While touring Majdanek in Lublin, something that stood out to me the moment we step foot on the grounds was how well preserved the camp was. Walking down the gravel path sent chills down my spine as if at any moment this clearly inactive camp could quickly revert to what it once was. Something I learned from every camp we visited, is that it had a purpose other than holding the tragic fates of many victims, but it also held the story of their pasts. About halfway through our tour I felt we had all grown silent as we stood in the middle of the camp, its eerie feeling lingering around in the air. We were ushered into The Prisoners of Majdanek exhibition, used as a halfway point to take a break from the emotional and physical effects of trudging through the camp. This exhibition was less of a halfway point and more so threw you right into the center of a heart-throbbing time capsule. Everything was so beautifully persevered that the evilness that was overcasting each item could almost be mistaken for antiques you’d find in your grandmother’s home. I wanted to run my fingers over the many memories as if I was at a different type of museum. I knew that each item which was once encapsulated with joy, was now linked to someone’s suffering. While walking through this exhibit someone pointed out a display that held items we all use today, could even be carrying on us. Inside this display sat Nivea lotion. Finding these items left me so confused, hurt, and extremely emotional. From this week alone I learned that when dealing with something so traumatizing it is easy to numb and dissociate how the details connect to your own reality. I am learning that in accepting the horrors of the Holocaust you take an active role in rehumanizing the victims and shedding light on what once was an ordinary life that they had all led. Seeing these items did that for me as I began to form a connection with the people of the past who at one point were doing and using the same things I do. Alongside the Nivea these cases held money, lipstick, ointments, hairbrushes, and even letters weathered by years, yet they were still so poetically intact. In all of these belongings, I distinctively remembered the Nivea for the rest of the day because it is a brand of lotion I have often bought myself. As I reflected on this day, I truly began to understand how the Holocaust has shaped the lives of so many generations from the past and today. Which is why it is crucial that we preserve what is left from the victims lives so they are not forgotten, not lessened, and to keep them anchored to our reality. What happened here is very real and more tied to us than we could ever imagine.
