"Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life and you shall make them known to your children and your children's children." Deuteronomy 4:9
Saturday I spent a somber day visiting the Holocaust Museum in DC. I don't think I can adequately describe the feelings I experienced as I made my way through the permanent exhibit. We were surrounded by quotes, images, videos, and memorabilia of this horrific event in world history and at times it was just too overwhelming. I would look into the faces in the many photos, some of these pictures taken just minutes before these people were put to death, and I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. No matter how many books I read, no matter how many theories or explanations are put forth as to how Hitler was able to do this and why the German people let it go on, I will never understand why more wasn't done to stop it.
The most satisfying moment of the day for me, and I know it shouldn't have been, was the video footage taken by our US military of the local people near the Buchenwald concentration camp. When our soldiers liberated the camp, they ordered the locals to come witness what went on in the camp. I stood there watching these people, most crying, one woman running through with her hands over her face, and wished that every German would have had to go through that. I do understand that not all Germans supported Hitler and that not all were completely aware of exactly what was going on (or so they continue to say) but most Germans stood by in the early years as the Jews began to be persecuted and lose their rights as citizens. There are too many pictures of ordinary German citizens mocking the Jews and laughing at them as they were made to scrub the street or had their beards cut off. And at the end of the war, when the death marches were taking place, as these poor Jewish people were forced to march miles upon miles, the local Germans didn't offer them any food, water, shelter, nothing. The war was lost and they still wouldn't help. It's just incomprehensible!
Although it was an emotionally draining day, I am so glad that I finally got to go to the Holocaust Museum, something I have wanted to do since we moved out here, and also so grateful that I was able to spend the day with two great friends.
Mr. Chris
5 days ago
5 comments:
Such a powerful reminder. One of those moments that refine our souls.
I can't wait for the millenium.
What a neat experience. I have this morbid fascination with WWII and the Holocaust, and I hope that Dan and I can visit that museum some day. I too, am always appalled at the awful things that went on during this period of time.
What an amazing post. I agree that no matter how much we read about it, it is always so incomprehensible. The sad thing is that I look at the world today and see how that could totally happen again. No matter what, we never seem to learn from our history.
You did better than I being there. I went once and was once a mess that I swore I would never go back. Everytime someone came to DC and wanted to go I would say. Have fun.
I do agree that it really makes you take a step back and think. It is a wonderful reminder that I wish to have only once. :)
I can't believe this happened within the last 100 years, it just blows me away, and to think horrific stuff like this is still happening in other countries that we don't know about. I just can't even imagine what Heavenly Father must go through and how heart broken he must be seeing his children treat each other like this.
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