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Auschwitz visit overwhelmed teenager
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| Shock: Joel Silver |
A JEWISH school pupil from Oxfordshire has made a video of a visit to a Nazi concentration camp where his family relatives were believed to have been killed during the holocaust.
Joel Silver decided to film Matthew Arnold School's visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland to preserve the memory of the almost one million Jews killed there, including some of his distant cousins.
The 14-year-old from Iffley had initially wanted to make a full video diary of the school's four-day trip to Krakow and Auschwitz, but the youngster said the experience ended up being too overwhelming.
The Year Nine pupil at the Cumnor school said: "I've seen a few films about the holocaust like Schindler's List, but nothing can prepare you for seeing it close up.
"I was planning to keep a video diary of the whole trip, but when we got there I was too overwhelmed and upset.
"I took some film because I wanted to be able to watch it again later in life and look back at the moment.
"We saw the starvation cells and the wall of death, where people were stood up and shot, and the gas chambers.
"Nothing can prepare you for the shock of it, but it is important to film so that people never forget what happened."
As part of the trip, about 41 youngsters at the school visited the Nazis' largest concentration camp, seeing remnants of hair, spectacles and suitcases belonging to people who died there. They also met a holocaust survivor.
Joel said: "I was even quite nervous approaching Auschwitz because I didn't know what to expect and when I got there it was quite over- whelming.
There's a really eerie presence there.
"Even before I stepped through the gates I was getting very upset.
"I'm definitely going to go back some day. I want to go back with a group of Jewish people because it's quite a difficult experience to handle being the only Jewish person in a group."
Religious education teacher Tres Magee said: "Joel is very proud to be Jewish and he was very brave to take it all in.
"None of the pupils really spoke the whole day they were there.
"They were just taken aback. It's very emotionally tiring."
9:04am Sunday 11th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: S.Everett, Istanbul on 9:52am Sun 11 May 08
This is a very important story, for many reasons - thank you for publishing it.
Let us not forget the evidence and remains of this extreme example from history.
Well done those in schools or other authorities fr organising such important trips.
People, not only Joel and his class mates, need to keep being overwhelmed by such evil - that can be instigated so simply.
It is very important to remember the scope and scale of this event, especially the extermination camps and the motivations and attitudes behind them.
Having visited Auschitz and other camps several times, I too, can remember the shock, and those who try to claim the events never happened are truly sorry indivuals.
At the same time, this is no place to suggest that this is supports curent politicians (possibly Jewish) in the middle east for some compensation or revenge etc.
But to see how whole systems and population can be controlled and used to commit vast attrocities.
I hope that Joel and others like his class, continue to visit and inform others of what they've seen and live wiser lives as a result.
This is a very important story, for many reasons - thank you for publishing it.
Let us not forget the evidence and remains of this extreme example from history.
Well done those in schools or other authorities fr organising such important trips.
People, not only Joel and his class mates, need to keep being overwhelmed by such evil - that can be instigated so simply.
It is very important to remember the scope and scale of this event, especially the extermination camps and the motivations and attitudes behind them.
Having visited Auschitz and other camps several times, I too, can remember the shock, and those who try to claim the events never happened are truly sorry indivuals.
At the same time, this is no place to suggest that this is supports curent politicians (possibly Jewish) in the middle east for some compensation or revenge etc.
But to see how whole systems and population can be controlled and used to commit vast attrocities.
I hope that Joel and others like his class, continue to visit and inform others of what they've seen and live wiser lives as a result.
Posted by: julia, oxford on 5:53pm Sun 11 May 08
There is something sickly indulgent about this holocaust industry. We all know the Nazis killed 6+m people in concentration camps - what are we saying, unelss you go see for yourself you cant work out that this was a terrible, unique evil? 'Oh, until I got there I had no idea it was so evil'? Its the modern disease - second hand grief as a recreational drug.
There is something sickly indulgent about this holocaust industry. We all know the Nazis killed 6+m people in concentration camps - what are we saying, unelss you go see for yourself you cant work out that this was a terrible, unique evil? 'Oh, until I got there I had no idea it was so evil'? Its the modern disease - second hand grief as a recreational drug.
Posted by: Anon, Oxford on 7:29pm Sun 11 May 08
Sorry, Julia, don't agree. You may know about it but there are plenty of people out there denying it happened. There's nothing wrong with educating children and while it may be only a few who can actually visit the site I don't see anything wrong with it.
Sorry, Julia, don't agree. You may know about it but there are plenty of people out there denying it happened. There's nothing wrong with educating children and while it may be only a few who can actually visit the site I don't see anything wrong with it.
Posted by: Anon, Oxford on 7:30pm Sun 11 May 08
...and there's something pretty sickly about calling it a holocaust "industry". For goodness' sake...
...and there's something pretty sickly about calling it a holocaust "industry". For goodness' sake...
Posted by: Ed, Oxford on 7:56pm Sun 11 May 08
Dunno. I have read a few books on the Holocaust and seen the photos of the chambers etc. That chills my blood enough. I would like to visit the camp but I suspect I already know how I'd feel.
It is important we never forget what happened in order that it never happen again...but faux grief is all too common these days and you can easily tell it's all for the cameras with certain "celebs".
I'm not suggesting this young man's feeling were anything but genuine, far from it.
Anyway, from the Nazis point of view it was an industry - people worked in factories or around the camp until they died, or they were exterminated. As we all know. Anyone who denies it ever happened needs help.
Dunno. I have read a few books on the Holocaust and seen the photos of the chambers etc. That chills my blood enough. I would like to visit the camp but I suspect I already know how I'd feel.
It is important we never forget what happened in order that it never happen again...but faux grief is all too common these days and you can easily tell it's all for the cameras with certain "celebs".
I'm not suggesting this young man's feeling were anything but genuine, far from it.
Anyway, from the Nazis point of view it was an industry - people worked in factories or around the camp until they died, or they were exterminated. As we all know. Anyone who denies it ever happened needs help.
Posted by: Hils, Devon on 1:04am Mon 12 May 08
Julia, you say 'indulgent', I say 'lest we forget'. The holocaust was one of the most shameful sites every created by man. I am shocked and disgusted by her point of view.
Julia, you say 'indulgent', I say 'lest we forget'. The holocaust was one of the most shameful sites every created by man. I am shocked and disgusted by her point of view.
Posted by: M, Oxford on 9:37am Mon 12 May 08
I've been to Auschwitz. And Julia, I'm sorry, but you have no idea what you're talking about.
On the way there I had no idea the effect it would have on me. You can not imagine the clinical logic applied to what happened there, it's only when you stand there and it's shown to you the thought process behind the murder and disposal of hundreds of thousands of people, the organization. That a human being sat down and thought this through and then carried it out.
The place is not a tourist attraction, it's a stone-cold reminder of the evil that some people will commit in the name of an ideology.
I left there never wanting to go back, but glad that it was there and that others would see it too. We should never forget what happened there.
I've been to Auschwitz. And Julia, I'm sorry, but you have no idea what you're talking about.
On the way there I had no idea the effect it would have on me. You can not imagine the clinical logic applied to what happened there, it's only when you stand there and it's shown to you the thought process behind the murder and disposal of hundreds of thousands of people, the organization. That a human being sat down and thought this through and then carried it out.
The place is not a tourist attraction, it's a stone-cold reminder of the evil that some people will commit in the name of an ideology.
I left there never wanting to go back, but glad that it was there and that others would see it too. We should never forget what happened there.
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