Encountering the Holocaust

Courtney Casady I first encountered the Holocaust when I was in forth or fifth grade, I remember hearing about this horrible time, but at the young age of 9 was impossible to really understand. I didn't start to comprehend the true horror behind this tragedy until I arrived in Germany. Since then, it has been a journey- I have been trying to just fathom what happened here. One of the biggest questions that I have had is not why, but how? How were so many lives taken? How could so many people turn the other cheek? How is this possible?

I never denied the reality behind the Holocaust, I just have a very difficult time understanding the "workings" behind it.

Two weeks ago, during our learning focus entitled "Judaism and Holocaust Week," we all had the opportunity to learn more about Jewish beliefs and lifestyle, and the injustice surrounding the Holocaust. We learned more about Jewish culture at the Jewish Museum, began to put victims numbers to their names at the Holocaust Museum, and saw where it all began at the site of the Wannsee Conference. This week, visiting Sachsenhausen, just brought all of my knowledge and emotions together. While I walked around the concentration camp- a place that once imprisoned 200,000 people- I really started to realize what a tragedy not only this group of people faced, but our entire world.

I began putting these personal stories that I was reading into my own perspective. Reading about families being torn apart, or how once an individual was released from prison having to realize all of their loved ones had died. I applied these situations to myself, and imagined what I would do- how horrifying it is. I thought of myself as one individual. One life that I value, and that is connected to hundreds of other people. I think about all of my dreams and ambitions, thoughts and ideas, and then I imagine them all being taken from me.

Then I multiply by 6 million-- the estimated death rate of the Holocaust

and then another 10 million-- totaling 60,000,000 the total estimated death of WWII.

I can't believe how much potential was taken from the human race as a whole. This huge tragedy which started based off of prejudice, and continued to consume the world. I couldn't help but just look around at Sachsenhausen and pray, that we humans have the heart and mind to ensure nothing like this happens again. That as people, we recognize that we are all people, and that we all have potential, families, hopes and dreams, and thoughts and ambitions.

This trip has been-- enlightening. For me both educationally and spiritually. I am excited to go home to see my family and friends, but I will never forget all that I have had the chance to learn, and how much I been able to personally grow over this past month.