Today, although very long and intense, was a journey that was certainly worthwhile and truly meaningful for all southern region participants. We started off the day with an early davening session to ease us into one of the most emotional days of the march. As we arrived in Auschwitz we listened to stories from survivors such as Joe Eckstein talk publicly for one of the very first times about his childhood living in Auschwitz and Birkenau. We traveled through Auschwitz, taking the same steps our ancestors took and exploring the barracks that they were forced to live in. We were able to see all types of things that taught us more about the Holocaust and life in the concentration camps. Our last few steps in Auschwitz took us through a gas chambers where many of our brothers and sisters perished.
After that, we traveled on the bus to Birkenau, an extension of Auschwitz. We were able to see the latrines that the Jews were forced to use. We also saw an authentic box car along with 2 more gas chambers that were destroyed by the Germans after the holocaust and only remnants are left over. We walked through the showers and saw the machines they used to "disinfect" the clothing they took from the Jews. We then returned to the front of Birkenau, and had Mincha, finishing as we walked to the bus singing "Am Yisrael Chai!"
What a memorable day!
Delaney Becker
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