Auschwitz-Birkenau
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is a memorial and museum in Oświęcim (German: Auschwitz), Poland, which includes the German concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It is devoted to the memory of the murders in both camps during World War II. The museum performs several tasks, among them research into the Holocaust.
From 1955 to 1990 the museum was directed by one of its founders and former inmates, Kazimierz Smoleń.
The areas of remembrance are Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the train ramp between Auschwitz and Birkenau, which was used as a “debarkation-stop” between 1942–1944. The three kilometres between Auschwitz and Birkenau are within walking distance. The museum is situated in several original buildings.
This location tells us that there is more than amusement in our worldwide trek. There is education and memorialization on some of our stops. No clearer message than here in Poland and the Museum in Oświęcim. Write a memorial, an elegy, a depiction of the past atrocities or the current state of a reformed area.
Phoenix Rising Poetry Guild 
July 22 – Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Inhumanity
Millions of souls
Innocent
Defenseless
Hated for no reason
Other than their race
Imprisoned
Enslaved
Experimented on
Starved
Frozen
Gassed
Burned
Shot
In an attempt to
Exterminate them all
But through it all
The Jews survived
As God foretold
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Auschwitz
A ll my heart can do is grieve when I think of Auschwitz. It’s hard to
U nderstand how people can do such horrible things to other people.
S ometimes, I wonder about the things that are going on today.
C hildren beheaded, bodies torn in two between vehicles, mass shootings.
H eaven help us humans become more humane and stand against the horror.
W hen we have a chance to do anything to make things better, urge us on.
I ntervene, Lord. Rise up against the evil that’s taking place in this world.
T urn this around, Lord, and let Your name be glorified. Give us
Z eal for loving You and loving others. Even so, come Lord Jesus, come.
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It makes one wonder just how much more God is going to endure before He sends His Son back to take care of business. Wonderful piece.
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BIRKENAU
Remember Auschwitz, let its name
be burned in our collective worth
as all of us, in trembling shame,
remember Auschwitz. Let its name
recall the time when hate and flame
united to birth hell on Earth.
Remember Auschwitz. Let its name
be burned in our collective worth.
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So many have already forgotten. Like so many other things, like Pearl Harbor, 9-11, and all the slaughtering of particular groups throughout history, we’ve become so numb to such atrocities. And now we’re faced with another jihad, and we’re turning our backs. So sad.
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Amen to that
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http://rhymeswithbug.wordpress.com/2015/07/Hope
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OŚWIĘCIM-BRZEZINKA
We came from Poland.
My people, I mean.
A search for my ancestors
gave me a name,
offered a heritage,
reunited me with a family
long gone and all but forgotten.
My search gave me a “home”.
We came from Poland;
from the town of Oświęcim.
In the south of Poland, to the west of Kraków,
near the confluence of rivers, Vistula and Soła.
The name flows like those waters,
peaceful, almost pastoral in sound.
An important place, in my thinking.
Instinct and research would prove me right.
We came from Poland,
the Wojtanik name did.
From the town of Oświęcim,
we grew and prospered, steeped in tradition.
Old Main Market Square lays nestled
in the center of this important place.
A rail station, northwest across the river;
a museum in the subdivision of Brzezinka.
We came from Poland,
from the town of Oświęcim,
tied forever to the Village of Brzezinka,
near the border of Germany; once part of its domain.
The rail station served as a destination
for millions of people; the museum honors them,
every man, woman and child who never left here
once they arrived. Such an important place.
We came from Poland,
from the town of Oświęcim,
big sister to the Village of Brzezinka,
in the area called Małopolska (Little Poland).
Deemed as a World Heritage Site,
this important place. This historic place.
The home of my ancestors, Oświęcim-Brzezinka.
The world would know your infamy by your German name:
Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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This is an excellent piece of writing, Walt.
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Thank you, Sara. Your writing is quite peachy itself!
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😊
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Unlike Nurit’s grandfather who had been killed in Auschwitz, my family had made it to the US in the early 1900’s. How a birthplace of one can become a horror for another is heartbreaking to both!
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Balance
Maintaining an even
balance is crucial
when atrocities
have been perpetrated
on people out of sheer
hatred of skin color
or religion. Like an
over-steeped tea bag,
living in, and dwelling
on the past, makes for
a bitter life. On the other
hand, history needs remembrance,
wrongs need righting,
and people must remember
so that the horrors
of the past do not become
possibilities in the future.
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In memory of my grandfather, killed in Auschwitz
By: Nurit Israeli
Because I was born
to remember,
I went to Auschwitz
to see for myself.
Because I was born
to survive,
I never stop trying –
stretching as far as I can.
Because I was born
to watch over,
I weave safety nets
to catch the falling.
Because I was born
To defy extermination,
I cherish the chain,
in awe of every link.
Because I was looking
for answers,
I went to Auschwitz,
but there – only the questions live on.
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I hoped you would have chimed in Nurit. I know you had mentioned before about your grandfather. You offer this tribute to him and educate us with your poem. Thank you.
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Thank you, Walt. I could not resist… My paternal grandfather was murdered in Auschwitz exactly one week before I was born. Three of his four children and their families perished in concentration camps. My father was his only surviving offspring. I am my parents’ only daughter, and carrying the torch of their legacy (i.e., commitment to defending human rights wherever human rights are violated) has been my birthright. Both my parents come from Poland. Both survived. Both longed for the landscapes of their youth, and everything Polish – the language, the culture, the food – has been a part of my life. The time I spent in Poland became a milestone memory. In some ways, in spite of everything, it felt like going home.
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