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 SUNDAY,
May 28, 2006 -- We visited
the second largest Nazi
concentration camp, Majdanek
which is located about three
miles from the center of
Lublin. The camp is located
in an almost open and flat
field, unhidden from view –
there was no ten-foot wall
surrounding it (as at
Dachau), no security zone
(as at Birkenau), no natural
guard such as a river or
forest (as at Treblinka).
The camp was bounded on the
south by two small villages
named Abramowic and
Dziesiata.
Majdanek was established
October 1941 and although
the first prisoners at
Majdanek were Russian POW,
the camp soon became a
detention center for Jews in
1942. Mass transports of
Jews began arriving at the
Majdanek camp, beginning in
April 1942.
The killing
operations began in April
1942 and ended in July 1944.
The estimated number of
deaths is 360,000, including
Jews, Soviet POWs and
Poles. From this number,
160,000 were believed to be
gassed while 200,000 died in
the camp itself mainly due
to lack of food, terrible
living conditions and
diseases.
The entrance to Majdanek is
a huge monument that
symbolizes the experience in
the camp. Fourth
picture below shows the
entrance of Majdanek. There
was a descending ramp
followed by a flat ground
before visitors are faced
with tall and steep stairs [See
picture]. The descending
ramp was designed as such to
signify how prisoners were
descended deep into a
horrifying place. It was not a
usual climb up the stairs,
you need to use more energy
and effort. The stairwell
was specifically designed to
symbolize the difficulty and
severity of the camp
conditions. There are sharp
and uneven rocks on both
sides of the path
which symbolizes the sharp
tortures and pain prisoners
had to endure while entering
Majdanek: they were beaten
and attacked by dogs even as
they enter the camp. This
was not only a physical
torture but a mental one as
the Nazis wanted the
prisoners to focus on their
survival so that they did
not have the thought of
escaping from the camp. Many
of them did not survive
during this ordeal when
entering the camp.
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Personal reflection
I cannot imagine what the
residents who lived nearby
have thought when they drove
past the camp. I am sure
they would have seen the
chimney of the crematorium,
smelled the burning corpses,
or at least noticed the gas
chamber building which is a
few yards from the street.
What was on their mind at
that time? Were they simply
ignorant (I doubt it) or
were they minding their own
business so that they did
not suffer the same fate as
those in this camp?
I try to imagine myself
being a resident of one of
the two villages. What can
I do? What should I do? When
you live in fear during the
Nazi regime, you fear for
your own life and for your
family’s safety too, whether
you’re a Jew or not, for the
Nazis killed without mercy
and without explanation.
I
do not know what I would
have done if I were living
in one of the villages at
that time. It’s very
difficult to try to imagine
being there, being selfless,
and fight for social
justice, when it has never
come across my mind that
such a shattering incident
can ever happen to humans
– and it happened just
around 65-67 years ago.
I think it is a very
significant monument that is
symbolic to what has
happened right in the
vicinity of “free” people –
the people who lived in the
nearby villages who walk and
drive past this camp
everyday while the camp was
in operation. Perhaps, the
monument is now big enough
to “remind” people that it
does exist, it did happen,
and it will always be here
on this site to remember the
lives that were lost in the
hands of the Nazis. The
size of this monument really
amazes me and I can still
vividly picture it in my
head, how can I forget?
c
How can any one forget? |
Tower at the Majdanek
entrance.
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Civilized death
(Photo courtesy of Jerry
Summerfield)
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Jerry Summerfield, one of
the MRH 2006 participants
from the University of
Kentucky gave his thoughts
about Majdanek: what he
thinks of this picture that
he took of Majdanek (left):
"This photo is of Majdanek
with the city of Lublin in
the background. This photo
demonstrates the actuality
that life must go on. Even
though so many lives were
taken at Majdanek and the
fact that it still stands as
a reminder of the Holocaust,
it also shows us that life
progresses and we must
continue on with the
memories and history in the
forefront of our minds." |
