On Jan. 27, leaders from around the world gathered in Poland to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The diversity of the kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers present, as well as the worldwide attention to this important date, are a worthy testament to the truly international, indeed, universal scope of Nazi terror. All of us, as human beings, are offended, hurt and angered by the genocide committed at Auschwitz.
That is why, whenever this important anniversary rolls around, we are faced by the same difficult questions: how can we best make sure that the world will never forget? How can we best commemorate the victims and honor the survivors?
It is the latter question that I wish to propose an answer to.
A few years ago a representative from a non-profit foundation came to my Polish ethnic school (not coincidentally, named after St. Maksymilian Kolbe, who died at Auschwitz) to tell us about a unique memorial to be built in the city of Oswiecim: a hospice center. The concept was quite simple: where so many people died such brutal and violent deaths, let's build a lasting reminder of the sanctity of human life by providing the terminally ill with the care and support needed to make their final days as painless and comfortable as possible. I think it is a great idea, yet the foundation in charge of raising money for the project, "Fundacja Pomnik," is still far from reaching its goal.
The original initiative for Fundacja Pomnik's efforts came from August Kowalczyk, an Auschwitz survivor, who recalled the heroic efforts of the nearby inhabitants of Oswiecim in helping Auschwitz prisoners survive and escape Nazi terror -- often at the price of their own lives, as well as those of their families. To commemorate their extraordinary, altruistic efforts for the sake of human life, the hospice is dedicated to their memory. But, by virtue of helping the terminally ill meet their end with peace and dignity, it sends a powerful message to the appalling ruins of gas chambers and prison cells nearby: "This is not the way a human being ought to die." Thus, it would not only be a worthy memorial to the brave inhabitants of Oswiecim, but also to all the victims and survivors of Auschwitz.
Furthermore, as a World Heritage Site, Auschwitz requires a memorial universal in nature --something that will capture the essence of the human suffering that occurred there, regardless of nationality, religion or identity. Over 90 percent of the 1.1 million killed at Auschwitz were Jews, but the dead also included Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies and civilians of many nations, ranging from Poland to Hungary, France, the Netherlands, Greece and elsewhere. Thus, the ideal memorial should in some way encompass this great diversity without making any ethnic or religious group feel forgotten or marginalized.
In the past, there has been much controversy over the presence of religious symbols and memorials at Auschwitz --the proliferation of crosses and stars of David in 1979 after the Catholic church announced the start of the beatification process for Edith Stein (who died at Auschwitz) is a case in point. A hospice center located nearby in Oswiecim would avoid such problems by virtue of its dedication to the sanctity of human life, regardless of whose human life it is, and thus be the ideal universal memorial worthy of a World Heritage Site.
This is not to say, of course, that religion should play no role in our remembrance of the victims and survivors. On the contrary, since Auschwitz is the unfathomable grave site of so many innocent lives, it demands a spiritual and religious reaction from us. The hospice center would not replace such reactions, but rather would build on top of them by acting as the common thread, like an interfaith service, that brings us all together in our common reaction to the horrors of Auschwitz.
As chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said during a ceremony on Jan. 27 in London, "we can't bring the dead back to life, but we can fight for the sanctity of life." The hospice initiative by Fundacja Pomnik is the precise expression of this sentiment and the best way to commemorate the heroic inhabitants of Oswiecim.
Cezary Podkul is a junior management and philosophy major in Wharton and the College from Chicago, Ill. Cezary Salad appears on Mondays.
