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.