This morning I walked over to the National Gallery in Krakow. A wonderful expansive art museum. I only spent 90 minutes in the museum that could not possibly be explored in eight hours; however, I had many plans for the day.
This is a cute small Jewish neighborhood in Krakow. There are Jewish bookstores, kosher restaurants and a synagogue dating back to the 15th century. Because of Yom Kippur, everything was closed.
The famous front gate to Auschwitz. Arbeit Macht Frei with the cynical meaning “work sets you free”.
Visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau on Yom Kippur
Rudolph Hoes, the Auschwitz camp commandant, was executed on this scaffold in 1947. It was thought to be a fitting end that he would be executed in the center of the camp where he destroyed millions of lives. While more than 1.3 million men, women and children were murdered in Auschwitz and Birkenau, less than 300 Nazis were prosecuted and met justice.
Remembering those who were persecuted and suffered so much on the day of repentance and atonement. Visiting Auschwitz on Yom Kippur must have been a profound experience.
The tour guide was from Poland and she told me her grandfather survived the camps. I cannot imagine what her thoughts are when she guides groups through the camps. The tour lasts three hours.