In the late 1990's I was able to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I recall the experience… powerful... it brought back memories of my visit to Dachau in 1992. It can be overwhelming to lay witness to, even when displaced by time, the unspeakable acts that human beings are capable of perpetrating upon other human beings.As I walked out of the Dachau concentration camp, I recall saying to my companions, “I think everyone should visit here at least once during their lifetime.” They nodded in silent agreement.
The walk to our car was a quiet one; no one felt much like talking. Dachau will do that to you. The long drive back to the town of Hof, where we were working and staying, was no different. Very little was said between us. It was not until the next morning, over breakfast, that words began to flow again. It took a bright rising sun and a new day to bring us back from Dachau.
I finished reading “A Lucky Child” by Thomas Buergenthal about two weeks ago. Revisiting the museum has been on my mind ever since. If you have never been… think about it.
I think it not a bad idea that everyone should visit at least once during their lifetime.
