Three More of Auschwitz

gvf

I posted a cut of a larger photo from Auschwitz, and a couple of people wanted to see more. So here they are. There's only 3 I have - plus a few others I've never digitalized. But I didn't want to take photos while there - (though glad I took the few; the woman in the last photo, whose family had been killed there, had no money for a camera so I was able to send her my photos, which she really appreciated)

These are just "shots for the record". I did nothing beyond pointing the camera and nothing to fix anything after. I wasn't thinking of photography. As someone said: "People leaving Auschwitz don't say much for a long time"









The woman who I mentioned posed herself for this last shot in front of the window of the main guard tower, the one you see in all the pictures of Auschwitz. Though I didn't get it in the photo, the ruins of the crematoria are beyond. I asked her why she had posed herself there. She said " I want a picture of myself in front of the graves of my family."
She was a lovely person and it was her first trip there. She had no bitterness or anger at all. I'll always remember her.

thapamd

I like these more. The 3rd shot with the woman looking off into the distance is great. Is she related to anyone who might have been at Auschwitz?

gvf

Is she related to anyone who might have been at Auschwitz?

Yes, her mother and father an 5 other family members were killed there. This was her first visit - 1999. She lived in a small village in Poland.

boblu262

Thank you for sharing these. I do not have a personal connection, but like most people, I believe it is a part of world history that should never be forgotten.

gvf

I believe it is a part of world history that should never be forgotten.

Yes.

I teach at a University. Before leaving for Poland, a senior student asked me what I would be wanting to see while there. I told her one of the places was Auschwitz. She said: "What's Auschwitz?"

richtersl

Your photographs are simple in nature, yet they have a powerful impact on the viewer. The gloomy weather you had on the day of your visit certainly contributes to the emotional impact very much so.

I am astounded at your last comment, though -- the one where a university student had never heard of Auschwitz. That's just inconceivable from my perspective. I guess they don't teach that in schools anymore?? There wasn't a single student in my school system who hadn't heard of the Holocaust. But that may have had more to do with the fact that fellow students had immediate family members who were survivors or who had been victims.

gvf

I am astounded at your last comment, though -- the one where a university student had never heard of Auschwitz.

It's frightening.