Yom HaShaoh

In a few days Yom HaShaoh, which is the Israeli Holocaust Remembrance day. This year its on Tuesday April 21. I thought of Yom HaShaoh when I was reading "Camera Lucida" and saw the picture by Koen Wessing: Nicaragua. 1979. really got me! Its juxtaposition is just brillant. I mean its what I dream of and what others dream of to capture a perfect photograph. Its hard to beat that!










Back to Yom HaShaoh...

With my recent trip to Poland, I saw major juxtaposition in many places. These are my personal photos from the camps of Auschwitz - Birkenau, Treblinka, Majdanek. (NOTE: My personal photos are to large. I am working on shrinking the file size I will put my own, until these are substitutes that do the same job)

Look at how magnificent the surrounding area is compared to what all the images show!
Above: Cement Blocks that train rails were on. Treblinka Poland

Above: Lush green grass compared to the buildings where the prisoners were kept.

above - Barracks at Auschwitz. Green grass.

above- Majdanek, Poland

above- Majdanek, Poland

I had lots of trouble being in these various locations besides for the obvious reasons. All three places were in beautiful locations and it was very difficult to ignore it. I had the hardest time at Treblinka. For me I had trouble dealing with this juxtaposition. I wanted to be the artist and take photos of these places but being very respectful to what had happened there also the other side I feel that there is no need to take photos of such places. It must be seen by ones own eye and felt by ones own hand and smelled by ones own nose.