I'm streaming with tears and I am speechless.

I couldn't get off the couch after I watched it. I bought a copy and kept it wrapped and put it in my drawer. I don't know why. I have read so many memoirs from Holacost survivors and they are truly heart breaking.

I thought it was a powerful movie.

and gruesome photographs documenting the Holocaust that I don't think anyone would publish today, at least in such large quantities. I read a lot, saw the exhibit, and film at the camp, but what made the greatest impression on me was the smell. I grew up in the midwest, and the smell of death around meat packing plants was unbearable. Realizing the awful smell at Dachau is not the sickening, but familiar smell of animals, but from the murder of thousands of people is what made the Holocaust the most devastating for me.

Forgive me I really don't seem to sound ignorant, or rude. I am just confused....
there is a smell at Dachau? Still after all these years?

Much of the camp has been demolished, and I don't think it would come from mass graves after all these years.

that is horrifying.

the site is just buildings, exhibits, and greenery, but the smell triggered this sudden, overwhelming realization, and I gained an understanding of what happened there on a whole different level. I research the dead, and records can speak to you some about the lives of the people in them, but this was a whole new way of speaking from the grave.

My mom who was a Holocaust survivor, incarcerated for 5 years in Ravensbrueck and Auschwitz said, that one can never forget the smell of burned flesh.

Very sad indeed, and the officer's boy had no idea about the jews and thought they were just farmers; just like they say kids can be kids, and make friends no matter who the other kids are.

I lived in Utah and we lived on a dead street when I was growing up. All open areas and some had horses tpp that lived on my street.

My cousins lived down the street at the dead end. When I went over to my cousins house we sometimes go to his friends house in the back, they lived on a diff. street but you can go through the field to reach it. My cousin's firend was the same age and I was a little older about 1 year or so. When we were in the back yard playing along, His mother brought out homemade punch and the homemade bread, still warm and it was soooooo good, she also brought out a dish full of jelly, omg that was the best part, his mom was soooo nice always saying hi to me, and I would always have respect and saying thank you and hello. But lol, the mother was always wearing these long dresses, no idea why but I was like 13 or so, I didn't care, I just like this homemade bread, lol!!!

Next this friend had a sister about my age, I never seen her at school , awwwwhh they were home shcooled, but I was never told this. Yes this 13 year old girl had long blound hair, and her face was like angel, no make up lol, ok ok I had a crush on her, but she wore these same long dresses but she was hot to me at the age of 13 lol. When I went over to my cousin's house I wanted to go over to his friend's house like mad. lol just to check out this girl, she never said anything to me and she always stayed inside doing chores. I think they moved away like the next summer, dang lol!

Found out later like in high school, they were a Polygamy family, and my mom and dad never knew about this, they told us to stay away from this family, and they really didn't know where they lived or talked about it much.

Like idiots we allowed ourselves to get duped into another Vietnam and great depression. After the stimulus runs out and the government is out of lies and tricks then the reality will hit. Then the politicians always start more wars as a distraction and the bankers are more than happy to finance them.

I see more Jew bashing now than ever. Both our neighbors were Jewish when I was growing up and one was a holocaust survivor. She told us kids that things can change for the worst amazingly fast and people who used to like you will turn on you. She also said, don't think it can't happen here.

These aren't good times and people haven't learned from history and are only repeating that same sad trends.

Rubicon Wrote:
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> Both our neighbors were Jewish when I was growing up and one was a holocaust survivor. She told us kids that things can change for the worst amazingly fast and people who used to like you will turn on you. She also said, don't think it can't happen here.

My mom used to say the same thing. She said it would be a mistake to think that there was anything so different or unusual about the German people at the time that it couldn't happen again.

One time when I was working in NYC, I was showing a product to an elderly customer. I saw that she had concentration camp numbers tattooed on her lower arm. She saw me glance at the numbers and quickly covered them up with her sleeve. I let the moment pass, but inside, I was thinking, there is nothing to be ashamed of. I hope that you feel proud that you survived the atrocity.

I wonder how you ever get over something like that.

If one thinks the holocaust unique one doesn't know the holocaust. It certainly happened before and it has happened since in spite of the vows of 'never again'.

The more one thinks 'not here' and 'not me' the more likely one is to be a participant in the next holocaust.

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

-Martin Niemöller

When DH and I went to Dachau it was such a sobering experience that we drove all the way from München to Brussels without uttering a word.

Very powerful Helen.

I have been to Dachau a number of times over the past 30+ years, and there is always a sad feeling, dreary weather.

May I suggest watching "Steal a Pencil for Me"? Great documentary.

All it takes is a crisis, a weakened people, and a clever leader.

It will happen again.

Falls behind
1. Beyond the Gates
2. Osama

I tried to watch Schindlers List, but the 1st half hour or so was too much and I changed the channel.

My uncle who served in the Pacific ended up in the hospital for a few days after watching Letter From IwoJima. It was a little too realistic and my aunt told me he had a severe flashback. Actually, the local VA hospital had a few guys show up after watching that movie in the theatres.

One time after he got back, he apparently broke her arm when a car back-fired and he threw her down for cover.

The world is a messed up place.

I watched the last half of it on TV. Came on it channel surfing. It was a bit unrealistict IMO. I found the naivte of the boy a bit unbelievable as well as the friendship, but the ending was really powerful. Wow!

Kids didn't loiter around death camps. The list of historical inconsistencies goes on.... but nobody has claimed "pajamas" is a documentary. It is what it is - entertainment.

Yeah, I liked it, but I don't see the camp commandents kid hanging around the death camp or being so naive that he thought they were just farmers.

To little innocent children, is pukishly macabe and sick! I for one will not be sharing the Mormon heaven with these Sick fucks who gassed and burned little children..... no matter how many times so called heavenly father may beg.

Thanks for bringing up this topic. The world must never forget; this is a part of all of our history, those who let it happen and those to whom it happened.

My grandparents emigrated to the US from Hungary between world wars. Their very large families stayed in Hungary and were all murdered in the war, some shot en masse at Kamementz-Podolsk in 1941, the rest murdered at Auschwitz.

My family history chart reads like this: killed WWII, killed WWII, written over and over.

I should have relatives all over Eastern Europe, but there is no one.