Kate and I went to Munich this last weekend. Sunday we went to Dachau.
The first of what would become an extensive network of concentration camps, Dachau was opened in the spring of 1933 and served as a prototype for those that would follow. Interestingly, it was the only camp that existed all 12 years of the Nazi rule. The weather seemed fitting for the occasion- cold, drizzly, and overcast. I'm fascinated with this part of history so I was excited to learn more and to see things with my own eyes. The museum was well done, extensive but to the point, with little wasted space or information. The 20 minute video consisting of live footage was a nice touch.
The thing that really struck me at the time... and perhaps it's the biggest thing that strikes me a week later: INDIFFERENCE. while the violence, torture, and other evils became systematic, I found the indifference staggering and quite remarkable. It was truly amazing. It really leaves you shaking your head...
Torture is in the simplest things, it seems. Besides solitary confinement in total darkness for weeks or months at a time, the Nazi's set up standing cells which were about 2x6 foot. Simple, Mean, cruel... indifferent. Pole hanging was common where the prisoners were suspended for hours with their hands tied behind their backs.
The medical experiments are hard to forget. Sea Water, hypothermia, and altitude experiments tested the limits of man in the most cruel of ways.
Under the weight of international pressure, Hitler "stopped" the use of ethunasia in 1938. By that time, 70,000 had already been killed.
The Jews often had to work in the crematorium where the work was particularly grueling. The work was often continuous day and night and when exhaustion took over, they were simple shot on spot to prevent knowledge of what would happen there.
Kate read where 7,000 women were brought in, some forced into prostitution to help the morale of the SS, etc...
In 1941, there was a scabies epidemic in which 4,000 prisoners were placed on a "scabies diet" and threatened with starvation. They had to stand on the block and stand at attention for hours at a time during the heart of winter (in their underwear). Many died from the exposure.
A little more than 38,000 people were officially died here. No doubt, many, many more perished here and countless others had their lives radically altered. Its strange, on one hand it seems like yesterday and on the other it seems so long ago. While "how could they..." permeates your mind, I think we are never too far removed from such horrors. It's niave to think something like this could never happen again. Horrible stuff is happening all around the world even if it isn't here in the US. Without God, we truly have the capacity to sink to the depths. The Nazi's were a case in point and they ran themselves (and unfortunately, so many others) into the ground. I suspect God's grace holds more in place than we'll ever know... until we die and have the opportunity to see it for ourselves.
Jason
