4 students and 2 chaplains from the University visited the Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps to learn more about the horrors that had taken place there in the early 1940s.
On Monday 24 February, 4 students and 2 chaplains from the University visited the Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps to learn more about the horrors that had taken place there in the early 1940s.
The six had flown out on Sunday afternoon and were able to spend the evening in the old Jewish Quarter of Kraków. Poland’s Jewish population had numbered over 3 million before the outbreak of World War II. As the Nazis invaded, many were moved from their homes to ghettos, tiny walled areas within cities like Kraków that quickly became overcrowded, before being sent by train to the camps, including those at Auschwitz. Today there are less than 10,000 Jews living in the country.
Most of those who came to the camps were sent straight to the gas chambers, many still under the illusion that they were going to shower, before being relocated to other places. Of those who died in the camps, which also included Russian soldiers, Polish political prisoners, Romany travellers and the disabled, a staggering 90% were Jewish. The students and chaplains were given guided tours around both camps, seeing for themselves the squalid living conditions, as well as the pictures of those who’d died and the many items of personal property they’d left behind.
Reflecting on her impression of the camps, student Courtney said, “Going to Auschwitz was a surreal experience,” and one which she thinks no amount of reading books can do justice to. “Being there almost feels sacred in a way, as so many died there.” Another student, Daniel, who is part of the University’s Christian Union, adds, “any expectations I had were completely blown away when we arrived at the camps.” He was particularly struck by the vastness of Auschwitz-Birkenau, which covers over 400 acres. “The rows and rows of empty huts surrounded by barbed wire fences that stretch as far as the eye can see is an image that will forever stay in my mind.”
Ryan from our Catholic Society described the sense of disbelief he felt and how easily he got comfortable with the surroundings. “It sometimes felt like I was just in a military base…. It wasn’t till after Auschwitz 1 and all the personal belongings and particularly the children’s shoes that reality really started to settle in.”
As President of the University’s Jewish Society, the visit took on added significance for Amelia. “It is a horrible part of Jewish history but going to see the camps makes me feel close to my community and like I have a purpose to continue to thrive in life for the six million that didn’t get the chance to.” Ashley, the Manager of Chaplaincy Services, said that he found it particularly poignant walking around the camps with Amelia, conscious that had she lived in those times she could well have been sent there to be murdered.
Roman Catholic Chaplain Jerrin was struck by the stories of those who’d lived through the horrors of the camps, those who’d survived, and those who’d sacrificed themselves to save others. He said, “It was a special experience to tread the same floor as Maximilian Kolbe and Victor Frankl.” And observes, “The lives of the extraordinary human beings in the camps is a testament that all the darkness in the world does not have the power to extinguish the light from a single candle.”
Group Photo (L-R)
Dan, Courtney, Ryan, Amelia, Jerrin, Ashley
The trip was organised by the Chesterhill Trust and the tours of the camps were arranged by Holocaust Awareness. Amelia speaks on behalf of all those who went when she says, “I want to thank everyone that makes these trips possible.” It is hoped that future trips can be arranged so that others get the opportunity to visit this incredibly important place.