Terizin

Today we went on different trips all over the city. The trip I went on was to the two of Terizin. Terizin is a area that was inhabitated with a large Jewish population. We toured all over the city. We began in the heart of the city, which was called town square. It was little, but nice. Later we walked up to a museum, and if you have ever been to a Holocaust museum, you can can relate to the heaviness I felt as I walked around looking at the images. We got to visit the towns chapel, as well as a few other buildings. Then the hard part started. We took a short bus ride to the concentration camp that was built in the town. We stopped off and walked along the railroad tracks that carried the Jews from the town to various concentration camps. Our guide explained that the Jews had no idea where they were being taken at first. It was so hard to listen to these words, now knowing the fate that most of them had ahead of them. We actually got to go inside the camp and see where they lived. They slept in wooden bunk beds, four aligning the width. I will never complain about my hard bed here in Prague again. We also go to see where the resistant Jews were put in solitary confinement. The room was so small, and cold. There were words on the brick walls of the camp that read in English, "Work Will Liberate You." We all know that was deceitful lies. I can only imagine the hope they felt as they read those words. We also went into a room that had metal piping hanging from the ceiling. Our guide asked us what we thought the room was, and we all could tell it was there they showered. He said sadly no, though thats what the soldiers wanted people to think. The Red Cross would tour the facilities, so the soldiers would fake them out and put in "humane" features, but in reality, none of the Jews were allowed to shower in there. I was disgusted when I heard that. The part of the tour that was the hardest was when we walked through an underground tunnel, which our guide explained was the tunnel to death. The Jews would walk through this tunnel hand-cuffed, knowing their life would soon end. As we walked the half mile, there was little noise. I imagined what went through their heads, and what they were feeling inside. When the end of the tunnel came, there was three structures. A grassy knoll in front of a brick wall, which the Jews would be forced to stand and be shot, a station where they were hung, and the gas chamber. The whole day was obviously humbling. I feel so grateful for everything I have. I do not understand how the German soldiers justified what they were doing. All I know is that my heart breaks for each and every Jewish individual involved.