NJ Chile I would love to see Auschwitz. I think I would cry my eyes out. I took a course in school about the Holocaust. I recently found out because my mom was adopted that I am partially Jewish. German Jew. I am a mix of wonderful stuff like most Americans.
I couldn't imagine that a person could go into that place and not cry. I don't think that being of Jewish lineage would affect your feelings one way or the other. I am not of Jewish faith, but all I could think of was the experience of unspeakable loss and suffering of other human beings. I couldn't imagine that if I were Jewish, the feelings would be stronger.
Before visiting, I had made the assumption that the camp would be more frightening than anything else, like an abandoned institution would be, but moreso than that, it's overwhelmingly sad. I promised myself that I would honor what people had been through by keeping quiet and not making a sound (it's a very quiet place, although there were many people there).
There is one room where they display the belongings of the people who entered the camp behind glass cases. There were piles of hair that they used to make sweaters and clothing, and piles of eyglasses, etc. After a few glass cases, I walked in front of one glass case that held little pairs of shoes, like those that a 4 or 5 year old would wear. After a moment I walked to the next case, and then saw little sweaters, toddler sized. I couldn't hold it together after seeing that. It was just too much.
