Tracks into Auschwitz

There is much we can share, and I will eventually, about visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau, but for now, I will talk about these tracks.

They stretch forward in a straight line, disappearing through the gate and into the camp. It is a simple image, steel rails and gravel. But standing there carries a weight that is difficult to put into words. These were not just tracks that brought people to a destination. For so many, this was the final journey.

These tracks carried human beings, families, children, entire communities, into this camp. Historians estimate that about 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz, and of those, approximately 1.1 million were murdered here. The majority were Jews, along with Poles, Roma and others.

Standing there, it is impossible to separate the image from the reality. The rails stretch forward and carry the weight of what happened here. The numbers are beyond comprehension, and words cannot fully relay what it was like to be in that space.

I will have more to share about Auschwitz, and small bits and pieces, for it is so difficult. For now, it is these tracks, the path that so many were forced to take.