Holocaust Memorial Day

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and it reminded me of My trip to Auschwitz that I wrote about in a previous blog.

The trip was arranged by Allan Levy and I thought that I should pass on his thoughts

In Memoriam 
 

Today - 27th of January - is Holocaust Memorial day, which commemorates the liberation of those evil Nazi concentration camps in Poland -Auschwitz - Birkenau.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is sent in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered,massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Polish People looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among        

others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth", it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are     others who would like to do it again.
 

I believe every person - regardless of     race, religion, colour or creed - evey         person should visit Auschwitz / Birkenau     and leave reciting those famous words                                     “Never Again”

   

We owe it to the millions who perished at     the hands of the Nazis, to visit their graves and say a small prayer for their souls and we owe it to future generations to - "Remember The Past To Build The Future"

You can accomplish this by visiting - http://www.rememberthepasttobuildthefuture.com/

Journey to Auschwitz

The past few days have seen snow arrive in London for the first time this winter. Putting on my walking boots reminded me of the reason I had bought them.

Over the past few years I have wanted to go on a trip to Auschwitz, but it never seemed to be convenient. So when my son first asked if I was interested in going and that my oldest grandson would be going, I immediately said yes, since I thought that if I don’t do it now, at the age of 70, I never will.

As the day got nearer, I did become apprehensive – leave home at 3am, get home at midnight, take plenty of warm clothing, take food because we can’t stop for meals, take a torch, the list goes on. What have I let myself in for?

Came the day, and everything went well. The taxi arrived, everybody got picked up on time and we arrived at the airport early. The flight went well and then we were in Kracow. The next 10 hours were probably the most moving and emotional time of my life. I am sure that everyone finds it hard to put into words the emotions that flow whilst you are in the death camps.

I must admit that I found Auschwitz very emotional at the time, but it was only when we went to Birkenau that the full horror of what had happened to Jews in Europe really hit home. The sheer vastness of the camp and the way in which Jews were systematically murdered was brought home to you.

Our gathering near the memorial, the Rabbi’s talk, the prayers, the blowing of the shofar and the walk back along the railway lines added to the emotions that we all felt.

Arriving back at the airport we found that Poland was covered in fog. No flights for at least 24 hours. We decided as a group to go home by coach. A 1000 mile trip across Europe. The next 24 hours in many ways added to the emotions we all felt, because it allowed the whole group to bond together in a way that is not normally possible.

If you want to learn more about Auschwitz go to:

http://www1.yadvashem.org/exhibitions/album_Auschwitz/intro.html