Holocaust Memorial day

[SaigonSaddler]

Bit late but still worth 90 minutes of your day for this video ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWgIvXZSm8

Pretty tough to watch. The most compelling part for me is the section detailing the humanity of the perpetrators.
We may somehow assume that they are monsters, but most of them weren't - just seeing it as another job.

Never forget!

[Ancient Moaner]

Bit late but still worth 90 minutes of your day for this video ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWgIvXZSm8

Pretty tough to watch. The most compelling part for me is the section detailing the humanity of the perpetrators.
We may somehow assume that they are monsters, but most of them weren't - just seeing it as another job.

Never forget!

We should never forget, in indeed forgive. I cannot agree with your assumptions that they "just saw it as another job"
Don't know whether you have been there, but when you visit Auschwitz, it is plain for all to see, when you view & read what they did to the Poles, (that the entire Polish nation should be annihilated) most of them quite willingly carried out 'orders', and enjoyed themselves doing it. These 'soldiers' actions mirror that of our modern day ISIS followers, whereas the Germans felt that it was 'OK' to destroy the Jewish/Polish/Romany/Negro population, ISIS believe that ALL non believers deserve death. At least the Germans of WW2 didn't think of their own women as uneducated chattels, only to be used for their pleasure. I digress, we must never forget, it appals me that children leave our schools today, knowing absolutely nothing of the holocaust!

[SaigonSaddler]

Bit late but still worth 90 minutes of your day for this video ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWgIvXZSm8

Pretty tough to watch. The most compelling part for me is the section detailing the humanity of the perpetrators.
We may somehow assume that they are monsters, but most of them weren't - just seeing it as another job.

Never forget!

We should never forget, in indeed forgive. I cannot agree with your assumptions that they "just saw it as another job"
Don't know whether you have been there, but when you visit Auschwitz, it is plain for all to see, when you view & read what they did to the Poles, (that the entire Polish nation should be annihilated) most of them quite willingly carried out 'orders', and enjoyed themselves doing it. These 'soldiers' actions mirror that of our modern day ISIS followers, whereas the Germans felt that it was 'OK' to destroy the Jewish/Polish/Romany/Negro population, ISIS believe that ALL non believers deserve death. At least the Germans of WW2 didn't think of their own women as uneducated chattels, only to be used for their pleasure. I digress, we must never forget, it appals me that children leave our schools today, knowing absolutely nothing of the holocaust!

Indeed.

The job reference comes from the tail end of the video, photos of the guards living seemingly normal lives. Of course it wasn't just another job, who knows what was going through the SS minds. Horrific and sickening.

[Sound_out]

I don't believe in continually looking back at history. Some things should be put to bed. However, in the case of the Holocaust 'remembrance' is the key thing in making sure that it never ever happens again.

I think schools do educate on this subject but in any case parents should be informing their children. Education should not just be done in school.

[Super Gabor]

Anyone who visits the beautiful city of Krakow and its surrounds, really should make time to go and visit Auschwitz.

Two things about it really stick with me to this day:

1: The local guide taking us around the site and into one of the preserved wooden "huts" and explaining how many people would have been squeezed onto each bed. Up to 12 we were told. He was so "matter-of-fact" about it, because he will no doubt have been saying the same day after day as his job, that it made it even more poignant and upsetting to be there on site.

2: Appreciating just how organised and methodical the Germans were. You can see some of their books with lists of names and details of the poor souls sent there. It strikes you how comprehensive and systematic the whole process was as though it was a machine they were running, which I guess it was. Totally bereft of humanity. It breaks your heart.

It will be a day for education, reflection and sadness yet I would advocate anyone who gets a chance, to go and visit.

[Ancient Moaner]

Anyone who visits the beautiful city of Krakow and its surrounds, really should make time to go and visit Auschwitz.

Two things about it really stick with me to this day:

1: The local guide taking us around the site and into one of the preserved wooden "huts" and explaining how many people would have been squeezed onto each bed. Up to 12 we were told. He was so "matter-of-fact" about it, because he will no doubt have been saying the same day after day as his job, that it made it even more poignant and upsetting to be there on site.

2: Appreciating just how organised and methodical the Germans were. You can see some of their books with lists of names and details of the poor souls sent there. It strikes you how comprehensive and systematic the whole process was as though it was a machine they were running, which I guess it was. Totally bereft of humanity. It breaks your heart.

It will be a day for education, reflection and sadness yet I would advocate anyone who gets a chance, to go and visit.

Indeed.
What struck me about the magnificent city of Krakow, is how it has remained the same, the black and white images from the city during WW2 are unchanged today. I have to admit to crying standing alongside the 'killing wall', where the SS systematically rounded up Poles from the city for no reason, and shot them dead.
My time is done, but all you youngsters must do all within your powers to make sure this never happens again.

[Exile]

Been to Auschwitz. A sombre place. Poignant, necessary. Having seen the evidence of man's inhumanity to man makes me all the more determined never to let it happen again. Sadly, it looks like history is beginning to repeat...

[Sound_out]

How on earth is history repeating itself? :?

Crazy. :roll:

[SaigonSaddler]

Another informative video here. Kitty (Birmingham) returning to Auschwitz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OO6E2Lp7TA

[yoda]

The thing that made the Holocaust hit home for me was a visit to Anne Franks house.

Towards the end there's a book containing the names of 71,000 Dutch Jews killed in the holocaust and it just blew me away. 71,000-odd from one country alone that don't have museums like Anne Frank and have needlessly been consigned to history early. I really struggled to get my head around it.


As an aside, it pleased me very much when 'Denial' was released earlier this year and people kept asking me who David Irving was. I'm glad history has forgotten him too.