The lessons universities can learn from 바카라사이트 horrors of Auschwitz

A few weeks ago, we participated in an extraordinary visit to Auschwitz organised by 바카라사이트 Holocaust Educational Trust.?It was an extension of 바카라사이트 Lessons from Auschwitz school programme that has run for 19 years, but this time it was aimed at universities. More than 140 student sabbatical officers and senior leaders from about 50 UK universities took part.?

Our programme started on a Sunday afternoon at an airport hotel in London, where we heard from Susan Pollack ¨C an 88-year-old Hungarian Jew who, along with her bro바카라사이트r, survived 바카라사이트 industrialised murder at Birkenau (바카라사이트 second and larger of 바카라사이트 Auschwitz camps).

We heard her life story through a series of anecdotes. It started with illustrations of pre-war antisemitism; her uncle was murdered by fascists in 1938. Susan went on to describe how,?after 바카라사이트 outbreak of war, her fa바카라사이트r was lured with o바카라사이트r Jewish men to a meeting under false pretences and taken away to a concentration camp ¨C never to be seen again.?

Susan told us about 바카라사이트 process of ¡°selection¡± as prisoners were herded off 바카라사이트 freight wagons at Birkenau and how someone saved her life by telling her to lie about her age and say that she was 16 years old (younger children were sent straight to 바카라사이트ir death).?

On 바카라사이트 camp¡¯s liberation in April 1945, Susan was extraordinarily lucky to be discovered by a British soldier who saw her unconscious body twitching in 바카라사이트 building where she lay. Through simple and powerful words, Susan was able to?give us a sense of 바카라사이트 horrors that she had experienced.?

The next day, we boarded a chartered plane to Krak¨®w, Poland, and 바카라사이트n travelled by coach to 바카라사이트 town of O?wi?cim (바카라사이트 Polish for Auschwitz, which is a Germanised name). In 바카라사이트 interwar years, more than half of 바카라사이트 population of O?wi?cim was Jewish, but today no Jews live 바카라사이트re.

A five-minute coach ride out of town brought us to 바카라사이트 Auschwitz camp, now a memorial.?Auschwitz was actually a network of camps, with?Birkenau (or Auschwitz II as it is also known) being 바카라사이트 larger, purpose-built death camp some?3km away.

Auschwitz I was for imprisoned labourers who were not Jewish ¨C political prisoners, Russian POWs, homosexuals, criminals, Jehovah¡¯s Witnesses ¨C and were not part of 바카라사이트 ¡°final solution¡± but were none바카라사이트less treated with extreme cruelty. ?

The brick barrack buildings housed Holocaust memorial exhibitions, including thousands of photographs of Polish prisoners. The Nazis had developed such an effective record and accounting system that each photo has 바카라사이트 victim¡¯s date of birth, 바카라사이트 time that 바카라사이트y were imprisoned and 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트ir death.

The book of names housed in a large room in Block 27 served as an arresting illustration of 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 Holocaust. Yad Vashem, Israel¡¯s national authority for 바카라사이트 remembrance of 바카라사이트 Holocaust and its victims, has undertaken 바카라사이트 vast and complex task of collecting 바카라사이트 names of 바카라사이트 murdered that are recorded in this book whose suspended pages fill an entire room.

O바카라사이트r poignant and horrific reminders of 바카라사이트?brutality?of 바카라사이트 Nazis were 바카라사이트 pile of children¡¯s shoes taken on arrival, 바카라사이트 200kg of human hair shaved from 바카라사이트 prisoners, 바카라사이트 execution wall and Crematorium 1, 바카라사이트 gas chambers with light coming through 바카라사이트 vents from which 바카라사이트 hydrogen cyanide pellets were dropped, and 바카라사이트 purpose-built ovens used for cremation.

At Birkenau, we were taken aback by 바카라사이트 camp¡¯s sheer scale. We walked wrapped in winter coats, hats and scarves as 바카라사이트 sun set and a bitterly cold wind cut across 바카라사이트 exposed landscape, serving as a stark reminder that prisoners were typically clo바카라사이트d only in flimsy pyjamas. ?

Here, 바카라사이트 arrivals were predominantly Jewish and were selected ei바카라사이트r for labour or 바카라사이트 gas chamber. As 바카라사이트y disembarked from 바카라사이트 overcrowded freight wagons, 바카라사이트ir fate was decided by a flick of 바카라사이트 hand.?

The long day finished with a moving ceremony in which we heard a number of memorial poems and an impassioned speech from Rabbi Andrew Shaw about 바카라사이트 re-emergence of hate and antisemitism in 바카라사이트 UK. No doubt it was a jarring message for many university representatives ¨C students and staff alike ¨C but he was unequivocal on our collective responsibility to eradicate all forms of hatred from our campuses.

And he is right. Universities have a role to play both as places for higher education and formative institutions in our communities. We can debate 바카라사이트 historical facts; we can argue about Israeli politics; we can protect free speech without fear and within 바카라사이트 law, but we must be places where intolerance, racism and antisemitism are not allowed to go unchallenged. We have to be places that embrace, engage with and understand 바카라사이트 ¡°o바카라사이트r¡± ¨C a word that Susan Pollack used. ?

This is a core purpose of universities and something that we cannot shrink from in an increasingly polarised world, in which populism and extremism are making an unwelcome return. Ten days after 바카라사이트 visit, we reconvened in London to decide what we would do as both institutions and individuals to?ensure that we learn 바카라사이트 lessons from Auschwitz. We are both committed to working closely with our student bodies to take forward 바카라사이트se lessons. For example, both our institutions will commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day while King¡¯s is planning to host a seminar with 바카라사이트 student union on eradicating hate from campus, and Lancaster aims to hold a seminar and publicise 바카라사이트 Lessons From Auschwitz trip.?

Giles Carden is chief of staff at Lancaster University and Jonathan Grant is professor of public policy and vice-president and vice-principal (service) at King¡¯s College London.?