After the lecture last Thursday on "The Bombing of Auschwitz," we asked to teachers to tell us what stood out to them most and they gained from the lecture. Below are a few excerpts from their responses:
"The great numbers of Jewish people put to death
so needlessly and callously was impacting.
The presentation helped in seeing them as individuals rather than a mass
number... The comments were impacting, such as one man’s mother who was
a prisoner at Auschwitz wanting the bombing,
even at the cost of her life, so that the Nazi idea that they were untouchable
could be destroyed. The personal
comments struck home.
My father was shot down while on a bombing mission, and
served in a German POW camp. The
specifics of what he saw and faced, both in his bombing missions and in the
camps as they tried to get information from him as the navigator; the 2 escapes
he made and the miracle of his survival upon recapture when others were
immediately executed; the liberation of the prisoners at the end of the war,
which affected both his POW camp and the concentration camp across the city –
these and so many more specifics brought home how these events, their
significance, the PTSD so many faced, and how their lives from that time
forward were impacted.. I can better
understand why some choose not to talk about the details, as the reality is in
front of them again."
- Sharon Cordova, Puyallup
"I appreciated
the breadth, depth, and detailed content of the lecture. Although I teach what
I consider to be a lengthy and hopefully thorough unit on the Holocaust, I
generally brush over this topic and cover it superficially. Many of the facts jumped out at me. The
broken down statistics on Auschwitz where 12,000 victims were put to death a
day and that 2,000 were killed every 30 minutes. While I knew about Jan Karski
and a few others who revealed what was happening in the death camps of Poland,
I appreciated the expanded list of not only people, but organizations such as
the BBC and the N.Y. Times who both revealed their awareness in 1944. I was
reminded of the impact of the World War I anti-German propaganda and the
detrimental effect on the believability factor when people were told of what
was occurring in Poland during WWII. One point that really struck me was the
comment made by a leading Jewish organization that the Allies should not be
allowed to bomb where there were Jews because the argument was put forth that
the Germans would use this as a pretext to assert that the Jewish victims were
indeed killed by the Allies. I really appreciated the references to primary
sources such as the Executive Order 100 signed by Abraham Lincoln which stated
something to the effect that “Once a war begins, the best and most humane thing
is to carry it out as intensely as possible so as to be through with it as soon
as possible.” Although I was aware that Buna had been bombed once I did not
know that it had been bombed four times. My other revelatory moment was when
Mr. Herschkowitz began talking about the different bombing strategies and I
began to relate technology, strategy, and opportunity all into the equation.
There’s a whole new perspective given when you consider that during the time
frame of WWII only 20% of bombs aimed at a precise target fell within the
target range. During the hours I spent at the presentation I gained a lot of
new information, was challenged to add to my existing knowledge, and began to
look at the issue of whether to bomb Auschwitz or not with new eyes.
I loved the way his lecture started with a couple of
guided questions and then systematically looked at the issues of awareness of
what was happening, who was aware and at what point in time, technology issues,
emotional responses from both sides, etc. It’s an excellent issue for getting students
to research, present, and debate and provides ample opportunity to bring in
some primary documents, historical maps, and primary photos. I feel a lot more
comfortable now leading or prompting a discussion about whether or not Auschwitz should have been bombed. Teachers
teach what they know, are comfortable with, and what they feel will be of
importance to their students. My entire
way of addressing this issue will be revamped into a more interactive classroom
experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more."
- Rosemary Conroy, Shoreline
"I think that it is hard for us to
truly evaluate this question ["Should the Allies have bombed Auschwitz?"] as it so hard for us to separate what we know now
about bombing in the 20th and 21st Centuries, compared
with the reality of how unreliable a method this was during the war. When we
discovered that less than 7% of bombs during the war actually hit the intended
target, it is hard to imagine the unintended potential for more loss of life.
One of the most powerful lessons for me from the Holocaust is the resiliency of
the human spirit. I cannot imagine the suffering, pain, and loss, these people
endured. But I can stand as a witness to the resiliency of their spirit as I see
survivors at events like tonight’s. When I hear children speak of what their
parents endured; and yet these people did not give up on life. They had
families, they moved forward as best they could. They celebrated the fact that
they were alive, blessed by God, holy. Should we have bombed? What if these
survivor’s would have been killed? I can’t even pretend to know the answer to
that question. It was a very though provoking lecture.
I teach Literature and Religion and my partner teacher Rosemary Conroy teaches
Social studies. We work hard to integrate this subject through all we teach.
Any chance I get to become more informed helps me to be better at my job. Thank
you so much for giving us the opportunity to hear such a great speaker."
- Tracey Rathke, Shoreline
Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust 
she is the only remaining direct relative of our generation. Ruth comes to visit us now and then ... recently she spoke of some very special pictures that her family and others in Israel were trying to put together for a limited printing. She said that these paintings were to honor an important Jewish "Elder" of Terezin. My own dear family, on my mother and father's side, was dragged to Terezin in 1942. I thought that I knew the names of the "Elders of the Jews" in Terezin, but the name she used was not familiar to me and I became curious. As it turns out, I did not understand the Hebrew version of Jacob Edelstein's name. Edelstein was an influential leader chosen and used by the Germans to aid in carrying out their horrible plans.
The Nazis tried to turn the inmates against the Elders and were successful in some instances. While many writings are critical of some of the elders, this album shows that Edelstein had a good, courageous heart and did the best he could.
one can get a clear understanding of the timetable behind the horrific main events from 1933 to 1945. The pictures and writings in the album record the efforts of the labor center and serve as an empowering and sensitive text, giving a new and deeper understanding of the Holocaust. In particular, it gives me a newer understanding and feeling of the horror that was Terezin. The album also gives information on the German use of propaganda using the "Jewish Town."
An unbelievable story. Pilecki voluntarily went to Auschwitz in order to reveal the truth about the camp. Story is also available in audio on NPR.
