site museum, there is a detailed 3D model of the camp. Although the remains of the camp are no longer standing there, the model and the film shown in the centre help to give visitors and idea of what the victims would have experienced.

Treblinka is the final resting place of hundreds of thousands, and although we may not be able to save their lives, or take back the suffering, we can remember them and keep their memories alive.

“Here you arrive, nobody ever leaves” - A page from the account of an unknown escapee.

This morning we took a bus ride to the site of the Treblinka death camp. Treblinka is known for being an especially brutal place, as it was created to kill thousands of people the moment they arrived at the camp. Because the victims were murdered on arrival, there are very few records about who died. On the way to the Treblinka I was wondering how would the nameless victims would be commemorated. When our group got to Treblinka I saw that the creators of the memorial there had found a way to remember the victims to ensure that they had not slipped away into history. The memorial includes a massive field with 17 000 rocks placed all over it. On some of these rocks are written the names of different communities across Poland where victims of Treblinka had come from. The creators of this monument conveyed the sheer magnitude of the atrocities through the use of thousands of rocks recognizing the communities that suffered because of Treblinka.

The next stop of the day was back in Warsaw. Our group visited a museum about the Warsaw Uprising. I found this museum to be very interesting and informative. The design of the museum made it look like we were in war time Warsaw; the museum even has a replica of the sewer system under the main floor. I really enjoyed exploring the museum’s different rooms, and seeing the historical artifacts that they contained.

After visiting these two sites we wound down the day in the old city of Warsaw. First we stopped for some dinner: we had some traditional Polish pirogies. Next, it being a Sunday we went to church to celebrate mass at St. John's Cathedral, then we had some free time to explore the streets of the Old Town. I really found the architecture of the buildings, and the cobblestone roads to be very beautiful. We then made our way back to the hotel for the night. Overall I believe that our group experienced some really important and special places today, and I am looking forward to the rest of our trip.

“So many times have I tried to write but somehow, my hands could never find the strength… the conviction that I can’t, that I am unable to express this reality… these horrible images might die with us… and who knows whether a single witness of this disaster will be left.”

- Rachel Auerbach.

This quote really speaks out about what we have learned and are learning about the Holocaust and the discrimination faced by Jewish people in Poland in the past. However, going into this program, many of us had little knowledge about Jewish culture, so to help us understand better, today, to start our visit at the POLIN museum, we listened to a lecture about Jewish traditions. The presenter shared some primary source documents showing how many Polish Jews who were imprisoned in concentration camps continued to practice their faith even though it was forbidden.

After the opening lecture, we went on a self-guided audio tour of the museum where there are 60 different exhibits outlining the 1000 year history of Jewish life in Poland.

Today we visited POLIN, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Following a lecture on Jewish culture and traditions, we explored the vast museum which includes a variety of interactive, immersive exhibits chronicling the 1000 year history of Polish Jews.

Today we continued our exploration of Warsaw by visiting a number of significant landmarks including the site of the bridge at Chlodna Street that connected the two sections of the Warsaw Ghetto, and the area of the Old Square. We concluded our tour at the top of the Palace of Culture and Science.

Visiting the State Museum at Majdanek, the site of the former concentration camp, was an experience that helped us visualize and further understand the events that happened during the Holocaust. Before visiting Majdanek, I felt very curious and wanted to learn more about the living conditions that innocent people had to endure, especially after visiting Ravensbrück. I was also nervous about exploring a site where the brutal mass murder of thousands of men, women, and children took place.

After seeing the buildings and barracks at Majdanek in person, I felt small, weak, and helpless to do anything about what had happened. The background information and stories shared by our guide caught my attention. If I hadn’t learned about a reckless, wicked man named Anton Thumann, I wouldn’t know about yet another cruel way that prisoners were carelessly killed - by being strangled with a rope and dragged by a motorcycle. As Suren Konstantynowicz Barutczew, a prisoner of Majdanek, said, “Every Majdanek prisoner had the entire hierarchy of masters over him, each of whom decided, to a lesser or greater extent, not only about their existence, but also about their life.” Prisoners were tortured and dehumanized. Instead of responding with their name to the question, “Who are you?”, prisoners had to state their prisoner numbers in German.

Prisoners at Majdanek were pushed to their limits. They were forced to complete heavy labour every single day and some of that labour required them to build long brick roads that were often made of stolen Jewish gravestones. It must have been truly heartbreaking for those who recognized the names on the scattered pieces of stone. Furthermore, prisoners were treated with little to no regard for their dignity.

Upon learning that corpses were cut open and searched for valuable possessions such as gold teeth and jewelry, I was shocked and disgusted by the Nazi officers’ willingness to do such a disrespectful task just to get ahold of material possessions. I was also astonished by the sheer size of the mound of ashes in the mausoleum. It was very difficult for me to comprehend how many people, who were once normal human beings that ate, slept, cried, and laughed, now lay there.

When hearing about the stories of injustice and cruelty that the prisoners at Majdanek faced, we should be focusing on what we can do to prevent these things from happening again. Remembering all those who have died, reflecting on our own thoughts, sharing our opinions with others, and bearing witness to the Holocaust are effective starting points, however, we must also be aware of the major issues occurring in our current society. The rise of artificial intelligence, extreme ideologies, and the use of censorship and influence by governments and organizations are potential threats to our future. Therefore, we must continue to work towards building a safer, more inclusive society.

Hi everyone! My name is Bree and I will be writing one of the blog entries for July 12th. Today we were taken to the State Museum at Majdanek, the site of a former concentration and death camp located outside of Lublin, Poland. When I caught my first glimpse of Majdanek, I immediately felt intimidated by the sheer vastness of the open space. The camp seemed to stretch out until it was abruptly cut off by the city. Once I saw the barracks, my memory flooded with the lessons we had been taught about the atrocities that occurred at Majdanek.

Our tour began at the Monument Gate. This massive concrete structure is symbolic of the entrance to hell and hell is what prisoners at Majdanek experienced daily. As I looked up at the gate, I felt intimidated by its size and I was unsure about what I was about to witness. The feeling of uneasiness followed me throughout the day, especially when I saw the area where the SS officers lived. This area was outside of the fence and looked nicer than the other buildings. I felt sickened that the Nazis had excellent living conditions, while people only a few metres away, were dying in gas chambers.

As I thought more about the cruelty that was demonstrated here, I realized that the Nazi techniques were meant to dehumanize the prisoners, making them lose all hope of survival. I stood in the place where prisoners were selected when they first arrived, to determine if they could work. If a prisoner was unable to work they would be sent to the gas chambers, without a second thought. I could not believe that I was standing in the same place they once stood, where the decision about their life or death was made, where their hair was cut off and their uniforms were assigned.

Today I learned the importance of never becoming desensitized to the killing of people. Every pair of shoes at Majdanek has a story, and these stories can never be forgotten. I was absolutely shocked when I saw the large pile of ashes in the Mausoleum. This helped me to visualize and comprehend the tragedy, not just thinking about the Holocaust in numbers. It is imperative to understand that the numbers you hear represent real people with individual stories. If every individual showed empathy to others, then people receiving the help would be grateful and more likely to help when others are in need. This creates a cycle that promotes empathetic behaviour and makes people aware of global events. I pledge to help when people are in need. I know that by doing this, others will likely return the favour. I hope all of you will do the same.

Today our group visited the area of the former Warsaw Ghetto. As a group we saw a remnant of the wall that marked the boundary of the ghetto. I was able to see the confined space and the walls that confined its inhabitants. I was able to understand the struggle that occurred in the Ghetto through stories being shared. For example our tour guide, Renata, shared a story about how children crawled under the wall and smuggled food back inside because they were the only people small enough to get out. This story helped us to obtain a deeper understanding of the horrible conditions that the Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto were forced to live in.

During this tour I discovered many new things, such as the revolution run by the Jews. Even after being forced to live in tight quarters the Jews never gave up hope, once again relating to the theme of man's will to live. The Jews decided that if they were going to die, they were going to die on their own will. Mila 18 commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is now the place of rest of the commanders and fighters of the Jewish Combat Organization. I also developed an understanding about Umschlagplatz, the railway station where the Jews were loaded onto trains that would bring them to their deaths at Treblinka. On the Umschlagplatz memorial, common first names are listed, rather than the actual names of the victims. I learned that this is due to the fact that there were no records identifying the victims, so in an attempt to commemorate those who lost their lives, common names were used due to represent the names of the victims.

The message I want to share about my learning is to remember to be grateful for what you have and to cherish your life. People tend to take everyday things such as food, water and shelter for granted. The Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto were forced to pack up and move out of their homes. They had very little water and food, and many died of starvation within the ghetto walls. We must remember them.

"I see trees, of green, red roses too, clouds of white...." These lyrics from Louis Armstrong's famous song, “What a Wonderful World” oddly described what I first viewed when I set foot into the former women's concentration camp of Ravensbrück. One would not expect to see so much life within this place which is known for the murders of 20 000 people. Although there were spots of green, the colour gray could be seen everywhere. This gray highly contrasted against the beautiful blue lake and the multicoloured buildings of the town which was across the lake from this former concentration camp. Another thing I witnessed were the roads that were paved with stone bricks. Our educator for the excursion, Angie, told us that the prisoners were forced to lay down these bricks. After hearing this fact, I felt very uncomfortable as many people died as a result of this strenuous labour. Also, while we were in front of the former camp administration building, our group noticed that houses for the male SS guards were on a hill, higher than the residences of their female counterparts. Angie explained that this use of architecture showed that the males were considered superior compared to the female SS guards who were deemed inferior. As a result of the female guards being called inferior, they wanted to prove themselves worthy and become harsher on prisoners than the male guards. We learned that some female SS guards were trained at Ravensbrück and were then transferred to Auschwitz.

Once we got into the compound, the first thing I noticed were the black rocks on the ground. Secondly, I noticed how vast the area was. The scenery screamed despair. Once again, I felt uncomfortable walking among the black rocks because I realized that I was walking where thousands of victims had walked before they were killed. In the distance, however, there was a pathway with trees along the side. This green was the only colour other than gray and black I saw. People asked if the trees were original and indeed they were. Angie answered, "Yes, they are original. Whenever I ask my groups what trees symbolize, they all say 'life'. If the trees could speak, they would be the silent witnesses."

Travelling to Ravensbrück I not only felt an overwhelming wave of emotions but I have also learned of new things. Being a female myself, I found it particularly hard to cope with the fact that thousands of women were arrested, tortured, and ultimately murdered. I learned that along with this abuse came sexual exploitation. I found this disturbing and horrible as these girls were already forced to perform hard labour and were fed nothing.

In one part of the exhibit, Angie told us that men were held in a small separate camp at Ravensbrück. I found this interesting because I had always been told that the camp was only for females.

Learning stories and passing them on is a crucial part of our course. Before walking into the camp, I wondered if we were going to be told any stories. I quickly had my answer when we walked into the first building. Angie told us numerous stories which included prisoners attempting to keep morale up by making cards and a recipe book, and stories of how people were sent to these camps, such as a German girl, Anna, who was sent to Ravensbrück simply because she loved a Polish man.

The overall message I would like to share with others is the overall lesson of our program: To share stories of what happened in the past to prevent them from happening again and from being forgotten. This message is extremely vital because if we do not spread our knowledge of what happened in the past, it will be forgotten and will happen again in the future. Just as Max Eisen continues to tell his story, we must also share our experience of visiting these former concentration camps and tell the stories we have learned.

Hey everyone, Chloe here! This is my first time writing a blog, so to all who are following our blog on Twitter or the YCDSB website, I hope that this blog will do justice to the experience and emotions experienced at this site today!

Just a bit of background information to those reading, Track 17 was a station from which the Jews and other groups were deported to ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust. When our group first arrived at the platform, it honestly didn’t look like much to me. Just an abandoned train track surrounded by swaying trees in the wind. When we were given some time alone to reflect and look around, I began to walk along the track and noticed that the memorial was eerily quiet - no one was around but us. Somehow the empty space made me feel lonely and lost. Standing at the very beginning of where the tracks began and looking off into where the track extended into a seemingly endless tunnel of darkness (due to the coverage provided by the trees) made me reflect on how the Jews may have felt when they were ushered into these trains - the fear and terror that they must have felt as they clung to their loved ones headed into the unknown.

As I explored the area further, I noticed there were dates, numbers, and names of different places on each metal plate that made up the waiting area of the platform where people would have stood. Through closer observation, I realized that these were the dates on which people were taken to ghettos or concentration camps, and the numbers represented the number of Jews who were deported. There were also signs of another group who had been at this location at some point in time, not long ago. They had left slips of paper on some of the metal plates that included the name of a victim along with their age and the camp they had been sent to. I was shocked at the wide range of ages on these slips - they ranged from the age of two months to at least 90 years old! This showed that the Nazis did not care about the ages or genders of the people they sent to the camps. I wondered at this point where their sense of humanity was.

There were also candles and rocks placed on the edge of the platform. As I got closer, I saw a wreath of dried flowers had been placed underneath a plaque was written in German. It warmed my heart to see that people still visited this memorial and kept the thoughts of the Jews who died in their hearts.

As we exited the platform and walked down a hill, there was an artistic representation of the Holocaust in the form of several carvings in a rock wall. The rock was separated in half by a giant crack, with the left side having lines pointing left and vice versa with the right side. These lines can be seen as a representation of fate - with the crevice or the crack representing the moment Hitler came into power. The carving of the human-like figures may represent Jews that appear to be falling, perhaps the process of dying in slow-motion. To me, the depth of the carvings represents the depths of the fear and terror that the Jewish people felt while being persecuted by the Nazis.

Overall, being able to see the memorial and bear witness to the Nazis' atrocious acts towards the Jewish people and other religious and ethnic groups, I was able to re-evaluate my morals and reflect deeply upon the life that I have. This experience has made me grateful to be born in a multicultural society - where everyone is regarded as equals.

The message I want to share with the followers of our program blog is the importance of speaking out whenever an injustice occurs - to stand up for what is right and to educate ourselves with the knowledge of the past. Only by righting the wrongs our ancestors have committed and further educating ourselves regarding the consequences of hatred and prejudice can we improve ourselves as people and as a society.

Today our local guide Ben took us on a tour of Berlin. We started at the East Side Gallery, an outdoor art exhibition painted on a 1.3km remnant of the Berlin Wall. Many photographs were taken! From there we continued to many well-known places in Berlin including Museum Island, the Reichstag, and the Brandenburg Gate. It was a great introduction to the city.

Today we visited the Jewish Museum Berlin where we learned about the symbolism of the museum's architecture. The lower level of the building contains exhibits on three axes: the Axis of Exile, the Axis of the Holocaust, and the Axis of Continuity. At the end of the Axis of Exile is the Garden of Exile. One thing I noticed about The Garden of Exile is that the ground is unbalanced and slanted. The Garden of Exile includes 49 large concrete structures each containing an olive tree. 48 of the structures contain soil from Berlin and 1 contains soil from Israel.

Inside the Jewish Museum there is a space that includes the “Fallen Leaves” exhibit designed by Menashe Kadishman. It is made up of metal faces on the floor, each having a different expression and face size. Stepping on these faces felt morally wrong since the sound people walking reminded us of the voices of kids crying and yelling. A quote that was said during the tour was that “One can create life.” This means that you need to have new experiences, to take action against things that are not right, and to be aware of your surroundings.

On the first day of our trip, after an exhausting two flights, we began our educational tour. Today, the main site that we visited was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

When we first arrived, all we could see was concrete, in the form of blocks. We were expecting to be told what all these structures meant, but instead, we were asked to walk through the memorial and to look around and give our interpretation. This was an interesting activity as it took different levels of thinking and creativity to come up with different theories about what the memorial meant. Naturally, everyone came up with different ideas. My theory was that the tall, intimidating structures were meant to make you feel overwhelmed and hopeless, just as the prisoners in the camps felt. Another theory I heard someone say was that each of the blocks was meant to represent someone who was in a camp. All of them were there for the same reason; because the Nazis didn’t like them, similar to how all the blocks were cement and grey. However, Every one of those prisoners was different and had a different story, and to represent this, each of the blocks was a different size, and some were slightly tilted instead of straight up. After we all had a chance to speculate, we were told the real meaning: there was no specific meaning! The designer, Peter Eisenman, didn’t reveal a set guideline of what it meant, as it was left up to the eye of whoever was seeing it to make their own interpretation. This intrigued me, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was very smart because that means everyone can interpret it differently and still be right.

The second part of the Memorial was an actual exhibition was underneath the cement memorial. Unfortunately, we only had an hour to view the entire exhibit, and half of that time was spent in the line. This part of the memorial was less artistic, and was meant to be an actually informative experience. There were different rooms, and they all honoured the a victim in a different way, whether by telling the story of their families, or narrating their story themselves. It was a very sad experience, as the atrocities committed were made very clear, and as you read the words of a twelve year old writing to her relatives telling them she was going to die tomorrow, you realize how much our lives differ. This was a very good tour, and I would do it again if we had more time.

Today, program participants had the opportunity to meet and learn from Mr. Max Eisen. Max's memoir, By Chance Alone: A Remarkable Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz, is one of the core texts in The Holocaust in History and Living Memory program. The students were eager to meet Max and they listened attentively as he spoke about his life before the Holocaust, his experiences in Auschwitz, and his life now. It was a moving experience for all.

The Holocaust resulted in the death of millions of men, women, and children from across Europe; however, a small number of people survived. Max Eisen was one of them. When Max was younger, he was imprisoned in Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Max’s father, before being killed in this same camp, told him to spread the word about what happened there, and to keep the memory of those who died alive. Max has been on a journey to do just that.

In 2016, Max published By Chance Alone, a memoir in which he relays what he endured during those painful and tragic times. It provides an inside view of Auschwitz and what millions had to endure for months or years before their last breaths, or, their liberation. On July 2^nd, 2019, I had the pleasure of meeting Max Eisen, and the honour of listening to him speak about his book and his experiences. Max gave me the opportunity to hear first-hand the horrors that went on in the camp and I was also able to ask my own questions. I asked Max if he had struggled when writing By Chance Alone, or if it ever became too difficult to continue writing. Max answered that it was one of the most difficult things he had ever done, but his father’s words about telling the world what happened at Auschwitz kept him going. He wrote the book by hand with a pencil and paper.

Max’s determination, bravery, and generosity could be felt through every word he spoke. Max taught me so much through his book and speech, both about the Holocaust and about the world today. He mentioned he feels the same poison and hate seeping into today's society that he felt all those years ago. He made me more aware of the today's problems, and although I can’t go back in time and save millions of lives, I can do my part in spreading Max’s word to make sure that something so awful never happens again.