RE: Auschwitz, Seventy Years Later: A Short Story, and Context
Well said, @techslut. Including the bit about the Auschwitz snack shop. Yes, they had several. Human need doesn't go away just because we face things that are difficult, right? We still need to eat, pee, scratch an itch. But yes, it's jarring and incongruous to see folks standing around waiting their turn to tour the grounds of Auschwitz, eating a hot dog. One has to find a way to parse it all, even if through humor.
I'm glad to hear the experience was somehow fortifying for you and Barak. I can only imagine what it must be like to piece together bits of this horrid past from your own ancestry. The fact that his grandfather really did not want to tell his story, that he preferred to lock it down and push it away is both understandable and devastating. What details might you know if he had told them instead, or written them down? But everyone deals with their life's woes in different ways. I've spent time wondering what I would have done in his place. It is unimaginable. But that rich past, that story, is an incredible piece of personal history.
I didn't mention it in the post, but this short story was directly inspired by what I learned from you and Barak. While "enjoy" is probably not the right word, I did enjoy hearing you two talk about it.