What age to visit Auschwitz?
Jan 1st, 2006, 08:34 PM
#2
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Personally, I was very interested in the holocaust, thanks to Anne Frank, at your sons' ages and I think that they could handle it. You may want to give them some space to wander around somewhat on their own, and you may want to talk to them prior to seeing the ovens. Otherwise, I think that it is a valuable experience for pre-teens. (I teach middle school, and have been to Auschwitz, so take my opinion for what it's worth!)
Jan 1st, 2006, 08:59 PM
#3
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hello travelgirl, I have mixed emotions on this based on personal experience.
After WWII I went to the Saturday afternoon movies. I was a young girl. There was a long documentation before the movie started showing all the horrors of WWII regarding what had happened to the Jews. Although I knew that thousands of Jews had been killed etc. as my parents discussed world events at the dinner table I was completely caught off guard as to what I saw in this documentation.
To this day I still cringe when I remember the scenes, and I am now a grandmother. The horror of what I saw will be with me forever.
Perhaps if I had been prepared as to what I was going to see if would have been different. But no one, meaning parents, had any idea this was going to be shown at the local movie house on a Saturday afternoon.
Am I sorry I saw it? No. Do I wish I had been prepared? Yes.
Not being prepared I truly think has mentally scarred me for life. Just writing this post and thinking about that documentation makes me sick. Later in life I had the honor of knowing Jews who had lived through these times, and I am still amazed how they survived this horror and continued on with their lives. The human spirit is strong for sure.
I do not believe in hiding children from the cold facts of life. But agree with sjm's post. Do talk to your children about what they will be experience way before the trip. Prepare them. I assume they are aware of the history of the Jews and what happened to them. If not than I would think that you will want to educate them. The Diary of Anne Frank would be a good way to introduce them to this horrible time in history.
About the ovens, I am not sure at this point in my life I can handle that. But again I truly believe it was because of my experience with that documentation. Best wishes to you with your decision.
After WWII I went to the Saturday afternoon movies. I was a young girl. There was a long documentation before the movie started showing all the horrors of WWII regarding what had happened to the Jews. Although I knew that thousands of Jews had been killed etc. as my parents discussed world events at the dinner table I was completely caught off guard as to what I saw in this documentation.
To this day I still cringe when I remember the scenes, and I am now a grandmother. The horror of what I saw will be with me forever.
Perhaps if I had been prepared as to what I was going to see if would have been different. But no one, meaning parents, had any idea this was going to be shown at the local movie house on a Saturday afternoon.
Am I sorry I saw it? No. Do I wish I had been prepared? Yes.
Not being prepared I truly think has mentally scarred me for life. Just writing this post and thinking about that documentation makes me sick. Later in life I had the honor of knowing Jews who had lived through these times, and I am still amazed how they survived this horror and continued on with their lives. The human spirit is strong for sure.
I do not believe in hiding children from the cold facts of life. But agree with sjm's post. Do talk to your children about what they will be experience way before the trip. Prepare them. I assume they are aware of the history of the Jews and what happened to them. If not than I would think that you will want to educate them. The Diary of Anne Frank would be a good way to introduce them to this horrible time in history.
About the ovens, I am not sure at this point in my life I can handle that. But again I truly believe it was because of my experience with that documentation. Best wishes to you with your decision.
Jan 1st, 2006, 09:47 PM
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I was 11 and my sis was 9 when we went to Europe the first time in 1957. Things were very dour then and lots of war talk and construction damage still being rebuilt from WWII, which my generation grew up with.
We were not shielded from the issues then and grew up with the personal war stories like Ann Frank's, not to mention knowing folks who lived the horrors and documentaries and movies that illustrated them.
I was in Auschwitz for the first time this September. Truthfully, it is very visually "sanitized" from the reality of what happened there. The history is in the architecture and story, and several displays of personal effects that were taken from the prisoners, including hair, but nothing hugely "gory". The stories and history makes older adults very angry and shocked at our age level. Children don't process the realities of this camp the way adults do. Under the age of 11 is too young, however. We did see younger kids there and our guide agreed with me that was a mistake on the judgement of the parents. My main emotion of the extermination camp is, "how did they get by with that degree of abuse and murder?" The stories and displays are factual and not, shall I say, "gory and sensational." It is not "scary" in the visual sense, like many of the "amusement parks" and films, videos and games the kids see on computers and TV now. The entertainment directed at kids today is worse than reality.The history lesson is in the architecture and story.
I say, have them read Ann Frank's story, give them a general, short but open history of WWII, especially Poland and any other area in Europe you plan to visit. Then prepare yourselves to answer their questions after the tour.
Remind yourself that this sort of ethnic cleansing is still happening all over the world, kids see it on the front page of the newspaper ond on TV and hopefully the children of today will find a way to stop it in their life time with education and our encouragement.
On a more fun a cheeful note:
While you are in Krakow, be sure to take them to the old town, castle and a morning trip to the salt mines. They are awsome and really a historic and positive history of culture and hard work that covers many centuries.
Kids usually love tunnels and the mines are the ultimate! Great sculptures and fantastic caverns with chandeliers and art.There are even restaurants and shops. It's a very under rated tour for a true man made wonder of the world.
We were not shielded from the issues then and grew up with the personal war stories like Ann Frank's, not to mention knowing folks who lived the horrors and documentaries and movies that illustrated them.
I was in Auschwitz for the first time this September. Truthfully, it is very visually "sanitized" from the reality of what happened there. The history is in the architecture and story, and several displays of personal effects that were taken from the prisoners, including hair, but nothing hugely "gory". The stories and history makes older adults very angry and shocked at our age level. Children don't process the realities of this camp the way adults do. Under the age of 11 is too young, however. We did see younger kids there and our guide agreed with me that was a mistake on the judgement of the parents. My main emotion of the extermination camp is, "how did they get by with that degree of abuse and murder?" The stories and displays are factual and not, shall I say, "gory and sensational." It is not "scary" in the visual sense, like many of the "amusement parks" and films, videos and games the kids see on computers and TV now. The entertainment directed at kids today is worse than reality.The history lesson is in the architecture and story.
I say, have them read Ann Frank's story, give them a general, short but open history of WWII, especially Poland and any other area in Europe you plan to visit. Then prepare yourselves to answer their questions after the tour.
Remind yourself that this sort of ethnic cleansing is still happening all over the world, kids see it on the front page of the newspaper ond on TV and hopefully the children of today will find a way to stop it in their life time with education and our encouragement.
On a more fun a cheeful note:
While you are in Krakow, be sure to take them to the old town, castle and a morning trip to the salt mines. They are awsome and really a historic and positive history of culture and hard work that covers many centuries.
Kids usually love tunnels and the mines are the ultimate! Great sculptures and fantastic caverns with chandeliers and art.There are even restaurants and shops. It's a very under rated tour for a true man made wonder of the world.
Jan 1st, 2006, 10:31 PM
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As a teacher, I actually had to find out about age appropriateness once for a mom who wanted to take her child to the DC Holocaust Museum. Additionally, I actually visited Auschwitz two years ago. The GENERAL recommendation is that sixth graders and above can handle the subject matter. Prolonged exposure to the grisly photographs of stacked bodies can make younger children have nightmares (I speak from experience again as a child of a WWII vet who had pics of the Ordruff camp in his album).
My advice, like those above, is to prepare your children ahead of time. DO share the Anne Frank book and talk about gas chambers, crematoriums and Hitler's goals before you go. They could also write in a "travel journal" about their feelings after or while touring. I esp. might consider showing portions of "Schindler's List" to your kids prior to the trip to help them understand that not all Germans were void of humanity. Also, the idea that there were survivors and that the lessons of history should make an impression on their generation will offer your kids a hopeful thought.
My advice, like those above, is to prepare your children ahead of time. DO share the Anne Frank book and talk about gas chambers, crematoriums and Hitler's goals before you go. They could also write in a "travel journal" about their feelings after or while touring. I esp. might consider showing portions of "Schindler's List" to your kids prior to the trip to help them understand that not all Germans were void of humanity. Also, the idea that there were survivors and that the lessons of history should make an impression on their generation will offer your kids a hopeful thought.
Jan 2nd, 2006, 03:27 AM
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Having been through Auschwitz and some other camps of the Holocaust, I am very impressed with the common sense and totally agree with the posts above. Prepare, preside, and discuss -- your boys will understand what they see, want to be with you and wander at the same time, and will certainly want to discuss what they saw after their visit.
Although the Holocaust is part of our past, I believe it must be kept in our consciousness forever. Why? Because there are those who deny it ever happened -- just recently the president of Iran made such a false claim. Your sons must be witnesses -- just as all of us must be witnesses -- to the ugly truth. I am not Jewish, I am not of Polish descent, I am a WW II veteran, and I insist that this kind of inhumanity must be banished forever.
Although the Holocaust is part of our past, I believe it must be kept in our consciousness forever. Why? Because there are those who deny it ever happened -- just recently the president of Iran made such a false claim. Your sons must be witnesses -- just as all of us must be witnesses -- to the ugly truth. I am not Jewish, I am not of Polish descent, I am a WW II veteran, and I insist that this kind of inhumanity must be banished forever.
Jan 7th, 2006, 07:42 AM
#8
When we were there in May, it was apparent that schoolchildren go there on class trips. Some of the language was, of course, Polish, some sounded like German. The kids, while somber, didn't seem affected in the least by the experience.
I'm always amazed how some people are in denial about the Nazi programs. How much proof, how many eyewitness testimonies, would it take to convince them? As time goes by, its seriousness will be diminished, so I urge you to take your kids (with preparation, as above) to counter the disbelievers and diminishers of future generations.
I'm always amazed how some people are in denial about the Nazi programs. How much proof, how many eyewitness testimonies, would it take to convince them? As time goes by, its seriousness will be diminished, so I urge you to take your kids (with preparation, as above) to counter the disbelievers and diminishers of future generations.
Jan 7th, 2006, 08:06 AM
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My daughter was 11 when she asked to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington during a family trip. She had read several books on the Shoah (Ann Frank in 2nd grade) so she was very prepared- and we had discussed the Shoah at home. At 13 we went to Terezin while visiting Prague. This was very important for her and she found this experience very powerful. It was important for our family, too because she is really the last generation of kids who will know survivors. She goes to Jewish Day School and has met grandparents of friends who were in concentration camps. Her grandfather also fought in the war and was in Berlin after the liberation of camps. Prepare your kids as suggested and I beleive that they will find it a powerful and important experience.
Jan 7th, 2006, 08:20 AM
#10
Have your children expressed the interest? It is a very personal decision certainly, but I would err on the side of caution, not taking them when they are so young, waiting until they are older or even adults when they can decide for themselves if this is something they want to witness.
Jan 7th, 2006, 10:09 AM
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The official site for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, www.auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl, recommends 14 as the minimum age. Still, if I had children the age of yours and they showed a strong interest, were mature, and were well prepared in advance, I think I would include them.
Jan 9th, 2006, 01:23 PM
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Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses. My boys are very interested in visiting a concentration camp. One is very interested in history and the other is interested in everything about WWII. We saw the Cabinet War rooms, War Musuem and Churchill's Museum in London last summer. Now, we are planning to be in Eastern Europe next summer, so I thought it might be a site to see. After some discussion, they really want to go.
I have to admit that my husband and I have always wanted to go, too. Ever since while studying psychology in college I read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning", a testament to the human spirit, about how people found meaning in their lives, even though living in a concentration camp...
My concern is that it would be too upsetting for them at this young age. I agree that is a memory which would be forever etched in someone's mind.
I am leaning towards going. But plan to think about it a little more. I really value each poster's opinion. I think your suggestions on preparing are excellent. We'll definitely be reading and discussing Anne Frank, if we go. Thank you.
I have to admit that my husband and I have always wanted to go, too. Ever since while studying psychology in college I read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning", a testament to the human spirit, about how people found meaning in their lives, even though living in a concentration camp...
My concern is that it would be too upsetting for them at this young age. I agree that is a memory which would be forever etched in someone's mind.
I am leaning towards going. But plan to think about it a little more. I really value each poster's opinion. I think your suggestions on preparing are excellent. We'll definitely be reading and discussing Anne Frank, if we go. Thank you.
Jan 9th, 2006, 01:53 PM
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When my 2 boys were small, I took them to a place where a village once stood in Belarus. Nazis surrounded it, forced everybody in one wooden building, set it on fire, and if anybody tried to escape, shoot them - men, women, children.
My sons were 4 and 9 then. Yes, they were sad. I hope they remember. No, they didn't have nightmares.
I am an adult. Sometimes I don't go to Holocaust museums, exhibits, movies, just because I can't take it any more.
So it's not age-related. Prepare your children for the visit, so it won't be for them "out of the blue".
My sons were 4 and 9 then. Yes, they were sad. I hope they remember. No, they didn't have nightmares.
I am an adult. Sometimes I don't go to Holocaust museums, exhibits, movies, just because I can't take it any more.
So it's not age-related. Prepare your children for the visit, so it won't be for them "out of the blue".
Jan 9th, 2006, 01:57 PM
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And by the way, that 4-year old is majoring in German history and now, being on vacation, traveling in Europe, he sent me e-mails from Berlin and some other cities in Germany, so there is no hatred, if you may worry about this.
Jan 9th, 2006, 02:53 PM
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This is really a toughy! I have not been to Auschwitz, but I have raised two children (well almost) and I think it is really an individual decision partly based on the maturity of the child. But, without knowing, I almost think that the age of 13 is about at the maturity level to understand fully what is represented and be able to handle emotional trauma. How it will affect them really depends on the personality of the child, their life experiences to that point and what they are subjected to day/day.
My approach with my children may seem a bit sanitizing to some, but I tried to protect them from violent movies, games and media from a young age in hopes that they would not become desensitized to human suffering. I think my children would have been horrified at age 11 to visit Auschwitz. Of course, I am basically saying I would HOPE that their reaction would be extreme, but I think I would wait until they were more mature, perhaps between 13-15 years to subject them to these human autrocities.
My approach with my children may seem a bit sanitizing to some, but I tried to protect them from violent movies, games and media from a young age in hopes that they would not become desensitized to human suffering. I think my children would have been horrified at age 11 to visit Auschwitz. Of course, I am basically saying I would HOPE that their reaction would be extreme, but I think I would wait until they were more mature, perhaps between 13-15 years to subject them to these human autrocities.
