“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”

- Elie Wiesel Survivor

This is the famous tree at the entrance to Auschwitz. Survivor, Adolf Gawalewics wrote of this tree:

“A tree can be seen hard by the entrance to the camp, to the right of the gate inscribed ‘Arbeit macht frei.’ This is no ordinary tree! Beneath it stood the tormented parents and siblings of a prisoner who had escaped. Here, also, stood those whose escape attempts had failed. They stood with their skin ripped by the claws of the dogs, holding a sign reading ‘Hurra! Ich bin wieder da!’ (Hurrah, I’m back!) as a warning to the labor details returning from work.”

There is no way for me to express what spending the day in Aushwitz was like. It is something that everyone should experience for themselves. It was one of the most difficult experiences that I have ever had, but I am so thankful to have the opportunity to experience it.

Auschwitz is a concentration camp complex and was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime. It included three main camps, Aushwitz I (May 1940); Aushwitz II/Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1942 and Auschwitz III/Aushwitz-Monowitz in October 1942.

Aushwitz I was established in the town of Oswiecim. My grandmother was born in that town - just driving through it was very meaningful to me. The location was picked due to its central location in Europe. It was previously an abandoned Polish army artillery barracks. Originally, the prisoners who arrived were political prisoners but later the camp broadened it's focus to include all "enemies of Germany".

On the bus ride there the silence was deafening. We are usually quiet after visiting a site, but I have never heard such a heavy silence on the way to a camp. Upon arrival our program Director, Elaine shared a moving story about her mother's experience at Auschwitz. I don't think that there was a dry eye in the group. It was especially meaningful because one of the goals of this trip is to breakdown the number (6 million) into meaningful stories that people can relate to. Elaines' mother lost her entire family. During her time at Auschwitz she almost lost her will to live...she shared the details of her sister dying during a work detail from a burn. At the end of the day they had to bring her body back to the camp because everyone had to be accounted for; dead or alive.

I have been thinking about Auschwitz and reading about Auschwitz for years. As I approached I found it difficult to breathe. Our guide was incredible, she is in charge of putting together the new exhibit that will be opening in the future in Auschwitz. She shared with us the challenges of preserving such a visited historic sight. Over 1.5 visitors a year come to Auschwitz. As we entered I saw the special tree that I had read so much about.