We visited the Schindler Factory in Krakow, now turned into a museum. What an amazing job they have done in bringing an important story to public attention through a well-created museum. We spent hours in there, reading all the information posted, viewing the exhibits, and experiencing how the story was told. To begin, the first room surrounded us with a series of photographs depicting people in happier pre-war days, posing with family, weddings, etc. to depict the individuality of those whose lives were affected. Then, as we proceeded through the museum, there was a street car with real wooden seats inside and showing scenes of the street outside, sounds you might have heard, and you saw the sign on the tram that clearly labeled "No Jews allowed." When the ghetto was created and the walls put up, the narrowed space you walked through made you feel the closed-in space while walking on real cobblestones. Then when they were confined in tiny spaces with many people, you found yourself standing facing a small room, filled with white plaster people to represent the space use. All throughout, there were sounds, voices, and quotes from survivors.
There's no way I can do justice to the story here, except to point out its importance. The movie has been out over 20 years now, and it's time for me to watch it again. But more than the movie alone, and this one story, what this museum does is to stir up people's curiosity, seek understanding, and bring to our consciousness the stories that can no longer be told. While it's always a bit annoying to get caught in the middle of tour crowds, I also found it very heartening to see how many people wanted to know, and were listening, in many languages.
Although this is a list of survivors, I processed this photo to represent the idea of how few names are clearly shown in the area reflected in the window's light compared to those whose names are blurred and darkened, the millions whose lives were taken from them.
A follow-up visit a few weeks later:
http://365project.org/jyokota/365/2015-04-04
