Auschwitz Launches Facebook Site

When I first saw this BBC article about the Polish authorities who are in charge of Auschwitz opening a Facebook site, my first thought was a bit of horror.  It seemed really odd and disrespectful to bring something like this to Facebook.

However, upon reading the article, I was mollified and I'm actually now a big fan of the decision.  To quote the article:

"A spokesman said the move was aimed at reaching the younger generation and educating them about the Holocaust.

It follows the launch by Auschwitz - now a state museum - of a YouTube channel earlier this year."

It's a fact that those survivors of the Holocaust are dying out.  Even if you were only four years old when you entered one of the camps, you are most likely in your 70s at the youngest.  Over the next 10-20 years, many of the survivors will have finally passed on.  It's very important that the current generation, and more importantly, the next generation remembers what happened so that it can never happen again.  There are already signs that people are forgetting, as many of the same things that led up to it are beginning to happen again.  Whatever the powers that be can do to bring the Holocaust to young people's attention is ok in my book.

"'If our mission is to educate the younger generation to be responsible in the contemporary world, what better tool can we use to reach them than the tools they use themselves?' said Mr Sawicki."

More power to them.  I'm going to go become a "fan" of the site right now.  You can find it here (of course, you have to be logged into Facebook to see it).