~by Chad and Tracy Steel
In the years following WWI, the German people were hopeless, hurting, and hungry. The economic promises, patriotism, and propaganda of Hitler and the Nazi party promised prosperity to the people.
The German people were persuaded. Those who protested or fell under the crosshairs of Nazi prejudice were silenced.
Before we visited Germany, the Holocaust only existed in the history books of our minds. Now the reality of what happened in Nazi Germany is forever etched in our hearts.
May the following account of our tour through the Dachau concentration camp remind you that
Evil exists…
Memorial Sculpture of human bodies entangled in barbed wire, Dachau Concentration Camp
A somber mood fell over us as we strolled down the gravel road towards the entrance of the camp. When we arrived, we stared at the main entrance gate in hushed silence. The words Arbeit Macht Frei were wrought in iron at the top of the gate. As the prisoners entered the camp, their hearts consumed a cruel lie, for Arbeit Macht Frei means “Work sets you free.”
41,500 prisoners were never set free from Dachau, despite how hard they worked. They were shot, hanged, experimented on, or they died of starvation, exposure, and disease instead.
41,500 prisoners.
Evil lies…
“Work Sets You Free”
We entered the main yard where roll call for the prisoners was held two times a day, for hours at a time, in the scorching heat or freezing snow. Heinrich Himmler, the sinister leader of the SS and Gestapo, once walked where we were standing.
We walked the path of those who delighted in torturing and murdering:
- Christian and political opponents (from Germany, Austria, and the Czech)
- Professional criminals
- Emigrants
- Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Homosexuals
- Asocials (beggars, alcoholics, prostitutes)
- Gypsies
- Jews
Evil intimidates and terrifies…
The camp’s perimeter electric fence. In the distance is a guard tower, where prisoners were shot for merely standing on the grass.
The barracks were un-insulated and cold. The beds reminded us that these were not instruments of rest. They existed only as a place to hold the prisoners until their next work shift. Hopeless eyes once stared out the windows of the barracks like ours did, fixed upon a long building where the cynical motto of the camp was written across the roof: “There is one path to freedom. Its milestones are: obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland.”
We continued down the tree lined path through the rows of barracks in utter shock and silence (One barrack at Dachau was built to accommodate 200 prisoners. When the camp was liberated in 1945, each barrack was overcrowded with up to 2,000 prisoners).
We felt cut off from hope and from the rest of the world. The atmosphere frequently pierced with screams and gunshots, was thick with silence.
Evil isolates…
The main road through the center of the camp. 17 barrack blocks used to stand on either side of the road.
To our left, an open gate caught our attention. Cold, concrete posts held the barbed wire fences in place on either side of the gate. This same barbed wire once sent electricity through the prisoners that ran into them- voluntarily embracing their chance at final freedom.
As we walked through the gate, birds chirped in the distance, and a small brook gently flowed a few feet from the barbed wire. I (Tracy) paused to remember this rare glimpse of beauty in this place of concentrated evil.
A menacing solemnness hung in the cool air. We quickly discovered why this part of the camp “felt” this way…
A couple of steps beyond the brook were a row of trees. A brick chimney loomed beyond the trees. It was the crematorium.
Evil kills…
The ovens lay open before us, testifying in silence as to the hidden crimes conducted here. Most chilling was the “shower room” to the left of the oven room. Human beings actually built this room to convince other human beings to take a “shower”, albeit a final shower of gas. Although never operationally used in Dachau, the Nazis still built it. (Historians are at a loss as to why they never used it.)
You could almost hear demonic laughs echo in the concrete rooms in the crematorium.
This is what the absence of God must feel like.
Evil exists. Evil lies. Evil intimidates and terrifies. Evil isolates. Evil kills. Throughout history evil has caused unfathomable pain and suffering. Evil continues to destroy human lives today.
However…
Evil will lose. Evil will cease.
The Prince of Peace is coming.
Righteousness will reign.
Come Lord Jesus, come…
We dedicate this post to the victims of the Holocaust. May generations to come retell your stories and remember your sufferings. We honor you in our hearts and mourn the loss of your loved ones…
Tracy, I can only imagine this. It’s hard to write something like this, that’s what I wrote my high school term paper on. My heart breaks for those people & their families. I still try to wrap my mind around how a human being can do things like this to other human beings, I can’t figure it out.
Still trying to figure it out to Amanda! Thank you for your comment today.
Tracy, I don’t think we will ever fully comprehend the evil that took place in Nazi Germany. My blood felt icy cold running through my body as I read these words and looked at these pictures. We must never forget and never allow evil like this to happen again.
Thank you for honoring the victims..
Oh’ my sister Tracy, and brother Chad… Our great God ministers and teaches our spirits through truth. Tonight, through your sharing God has confirmed again my love for Him and His restoration work in His world and for His people.
Thank you for making this visit a part of your vacation. Thank you so much for sharing… Love to you tonight from Maine, Amy
p.s. You two make a good team. 🙂
Thank you Amy-this was difficult to write, but Chad and I felt it needed to be said. Thank you for allowing us to share our trip with you.
As I started to read I allowed myself to step away several times before being able to conclude. I had that luxury of being able to stop reading and then to return, yet all the people who were part of the Holocaust never ever had the chance to step away. They had to endure every minute. I pray that we never ever forget what they had to journey through.
Tj- you are so right, we can turn our computers off and go back to living comfortably, while so many camp prisoners did not. We also pray that generations to come will never forget either. May God continue to comfort those who lost loved ones from this “concentrated evil.”
Hi Tracy and Chad,
Thank you for sharing with us. I feel at a loss for words, the nearest I can get to it, is by silence deep within.
As I live in the Uk, you pick up stories here and there about what happened, and when I was at school I had to watch the most horrendous film of piles of teeth, glasses, and gas chambers… At age 11 I couldn’t handle it, and now still can’t, how can you? At age 12, on a school trip I visited Ann Frank’s home and it became a part of me.
I am truly thankful for our Lord, His great love, truth, and promises.
Lord, we need you.
Hi Anita- thank you for reading and for sharing your own personal experience and feelings with us. We ALL need Him desperately. Come Lord Jesus, come…
Heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. I dont know if I could bear going there and seeing that in person. I often wonder what would make a human being turn into such a monster that would do these things to others…let alone relish in it.
I simply cant wrap my head around it. It is TRULY the absence of God. I am reminded from history that WE as Christians are not exempt from this type of suffering.
I pray Gods Mercy on my children and others, as I see America walk away from HIM at lightening speed. Deliver us quickly Lord Jesus.
Powerful post,Tracy. I can’t hear or read about this time in history without tears coming to my eyes and my stomach tightening up. Thank you for taking time on your blog to remember and honor the victims who died at the hands of such evil
Thank you Eileen. This was tough to write, but Chad and I felt it was important to share, because there are some who believe this didn’t even happen and that evil is a trivial “thing.” We obviously disagree.
Thank you for your comment and for honoring the victims with me today Erin.
Yes, and amen Kelley! Thank you for reading and for sharing your heart with us.