Suitcases belonging to Jewish victims on display in the museum at Auschwitz [via]

I visited Auschwitz in October ‘08 while on a class trip to Krakow, Poland. The air was brisk and the sun was shining. By all accounts, it was a nice day and the benign, pleasant atmosphere belied the fact that we were standing in a place where man committed horrific atrocities against their fellow man - Jewish people, Polish people, Sinti and Roma, and homosexuals. I had studied the Holocaust before embarking on the trip and I thought I knew what to expect. But it was only when I visited Auschwitz that I appreciated the full magnitude of what occurred in these camps. Auschwitz is filled with poignant and heartbreaking exhibits that don’t require explanation - a selection of shoes belonging to inmates; artificial limbs that had to be abandoned upon entering the camp; and shoes, belonging to both tiny children and adults. By the end of the tour, my classmates and I were all left in silence, simultaneously horrified and speechless. Visiting Auschwitz was one of the best things I ever did and if any of you ever get the chance to visit one of the concentration camps, I highly recommend it.

Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the victims of the Holocaust and we vow never to forget the great pain and suffering inflicted on them.