Auschwitz: The Past is Present
Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

Using Testimony in your classroom connects the past to the present. - IWitness - USC Shoah Foundation

Roman Kent's Speech at the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz: Engages students in thinking about tolerance and peace.

CHOICE
by Soljane Martinez-Quiles

Shuffling feet, quickly to and fro
Our snow boots on a mission knowing where to go
We have a choice
While 70 years ago they shuffled under duress
Their last pair of shoes, their last need for a dress
They had no choice
Stopping. Framing. Clicking. Reviewing.
The gate. HALT! STOJ!
Arbeit Macht Frei, our for the viewing
We have a choice
Stopping. Yelling. Walking. Freedom...a twisted perception
Arbeit Macht Frei. Theirs was deception.
They had no choice
A crossroad at appelle we reach. We pause and consider
To the left? To the right? Which path is the better?
We have a choice
Crosshairs they reached. No pause. No time to decide
To the left? To the right? Each a path on which they were to die
They had no choice
A suitcase, a carry-on, an iPad...the essentials, the "necessities"
We live in a world dominated by excessiveness
We have a choice
A suitcase, a mixing bowl, eyeglasses, pictures
Necessities for a life to rebuilt elsewhere
Yet elsewhere was nowhere
For what it was, was no place, no way to live
They had no choice
And yet their lives they did give