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| The line between good and evil crosses a single human heart Inspired by Magda Brown's view on forgiveness |
Reflecting
on an impression of a collection of artifacts related to such a massive tragedy
in humanity’s history is not easy to put into words; simply put, last week our
class made a visit to Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, Illinois and
received a lecture from Hungarian Jewish Auschwitz survivor, Magda Brown. This
description only explains a location and an encounter, but the experience of standing
within an authentic 1930’s boxcar that transported people to death camps is
more eerie than words can express. Magda Brown’s story was even more impactful,
as first-hand experiences of Auschwitz are not common.
I
have studied the events of the Holocaust fairly extensively, and most recently
in a course called Suffering and Forgiveness. Films and books cannot compare to
the emotional effect of seeing Jewish stars, concentration camp clothing, or miniature
models of the intricate Auschwitz. Everything with a clear design for
mechanized murder. One document in the museum stood out, with a chart and
detailed instructions of how to measure and cut a mass grave, so that many
victims can be lined up, shot and fall directly in. Execution planned like any
kind of engineering. Some perpetrators treated it like a job and others seemed
to enjoy it. Enjoy the mass murder of a race and religion; enjoy the murdering of innocents.
Magda
Brown had a magnificent spirit to her. She was full of hope and joy and she
seemed to tell her story as if it happened to someone else, with calm tones and
neutral facial expressions. Explaining the pain of hunger and thirst, to only
think of a sip of water for days on end. As a young teenager, small to begin
with, and shedding sixty pounds in her stay in the camp. To simply state that
she felt more like an animal at times, while maintaining composure. Meanwhile, I
was tearing up from the first few words of her detailed encounter. She recalled
that of her seventy Jewish family members, only six survived. The fact that
anyone survived such a hell is still beyond comprehension to me. She was
changed by her imprisonment, and in some ways it appeared to free her from fear
of death and enlighten her to appreciate the small blessings that life offers
us. She is even bold enough to speak often with grandchildren of SS soldiers.
Magda discussed the concept of hate and she emphasized the need to highly
reconsider the hatred of anyone, but especially a category of people. Hatred is
a disease, like cancer, and she has chosen to transcend above hatred. Let us
never forget; never again.
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| Never Again: Auschwitz Crematorium |
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