Visiting Auschwitz is unlike visiting any other historic site. It is not simply a place to see, but a place to feel — and to remember, always.

As we walked through the preserved grounds of Auschwitz I and the vast expanse of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, we stepped into a haunting chapter of human history. The brick barracks, the barbed wire fences, the watchtowers, and the railway tracks that once delivered countless innocent people to their deaths — all are stark reminders of the unimaginable cruelty that took place here.

Inside the museum, exhibits of personal belongings — suitcases marked with names, children’s shoes, eyeglasses — spoke louder than words ever could. Each item represented a life interrupted, a family destroyed, and a future stolen.

Walking through the rooms where so many were imprisoned and standing before the remnants of the gas chambers and crematoria, it became painfully real that this was not just history but the site of real human suffering and loss. 

A short slideshow….some of what we experienced:

This visit was sobering and emotionally heavy, but it felt necessary… this is where history’s darkest chapter unfolded, and we need to honor and remember those who suffered and died.