Lessons from Auschwitz Project

Our one-day trip to Poland was an insightful experience and full of emotion. The aim of this trip was to humanise all the victims of the Holocaust, become witnesses and remember. We first visited Oświęcim where we discussed the pre-war life of the Jewish community in Poland, they were a minority group and at the end of the war only a fraction of the community had survived. We then visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, a former concentration camp, and were given tours of two camps. During the first tour, we learnt about the individuals during the Holocaust. One of the things that impacted us, while visiting Auschwitz, was the large amount of, suitcases, shoes and hair as these were only a small proportion of the personal belongings of the victims. Seeing this is a way of humanising the people, as they are not numbers, but real humans with lives, hopes and dreams.

We then visited the second camp where we were able to see the living conditions of prisoners. We saw replicas of bunk beds which a large sum of prisoners had to sleep on, and we also saw that the only toilets available were two lines of toilet openings next to each other with no privacy. At the end of this visit, we were given the opportunity to light candles in remembrance of the Holocaust victims.

After our trip was over, we also had the privilege to hear Manfred Goldberg, a Holocaust survivor talking about his experiences. This was extremely interesting and moving.

Even though this was an extremely emotional experience, we were able to learn about the Holocaust in depth and take time to hear the tragic stories of the victims. We had a memorable and moving learning experience which we will always remember.

Thanks to The Holocaust Education Trust.

By Dani, Arzu and Nicholas Year 13