Treblinka Tour

Treblinka. Rail tracks.

“You are free to take the gold and the money” – this was written on German posters in the Warsaw ghetto. 

“They meant more or less: do not forget to bring money and gold ‘” – writes Rachel Auerbach.

Transports brought lawyers, bankers, doctors, landlords. They took with them the whole property. After leaving the wagon they were greeted by following inscription:  “Warsaw Jews! You are in the transit camp, from which you will be transferred to labor camps. To prevent epidemics, you have to give your clothes and stuff for immediate disinfection. Gold, money, foreign currency and jewelry should be deposited at the counter, where you will get a receipt. They will be give back later on presentation of receipts. To be clean, all must take bath before continuing.”

After an hour, murdered people burned on a big grate made by railroad rails. 

Treblinka. Monument made from stones. Area of 22,000 square meters covered with concrete, on which put 17,000 stones with the names of Polish towns and cities, from where the murdered people were.

Concrete covers human ashes and protects them from living (yet till the 90’s appeared here gold searchers with metal detectors). The only individual commemoration is a stone dedicated to the memory of Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak), which together with children from orphanages of Warsaw ghetto was killed in a gas chamber.

Canadian philosopher Emil Fakenheim (prisoner of Sachsenhausen) says that after the Holocaust to the 613 mitzvot was added 614 mitzvah. Injunction of memory. Injunction of fidelity of memory.