One thing that stuck me was that this memorial gave us a glimpse into the lives of the people. Rather than all figures and statistics, the human story of suffering and hope was told.
Having visited Auchwitch in 2005, I was looking through the eyes of a young single 20-something, and horrified that humans were capable of such atrocities.
Today I looked through the eyes of a father. I couldn't help but be moved by the stories of parents and children, particularly the Children's Memorial. This is a tribute to the 1,500,000 children who perished. This memorial was a darkened room with haunting music and a single candle which via a series of mirrors refracted the light to give the illusion of millions of stars.
Some images, although very confronting need to be seen to remind us of the value of human life.
The questions raised are:
* Where was the rest of the world while this was occurring?
* Why did Australia refuse to assist? Our Government was quoted as basically saying - we don't have any race problems, and don't want any.
* Although many good people assisted, why didn't the Church as a global institution and 'moral authority' speak out publicly? Recently Yad VaShem has changed the section on Pope Pius XII to a little more positive, but we won't know the full story until scholars are give access to the archives.
When we returned we had some free time to digest the events of the morning. This was followed by a group debrief facilitated by Dr Deborah Weisman. A valuable experience to enable people to articulate their questions, thoughts and feelings after the experience.
I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil...” Ezekiel 37:14
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