The Future of Auschwitz

Auschwitz: The Past Meets the Future

Few museums draw controversy as does the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Poland. The site of one of the largest killing camps in the Third Reich, with over 1.1 million people dead, the camp was made into a museum that opened in 1950. It is hard for the human mind to comprehend 1.1 million people dying in one place, let alone 6 million Jews, 2 million Rroma, and the list goes on. As the survivors of the Holocaust and the veterans of World War II pass on, the question must be asked: what do we do with Auschwitz?

There are survivors from Auschwitz who have stated that Auschwitz should be allowed to decay, that destruction is the appropriate fate of the killing fields. An equal number state that without Auschwitz, future generations will not understand what happened there.

I conducted a small survey of twelve people, aged 22-66, if they felt Auschwitz should be saved as a museum and a memorial. Ten people between the ages of 22 and 51 stated they felt Auschwitz should be preserved and restored. All ten said they were concerned that without Auschwitz and its educational programs, the world would forget and future generations would then be at risk of replaying history. Two of these ten were children of Holocaust survivors; one was the child of an Auschwitz survivor. The other two, one aged 37 and the other 66, felt Auschwitz should be allowed to decay as a tribute to those who died there. One of those two stated that when Auschwitz was a ruin, it should then be turned into something that will benefit the community around it, such as farmland. The question evokes emotion, even form those who have not been there.

Regardless of public opinion, Auschwitz is currently in a state of conservation and preservation. This work is an expensive and time-consuming process, requiring exacting work in order to preserve the integrity of the structures and artifacts in Auschwitz’s collection.

According to Steve Henken who has worked for the State of Iowa Archaeological Department, Auschwitz-Birkenau has a heavy burden.

“It always comes down to how to save what is important. What artifacts define Auschwitz? Can they afford to keep the entire thing or must they decide on what is critical to the site? They have to ask the research questions. Mainly, what answers can Auschwitz provide humanity and what artifacts and structures best serve that purpose? What do they want the site to say to the world? What percentage (of the camp) may be preserved that will answer these questions? Find the voice of the collection and preserve and conserve that voice.”

The Auschwitz Mission

Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, a former inmate of Auschwitz and the current Chairman of the International Auschwitz Council sent this written appeal to the governments of the world as well as private individuals. Quoting from the document on the Auschwitz-Birkenau website,
“The generation of Auschwitz survivors is fading away. We, former concentration camp prisoners and eyewitnesses of the Shoah, have devoted all our lives to the mission of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive. Today, as our mission is coming to an end, we understand better than anyone else that our whole work and toil might be in vain if we do not succeed in bequeathing the material evidence of this terrible crime to future generations. The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp remains the most important of these testimonies: once a place of suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of Jews, Poles, Roma, Sinti and people from all over Europe, today it is a memorial site visited by millions of people from around the world

In the next sixteen pages, Chairman Bartoszewski gives the world a list of restoration projects that must happen in order to maintain the museum, not only for conservation, but for safety issues for the public as well. His list appears below.

Currently, the conservation/preservation goals of Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum are as follows:
1. Conservation of the most deteriorated brick barracks
a. Forty-five of the oldest buildings located in Auschwitz II. This includes repairing the drainage ditches, reinforcing the foundations, repairing walls and support beams in the ceiling, and conservation of original architecture including brickwork, paint layers, inscriptions, and other elements essential to the building.
2. Conservation of the most deteriorated wooden barracks
a. Twenty-two wooden barracks that are the most preserved at the site. This includes structural repair, conservation of original paint, repair, and conservation of interiors, the installation of fire prevention devices, and other conservation elements necessary to each building.
3. Conservation and explanation of the vestiges of the wooden barracks
a. Two hundred and ten barracks have deteriorated. All that remains are the chimneys. These need conservation and disinfecting of molds and an explanation, perhaps in outline form, of the buildings.
4. Conservation of the wooden guard towers
a. Six large and twenty-one small guard towers need repairs and conservation as a visual element to the site.
5. Conservation of eleven blocks (buildings) in the new main exhibition at the Auschwitz 1 site
a. This is the main exhibition site originally opened in 1955. The exhibits must be moved to the main floors of the buildings so that the upper levels and stairways may be reinforced.
6. Conservation of archival and moveable objects
a. This includes not only the archives on paper, but the objects taken from the prisoners by the Nazis, items such as eyeglasses, combs, suitcases, as well as organic items like hair. The list is as follows in approximate numbers:
i. 250 meters of archival documents
ii. 39 thousand negatives of photographs and several thousand photographs
iii. 3,800 suitcases
iv. 460 prosthetics
v. 260 prayer garments
vi. 40 kg of eyeglasses
vii. 12,000 pots and pans
viii. 6,000 works of art
ix. Numerous bunks, stools, cabinets, and other furnishings
7. Continuation of current conservation work already underway
a. Securing and conserving crematoria IV and V
b. Conservation of the small gas chamber known as the little white house
c. Conservation of the unloading ramp and the Gate of Death
d. Conservation of the remains of the sewage treatment plant
e. Conservation of the air raid shelters

Funding the Mission

Again, quoting from the appeal from Chairman Bartoszewski,
“The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was founded in January 2009 to secure the conservation and the preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site for future generations by implementing a long-term, comprehensive conservation plan prepared by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum’s team of historic preservationists. This plan assumes that the annual sum of €4 to €5 million will make it possible to plan and systematically carry out essential conservation work at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site. In order to achieve an annual income of €4-5, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation has dedicated itself to raising a Perpetual Capital Fund of €120 million. This fund will not be spent, but rather invested so that the annual income from such investment will secure the authenticity of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site. Therefore, for the first time in its history the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial has a real chance of creating an ongoing, long-term conservation program that will make it possible to safeguard the remains of the camp for future generations. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation’s objective is to promote global solidarity with the mission of amassing €120 million for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Perpetual Fund by approaching international governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and other donors who recognize the unquestionable importance of the Foundation’s mission.”

According to the BBC News in July of this year, Germany pledged $80 million dollars, the United States pledged $15 million, Austria pledged $6 million, with smaller amounts pledged by Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. With this amount of funding, it is possible that Auschwitz now has the reserves it needs to begin new conservation and preservation efforts as well as finish current projects already underway.

The Future of the Museum

In order to move ahead into the next century and beyond, Auschwitz must constantly consider its mission statement and their responsibilities not only to those who were murdered there, but also to those who survived. This responsibility must be tempered with a duty to educate students as well as teachers, about the history of the Holocaust and the relevance the Holocaust has around the world today.

The problem Auschwitz faces, along with every museum, is the ability to engage the next generation of technically minded children and adults. With the museum’s desire to preserve the sacred memory of those 1.1 million people who died there, it will be difficult for them to embrace a new technology to promote their educational programs.

Thanks to the internet, television, and movies, our young people are more visually minded and require information quickly; therefore current administration must consider updating displays, exhibits, and explanations to get their point across.

Currently, the museum offers educational programs to history teachers as well as to students. These programs were developed at Auschwitz but are offered to universities and educational institutions around the world. By marrying the reverence for the past with technology of today, Auschwitz can move forward into the next century not only as a memorial, but as a successful museum as well.


























Bibliography



Bartoszewski, Wladyslaw. “The Preservation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Our Responsibility for Future Generations.” Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau. .

BBC News Europe. July 2010. .

Hanken, Steven. Personal interview, 14 December 2010.

Romania's embarrassing bill

Ok, so the Romanians don't like calling the Rroma in the country "Romani" because it sounds too much like Romanian and they think this causes embarrassment to their country. So, they decided to try to pass a bill, very quietly, that says that the Romani in Romania will now be called Tigan, the name they were called when they were slaves in that country.

Do they not see that step as very embarrassing? I would. Think of the statement they are making.

"In order to make the world see us in a better light, we will refer to the free people called Rromani by the name we gave them when we enslaved them for over over 500 years, the perfectly good word, Tigan."

I would think, this would be a great source of embarrassment since the country is already seen a as little behind the times. This bill gives the Romanian government the perfect opportunity to prove such a belief to be true.

One might consider the effects. When a government or majority in a country separate a minority in such a manner, it is part of a dehumanization process. The Nazis did it be forcing every Jew to give his middle name as Israel. It makes it easier for the rest of the country to see the victim not as a human, but as a thing, someone different, someone outside the rest of the civilization. The dehumanizing process is a tool to make genocide easier.

I'm not saying Romania is out to slaughter the Rromani at this time. But shall we look at the things we have seen i n the past two years in Europe? Romania, Hungary, and Italy have had problems with skin heads and other citizens bombing, beating, and murdering the Rromani in their countries. If the police are called, they sometimes join in the beatings, or at best, prevent the violence from escalating into the non-Rromani areas or against non-Rromani citizens. Italy began a program of fingerprinting and photographing all Rromani above the age of six in order to prevent crime. The EU backed this plan. France and now Germany are in the process of deporting the Rromani. All of these things happened in Germany in the 1930s.

We are afraid. Those who live in the safety of the US are concerned for relatives who live in Europe. In some cases, they've lost contact with them. Again, reminders of the Nazis.

Who stands up for the Rroma? Not the EU. No the UN. Not the US government. Who then will help us?

The answer? Us. We, the Rromani, must stand up for those who can't, must find a way to make the world aware of who we are and what we want. Without a united voice, we can do nothing.

If you are looking for a way to help, join The Artists Initiative Against Romaphobia and Anti-Tziganism. http://artists-for-roma-net.ning.com/main

Meeting today

"If you want to arrange it/this world, you can change it/By helping a neighbor/even a stranger/You know who needs help?/You need only just ask"

Today I have a meeting with the Museum Director at the U of I to see if she can help me with materials that will start to come in next year. I have no idea how to handle some of the items that are being offered to me. I'm hoping she can give me some space at the university. A place to store and to work would be awesome and welcomed.

The quote above is the partial lyrics from TSO's The Old City Bar. I am a firm believer that the world can be changed be handful of people. It has been done before. Consider today who you can be a blessing to and make that forward step, make the offer.

Recently, I had someone ask me if I felt the world was on the brink of another Porrjamos, or Holocaust of the Rromani poeple. I had to think on the answer for some time, but here is my reply:

I've been thinking hard about your question and it has, unfortunately, more than one answer, but I feel both answers offer hope. Here is my reasoning.

From the definition of genocide as set forth by the UN, we are not. That sounds like a very clinical answer, but in that answer there is a glimmer of hope. The difference between 1933 and 2010 is that there IS a definition and that we, as a poeple, have a voice in that definition. We are protected, though it is currently not being applied as liberally as you or I would like to see. In 1933, there was no such crime as genocide and no punishment for governments who did so. Now at least there are governments who do watch and do raise their voice. It took some time, but the EU eventually did stop the fingerprinting and photographing in Italy and is currently looking into dealing with France. Again, it may not be the speed or the outcome that we want and need, but it is more than we had in 33.

If you look at history, it is tempting to say "yes", since the parallels between the Third Reich's methodical extermination of the Rroma and the attacks we see today are frighteningly similar, but again, people have noticed. Governments have noticed. While it does seem that no one government has a solution to the persecution, most see that something needs to be done. This is again more than what we had in 33, but the similarities, as you have noticed are there, and that looks like the beginnings to a lot of people.

My outlook on this is always hope. We didn't have anyone to speak for us in 33 and now we do. We didn't have an ethnic defintion then, as we do now. In other words, we can do something about it. What we must do is find ways to fight for our own, something we were incapable of doing back then. We must use the tools of the internet, the educational system, mass media, and any publication we can get into to get the message out.

The key is what message to send. We are fearful, yes, and we are angry, but we need to present a united, organized front to the world. We must decide as a nation what we want to show the world, both traditionally and modern. We must create educational programs that show future generations what it really means to be Rromani. For those of us blessed to live in safe havens like the States, we must stand up for those who can't.

I feel that now Rroma are finding ways to be heard, to be seen, in a positive way. We are making our voice be heard in new venues around the world. I've been contacted by more Rromani people who want to do something, to find a way to get the word out. I feel that these people are making contact with people like Prof Hancock and in so doing, we will see change.

I feel we are living in the 'make it or break it' time. If we fail, then yes, there are very terrible events that will happen. But we have a voice, we have the will, and once we find a way, I think we can make a difference.

A very wise man once told me that I had no right to be afraid, that I spoke for those who could no longer speak for themselves. He is right. I'll continue to speak, to write, to do what I can to make people listen.

Auschwitz is falling down

Auschwitz is falling apart.

There are those that say it should, that hell should rot and peace will return to the region. There are those who call the site a "Jewish Disneyland" and that it should be allowed to crumble to set the "Zionist lie" to rest. Then there are those who believe history could be forgotten if the site disappears.

History is already being forgotten and the site is still standing. I believe that it is not up to the site to remind the world of what happened there. From a strict, historical sense, the site is a tool to education, not education in and of itself. We can't rely on the site to remind us, to teach us, because it is an inanimate object. Anyone may go there and leave with different ideas as to what the true intention of the gas chambers were. People will leave with the impression they want to see, perhaps not what they should see. Please don't get me wrong, there are thousands that visit every year that get the correct idea, but there are those who refuse to see the truth, based on racist ideas that go back centuries.

As far as the "Jewish Disneyland" sentiment, I was near sick when I first heard someone say it. The thought is that Auschwitz allows the Jews to keep the Holocaust to themselves, even to push Holocaust guilt onto others to get what they want. I hate to even dignify that idea on this blog, but my goal is to deal with racism and stupidity, even something that grossly stupid.

There are so many ways to look at the above statement. It is an implosion in itself. The statement is racist, obviously, and tells me the people who say it perhaps need to make a visit to the camp to see for themselves what the Holocaust is all about. To many Jews, the site is a sacred place where relatives were murdered then butchered. It has nothing to do with promoting the Holocaust on anyone. For others, the site is a reminder of what can happen if we neglect the warning signs of genocide. Genocide is real and it didn't end, not start with for that matter, in WW II. There is little evidence left on the face of the earth of previous and modern genocide attempts. Auschwitz and camps like it are our reminders to be vigilant.

Now there are those people out there that will use anything to their advantage. People who want you to feel sorry for them, to give them attention or opportunities due to their race/religion/situation. I know these people well. It is the 'race card' play and anyone can use it. Yes, there are Jews who use the Holocaust as a way to through their weight around. But there are people who use such cards in every race and religion. You can't base your opinion of an entire race/religion/principle on such people. If you do, you are equally guilty as they are of the crime of racism.

As far as the idea of peace returning to the region if Auschwitz is allowed to fall, well, that's just crap. Anti-Semitism still exists. Anti-Tziganism is rampant. Should we tear down all of the plantations in the south where slavery existed because it is unpleasant to think of? Of course not. The only thing we lose there is a part of history.

The camps must be preserved, just as Eisenhower said in 1945, so that they will stand against those who would re-write our history. Our future depends on our interpretation of the past.

Elie Wiesel: the great blind man

I've read more than a few accounts as to why the great humanitarian Elie Wiesel hates Gypsies. There are many non-Rroma who say they can understand his feelings, understand his anger. Then why is he the great humanitarian he is? Consider his own words:

"Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair."

unless, of course, this applies to a Gypsy. It was a Gypsy that struck his father, and that strike has been debated over the years in questioning him. Was it a beating or a slap? There was a point when he admitted that it was one slap. I understand the love of a son for his father, but he began to preach tolerance. Should he not practice what he believes in? Are all Rromani guilty because a kapo in a death camp was trying to stay alive a little longer? Should the Jews who stayed alive by working in the special units of cleaning up and tearing apart the dead be equally condemned?

"Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another."

Why then does this great humanitarian offer us hope? Apparently it is a gift he selects who he will give it to. And yet...

"I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead, and anyone who does not remember betrays them again."

By deciding to fight against the Rroma inclusion, he betrays the dead. But it does not seem to bother him because they are Gypsy dead.

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, not the tormented."

From the historical point of view of the Holocaust, what of the "other victims?" The Catholics, the Jehovah's Witnesses? The Muslims? The Rroma? Why does he not step forward for all? Why select out the Gypsies? Because of one man? One kapo? What of current events? Does he stay silent while the Rroma are fingerprinted, photographed, deported? Does he not see history repeating itself?

Why the world calls him a great humanitarian is beyond me. He is just as guilty of racism and denial as a common man.

Should the Rromani people forgive him? When I see him practice his own words, then I will. When he begins to do what is right instead of repressing those who are as dead as his people, then I will. Until then, no. After all, do not Rromani sons equally love their Rromani fathers?

The Montreal Project

I've been in contact with some artists who want to help me get a display together for any museum or library that will have it. This display will focus on the Porrjamos, though how far it will go is uncertain since I have not seen any of the works as of yet.

More good news: we've made contact with Shloime in Montreal. He has promised to contact Oleg this weekend and I pray he will. Perhaps we can get the materials here after all and work can begin in earnest to get this project rolling. I'm very hopeful things will start to happen with this project. Once Shloime confirms, my next step will be to get some students on board to transribe the tapes. When the tapes arrive, they need to be placed on a DVD format. I wonder if there is a company in town who would assist in consideration for their names in the program.

Also, I began to read Denying History last night. So far it is a fascinating read and I am looking forward to really digging into it again tonight after supper.

Latest on the Auschwitz sign

Finally, the three men who stole the Auschwitz sign back in December of 2009 have been charged. The man who is drawing the most attention is Anders Hoegstroem of Sweden. He is a former neo-nazi who founded the National Socialist Front in Sweden. He headed the organization for five years, then quit and reportedly has been a "model citizen" up to this point. Up to the point where he joined his co-conspirators and agreed to steal the sign from Auschwitz.

Even more interesting, Hoegstroem claims that it was his tip that lead police to the real criminals, that he had no intention of following through with the plan, and that he is proud he could assist the police.

The problem with his story is that police were in the process of making the arrests when the anonymous phone call from Sweden came in. It doesn't sound like Hoegstroem is the hero he wants the world to paint him as.

This situation has forced me to look at the neo-nazis in a very serious way. While I know the party basics, it really isn't that hard to figure out, I plan to do more research into their philosophies and how they base their ideas on Mein Kampf and Adolph Hitler. Now there are many branches of the nazi party throughout the world, so this little project might turn into something a little bigger. Overall, I think it will be a very educational project that will benefit my work in the future. It is important to know the enemy.

New project focus

The Gypsy Project has taken a few new turns since I began this blog, hence the lack of writing.

1. I've joined The Artists Initiative Against Romophobia and AntiTziganism where I will be working with other writers, film makers, poets, artists, and performers to get the world's attention on the Rroma situation around the world.

2. I've formed a board to begin to create The Porrjamos Education Project. Our goal will be to bring the Montreal collection safely to the States where it will be catalogued and placed on display at universities and museums around the country.

3. I will begin working on a research paper about the condition of Rroma in Europe. Yes, it sounds open ended, but right now, I don't have enough of the big picture to focus on one point yet.

4. I will be working on completeing a research paper I began about the Porrjamos. As my mentor says, "Time to learn to talk like the big boys."

The first day of the last month of the new year. Time to begin anew.