Remembering the Holocaust
79 years ago today (January 27th 1945) the gates of Auschwitz were opened to allied forces and for much of the world it was their first view into the attrocities of Nazi genocide and the Holocaust. Auschwitz is the best known Nazi concentration camp where over one million European Jews were killed. Furthermore, Auschwitz was one of several camps where approximately 6 million people were murdered between 1941 and 1945. I am currently planning a trip to Eastern Europe and Auschwitz is one of the places I plan to visit.
The reason for my visit is to share the history with my family. I want them to know the horrific things people are capable of doing under the orders of others. I believe we owe it to future generations to ensure the lessons learned are not forgotten.
In memory of the holocaust I want to share a few resources I recently watched/listened to with you. These will bring home the stark brutality of the Holocaust. In return, I hope you will also look for opportunities to educate your children on history’s darker chapters. We owe it to our future generations.
Resources to remember the Holocaust
- The book “Night” by Elie Wiesel – Elie Wiesel is one of the most famous survivors of the Holocaust. In his book Elie shares a first hand account of his family rounded up and shipped to Auschwitz. It is well worth a listen or read.
- Narrated Tour of Auschwitz & Birkenau – (YouTube) – A good video tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau by YouTuber cbutchko.
- Netflix Resources
- Auschwitz – The Nazis and the Final Solution (TV-14) – Watch this extremely well done six part series about the evolution of Auschwitz. IF YOU ONLY CHOOSE ONE OF THESE TO WATCH THIS IS MY RECOMMENDATION
- Nazi Concentration Camps (TV-MA) – Watch this raw WW2 footage for a first hand view of various prison camps filmed. General Eisenhower requested the footage. WARNING – This footage is not for the faint hearted or young children.
- The Auschwitz Scrapbook – A concise description of the liberation of the death camp of Birkenau and the labor camp Monowitz.
- The Milgram Experiment – This article from Psychology Today describes one of the most famous studies in “obedience”. Yale University Psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted the study. In his study he examined the justifications of the acts of Genocide by World War II war criminals. This experiment shows how easy human beings can be manipulated into doing horrific things under the right conditions.
