WJU Students and Classrooms without Borders: Majdanek

 The following post was written by Marque Marry, class of '15.

The Monument at Majdanek

   The acts implemented by the Nazi SS in the creation of both concentration and death camps caused the degradation, humiliation, and deaths of millions of innocent people. Throughout the years of the Holocaust, the Germans attempted to turn individuals into numbers, shipping them off to camps never to be seen or heard from again, except for their ashes rising to the heavens or their screams heard bellowing from the gas chambers. One camp in particular saw the needless deaths of 18,400 in one day: Majdanek.
This first concentration and later extermination camp located in Lublin was a site for the intended destruction of a population by the Nazis. Unlike Treblinka, this camp was not hidden away from

Majdanek

the eyes of bystanders; rather it was present for everyone to witness the true evil of mankind. While at this camp, however, I witnessed several events that proved  the Nazis were in fact unsuccessful in their aims at the complete and total destruction of a peoples' mind, body, and spirit and erasing them from history completely.




  While walking through the camp I saw many '"dark spots" that were constructed by the Nazis such as the gas chambers, crematorium, or row after row of bleak barracks.

Gas Chamber Sign: "Bath and Disinfection

While walking through the gas chamber, I looked around and read the informational plaques and walked over the creaky boards the lined the floor. The walk that I took and filmed throughout this building that was built for nothing but killing was quiet, almost deathly quiet. No one spoke, but rather showed respect for all of those who perished and took the same walk we did as their last steps. This silence was in direct opposition to the screams and shrieks that were present there during the reign of the Third Reich.

The Gas Chamber at Majdenek

Majdanek Crematoria

 Located at the opposite end of Majdanek was the crematorium.
The carts and all objects necessary to load the bodies to be burned were still there for the public to see, and the ovens were still in a condition that was frighteningly well kept. This building saw the loss of many people in a way different than the loss found in the gas chamber; when the body was burned that person lost their identity due to the fact that their family does not have the opportunity to visit their grave. However, while in the installation, I witnessed an Israeli survivor speaking to his family about his experiences at the camp. I found myself smiling because while the Nazis attempted to cause the complete destruction of many groups of people that they viewed as undesirable, the survivors that share their story and that of others who perished while incarcerated in the camp gives the victims a voice. The spreading of these stories, to family members, school groups or the general public, is the final defeat of the Nazis. Another action that stood in opposition to the camp were the simple flowers that grew out of the ground next to the crematorium.

  Those victims may have appeared as a people who were crushed and defeated after they were placed in the camp, but they too fought it as much as they could. The Germans forced some prisoners to build a statue of doves flying free, and while this may seem sadistic because those building it believed they would never knew the freedom that a lowly bird had, the prisoners silently combated the Nazi order. They placed the ashes of those who died in the crematorium in the statue so they could finally be free of the torture they endured while alive and find peace. The prisoners were also made to build another concrete structure for the Germans, a castle. While this task was completed, they again revolted against their oppressors by adding parts of the Torah in different parts of the structure. At the far end of Majdanek, there is a dome structure holding the ash remains of over thousand victims.

The Memorial at Majdanek: Note that Howard Chandler, a Holocaust survivor, and Zipora Gur, a second-generation Holocaust survivors, are in the photo.

Constructed in 1969, this memorial both remembers the evil that was done and expresses that what occurred in this hell for thousands of people will never be forgotten. It will always be a center where the power is given back to the victims who perished needlessly.

Classroom without Borders memorial service at Majdanek

   The SS men thought they were going to go down in history as the victors; however, it is the survivors and their families that come back that appear in history as the true winners because they prove to everyone that the human spirit is one that cannot be broken. The concentration/extermination camp of Majdanek serves as a constant reminder of what the human person is capable of, both unspeakable evils and unbelievable compassion.

While the gas chambers, crematoria, and looming guard towers stand to show the black souls that can consume some, the strength and love of survivors who tell their stories and family or groups who support them show
that there is hope for a better future if lessons
are learned from the past.