Never Again

๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ก? ๐๐งโ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก
๐๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ, ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐ด๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐, ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น, ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐, โ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฃโ.
Those two words summed up the sincere, solemn feeling and resolve of a world shocked, numbed and reeling from the discovery that so many had been so callously rounded up and brutally murdered.
Not for anything they had done. But simply for who they were.
Mostly Jews, but also gypsies, homosexuals, the disabledโฆand others, many others.
๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ผ๐๐. ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฒ๐. ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Never again. That was the response. Never again. Never again.
The means to achieve this noble intention was set in motion immediately.
ย ๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ
The United Nations came into existence just 51 days after the World War came to an end โ 24 October 1945.
Its goal? To maintain international peace and security and to promote respect for human rights, aided by the jurisdiction of the newly formed International Court of Justice.
One of the United Nationโs first tasks was to create the โUniversal Declaration of Human Rightsโ โ described as the โinternational Magna Carta for all mankind.โ It came into existence on 10 December 1948.
The Declaration unequivocally proclaimed the inherent rights of all human beings โ all of them, all of us; every human; you, me, everyone; universally, and without exception.
The Declaration has been translated into more languages than any other document and ratified by 130 countries.
ย ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐ก ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฆ
Alongside this international declaration of principle, Britainโs war time leader, Winston Churchill, passionately promoted the โEuropean Charter of Human Rightsโ โ the worldโs first international treaty to legally protect human rights on the continent of Europe.
In May 1948 Churchill said in the opening speech to the Congress of Europe in Holland:
โ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐.โ
British lawyers drafted what was later to become the โEuropean Convention on Human Rightsโ. The UK was the first country to sign up to it on 4 November 1950, and the Convention came into force on 3 September 1953.
Including Britain, 47 European countries agreed to the Convention, which provides civil and political rights for all citizens, enshrined in law and overseen by the European Court of Human Rights.
ย ๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐
Europe, in particular, had to change its ways. Thatโs where the planetโs two world wars originated.
Right here, in Europe.
๐๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐. ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป.
Churchill, in his new role as โpeace mongerโ proposed a union of the countries of Europe as the antidote to war on our continent. He said, in the same 1948 speech in which he had also promoted the new Charter of Human Rights:
โ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.โ
The European Coal and Steel Community โ later to be become the European Economic Community and then later to be called the European Union โ was established in 1951 with the express intent of avoiding wars in Europe again.
Trade was to be the means; peace was to be the ends.
ย ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ก. ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ก. ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ก.
In direct response to the most horrific war and genocide the planet had ever known, the world rallied to find a way forward so that such wicked crimes against humanity could never happen again.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
All established in direct reply to the war, and all to achieve the same aim: peace.
This was the resolve of those who endured and survived the terrible atrocities of the fascist regimes that blighted the planet during the long years of war and madness.
Never again. Those were the words of our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents. That was the intent of the planetโs leaders following the eventual crushing of the worldโs barbarous enemies. Never again.
๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐๐จ. ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐ช๐ฃ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐.
ย ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง-๐ช๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐
Since the end of the Second World War, the words โnever againโ have been cast in stone and stamped on our memories. But the atrocities that the post-war generation so sincerely wanted to prevent happening again, have happened again. And again.
๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ โ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒโ. ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ. ๐๐โ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ.
And itโs a name thatโs in frequent use because itโs a crime thatโs frequently committed. Too many to list them all.
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ฑ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ณ-๐ฎ-๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ต๐ฒ๐ณ
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ญ
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ด๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ต๐ด๐ฏ
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ.๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ต
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ ๐ผ๐ป-๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ต๐ฑ๐ฑ
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ๐ต๐ต๐ฐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ด๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐.
ย ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐โฆ
ย ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐โฆ
ย ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐
The photo accompanying this article shows the memorial stone at the site of the Nazi extermination camp based in Treblinka, Poland โ one of over 40,000 death camps and incarceration centres purposely built to mass-murder or enslave millions of people during Hitlerโs regime.
I drove to Treblinka in 1991. It was one of the most desolate, moving experiences of my life. It was dusk and I was there all alone.
I wanted to write โnot another soulโ.
But all around me I could feel hanging in the air and deep in the ground the souls of the estimated 900,000 innocent people, who had been methodically and efficiently slaughtered in the campโs six gas chambers.
There was a sinister silence all around. This was a most evil, awful place, and always will be.
The Nazis, in an attempt to avoid responsibility for their crimes, hastily destroyed much of the camp as they retreated from the advance of the โliberatingโ Russian Red Army.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ, ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ, ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐๐ด๐ฒ, ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ต๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐บ๐.
I prayed for them all before driving away. All the souls, but especially my grandparents, who it had been understood from patchy family history, were murdered there.
As darkness began to fall, I got completely lost trying to navigate the road leading from the camp, in the middle of the never-ending dense woods, through which light could barely penetrate, and it seemed didnโt want to either.
There were no other cars on the road, no street lighting, no signs, no satnav. For a long while I thought Iโd never find a way out of there, and if I did, I never, ever wanted to go back.
But at least I can live to say that.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ, โ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ปโ.
ย ๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ
Because of my family history, hearing the name โTreblinkaโ always created a deep spasm in the pit of my stomach.
In recent years, however, I have learnt from new research that I am still checking out, that my grandparents โ Bertold and Helena Danzig โ were not sent to the Treblinka extermination camp.
As a result of meticulous documentation left behind by the Nazi regime, and carefully pieced together by compassionate researchers, I now understand they were sent by train to the Sobibรณr camp, in Nazi-occupied Poland.
๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ผฬ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ.
According to a recently published database of victims, Bertold was despatched to Sobibรณr on Transport Ax, no. 709 from Terezรญn in Czechoslovakia on 9 May 1942.
Helena was despatched on Transport Ax, no. 710 on the same day.
The train journey itself would have been unbearable.
Sobibรณr had only just been made fully operational as a place of mass extermination in the middle of May 1942.
So, if the train record is correct, my grandparents would have been among the first to perish there.
Soon after they arrived at the camp โ separated even before the train journey began โ my grandparents would have been told that they were in a transit camp.
๐ค๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ณ๐๐น, ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ.
Assembled with all the other condemned passengers on the railway siding, SS-Oberscharfรผhrer Hermann Michel made a speech to them.
He wore a white coat to give the impression he was a doctor.
Michel announced that they would be sent to work. But before this they would have to take baths and undergo disinfection, to prevent the spread of diseases.
We know this from the testimony given in the trials that followed the war.
The men and women were all separated. Everyone, including my grandparents, would be told to completely undress.
All the women had their hair unceremoniously shaven off with brutal and speedy efficiency.
Then, the train passengers of that day would be led through the โTubeโ into chambers, where Bertold and Helena would have been gruesomely gassed.
๐๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น, ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ณ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ผฬ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ.
ย ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ก๐๐
One year after my 1991 trip to Treblinka, civil war started in Bosnia, in the former Yugoslavia.
In just one town of Srebrenica during just one month, in July 1995, over 7,000 Muslim men and boys along with 25,000-30,000 refugees were ruthlessly killed.
This happened, despite the town being officially declared by the United Nations as a โsafe havenโ and patrolled by 400 Dutch peacekeepers.
The Srebrenica massacre is considered to be one of the greatest failures of the United Nations. It has been ruled to be genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
ย ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฌ
And today? Yes, today itโs happening again. Today.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, the International Court of Justice has found prima facie evidence that the Myanmar regime committed systematic violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority, tens of thousands of whom have been killed in brutal army crackdowns.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, there are genocide mass killings of Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, China has locked up in โcampsโ a million or more Uighur Muslims in whatโs been described as the worst human rights crisis in the world, referred to as โgenocidalโ by the USA.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, Russia has invaded Ukraine and is systematically killing Ukrainian citizens in what USA President, Joe Biden, has described as โgenocideโ.
And here?
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, the Conservative government wants to wash their hands of refugees arriving here and instead send them to Rwanda.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, members of the Tory government want to scrap the Human Rights Act and leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
(Despite a commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights forming part of the Brexit trade agreement, itโs been a long-term goal of successive Tory governments to water down our human rights legislation.)
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, sections of our press describe stateless, desperate refugees as โcockroachesโ and โillegalsโ.
๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐, with all good intentions, politicians will no doubt pontificate on todayโs horrendous crimes against humanity and declare, โ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฃโ.
๐ฌ๐ฒ๐, ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป. ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ. ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐?
ย ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด is an independent campaigning journalist and filmmaker who specialises in writing about health, human rights, and Europe. He is also founder of the information campaign, Reasons2Rejoin