So a big part of our journey this week involves survivors. We are incredibly lucky that 8 survivors are still able and willing to share this experience - and share their experience - with us.
On the journey back from Birkenau last night, I had the immense privilege of sitting next to Eve. She is 'our' survivor. She's allocated to our bus and we get to talk to her if we want. And how immensely lucky are we.
I won't go into immense detail about her own story as you can read that in her book - available for free download at https://manybooks.net/titles/kannermaother09SHATTERED_CRYSTALS.html
What I will describe is the energy and extra experience we have derived from being with survivors that was encapsulated in our conversation last night.
I start from the perspective that we are running out of time for this whole episode to be relevant to the next generation. When the survivors have gone, what form will Holocaust education take? I fully expect the future generations will question the scale of the Holocaust - They will ask "where's the evidence that this happened to this many people?"
So this opportunity to talk to Eve and ask her questions was so precious. And boy, does she love to talk. She was not a camp survivor herself but her family were in Germany during Kristalnacht in 1938 when Jewish properties and buildings were damaged throughout the country. They moved frequently and her grandfather was deported to Poland, never to be seen again.
But hearing how she coped, how her faith was tested but remained intact and what she felt when she eventually heard from her own parents after she thought they were murdered was a remarkable story. But best is her resilience, her willingness to engage and her charm.
I know it's a privilege to hear her but also know I now have a duty to make sure I can share some of that in the years ahead - when she isn't able to come or isn't able to share her story directly. She passes the obligation to the next generation to ensure the present the evidence and not let apathy or denial give oxygen to this evil rearing its ugly head again.