News
The third edition of the Auschwitz Memorial Magazine
In the March issue of Oś [Axis], we recommend two texts connected with art. The first of them, by the director of the State Museum in Oświęcim, Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, presents the concept of the exhibition of camp art planned for the kitchen building at the site of the Auschwitz I camp.
The exhibition will focus above all on the emotions memorialized on canvas by the artists. This means that, when there are no more eyewitnesses left, works of art will still be capable of expressing and conveying the essence of the experience of Auschwitz. The second text is about contemporary photography. It is an interview with Ambroise Tezenas, a Frenchman who completed part of an international project in Oświęcim.
We also recommend an account of a trip to Germany organized as part of the observances of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism. Participants in international projects organized by the International Youth Meeting House took part in week-long seminars. Brief reminiscences of the trip, by the young people themselves, accompany the article.
We also write in Oś about a meeting of the German Horizon Volunteers Association at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer, and publish a text devoted to an extraordinary document, the book I Looked at Their Mouths: A Diary from the Warsaw Ghetto. There was a meeting at the Jewish Center about the book, with Dr. Piotr Wieser of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.
ALL ISSUES OF THE AUSCHWITZ MEMORIAL MONTHLY MAGAZINE
It is not easy to explain what ”Oś” really is. The literal translation should be “axis,” but it does not show the obvious connection with the name of the town “Oświęcim.” That is we decided to keep the Polish word. The rest is although clear: Oświęcim, people, history and culture. Generally speaking it is a project intended to present the activities undertaken to protect the Auschwitz Memorial – the real axis of cooperation. The monthly newspaper has been published in Polish language since May 2008. Now it is time for the English version.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is the publisher of “Oś” but this is in fact a joint project with the International Youth Meeting House, the Jewish Center, and the Center for Dialogue and Prayer. Each of the institutions sees the Auschwitz Memorial in a different way, but these perspectives are mutually complementary. The Museum protects the sites of the former camp, the IYMH promotes the idea of international dialogue between young people through various activities; the Jewish Center look after the heritage of Jewish citizens of Oświęcim that created its history and the Center of Dialogue and Prayer concentrates on the sphere of sacrum and spirituality in history.
“Axis” is the symbol of collective co-operation that must be present at such place to fully use this difference of perspectives. Auschwitz is a global symbol and it remains the most eloquent place for forming the consciences of people who take responsibility for the future. That is why we decided to create the English edition of the magazine.
After more than sixty years, people from all over the world continue to visit the sites of the former concentration camp and extermination center. In 2008 the Memorial was visited by more than one million people from around the globe. The message of this place still has its strong meaning and importance and we believe that memory is crucial both to commemorate the victims and to learn our lesson for the future.
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