Holocaust Tourism

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Dark tourism is attracting more and more people. As people today have more access to visiting new destinations, they are choosing locations where terrible atrocities have taken place. And as the Holocaust is one of the most well known human tragedies, many people are visiting the sites where some of the most horrific acts took places. Most people are respectful of the history and the sites, but some people have made questionable decisions or acted inappropriately in these places, leading many to question what is expected behavior when visiting these sites.

In the past, I have made some remarks on some observations while visiting concentration camps. But even as this issue is getting more publicity, people are still making the same mistakes.

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Two years ago, a lot of controversy was stirred up when a young girl posted a selfie in front of the gates of Auschwitz I and people criticized her for "a happy go lucky" picture in a place of murder. And while she stated that her grandmother was a survivor of the camps, many were still uncomfortable with the photo.

Today, people are still taking photos in Auschwitz, or other Holocaust memorial sites. And while not everyone is smiling, they are placing themselves in the photos they are taking, making the experience about them, and not what has happened.

In a recent trip to Budapest, I found a girl posing with the Shoes on the Danube, a memorial for the people executed and deported by the fascist Hungarian government. She was smiling, posing, and asking her father to take a picture of her, who happily obliged. I think what made the situation even more uncomfortable was that her shirt read "not my problem." I was at a loss for words, and still am. If you are impacted by a memorial, there are more tasteful ways that you can represent this.

In some instances, I have heard people complain about their day in these sites. And I get it, if you're traveling for a while, you're going to get tired or hungry. And I'm not one to shy away from complaining. But I also believe there is a time and a place. Auschwitz, for example, is not a place to complain about starving. In a camp where people were denied a substantial meal, and were murdered through starvation, complaining about missing lunch is not the most tasteful. In fact, it makes it appear that the entire camp has had no impact whatsoever.

What is sickening, however, is the desecration of these sites. In Auschwitz II-Birkenau, so many people have carved their names or words into the barracks, places where people have suffered and died. This desecration of the original artifacts not only upsets the survivors, it is disrespectful to the memory of those who were murdered there.

People around the world have been responding differently to these problems. Some have publicly shamed the young girl who posted a selfie in Auschwitz, saying that she is stupid and ignorant. However, I don't believe that causing more shame will alleviate the situation because it will cause a negative experience when learning about this time in history. A negative experience makes people resistant to learn more, and this is not a subject that should be ignored and forgotten or we are doomed to make similar mistakes. Instead I believe in an educational approach, as least confrontational as possible.

Others have tried a more educational route. One man photoshopped photos that people have taken in these sites and placed those photos with actual photos, making it appear as if they were smiling in the middle of the act. I think that the visual impact of his project is important and impactful. It shows that taking artsy photos at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial is not as cool as you would think. It educates people why photos of themselves in these locations is not tasteful, not is it really ok. However, he does leave their faces unblurred and he posts the photos publicly while using a bit of vulgarity. This is where I become uneasy because I do prefer to keep people's anonymity when educating them about this subject. When posting publically, their faces could have been blurred or the unblurred photos could have been sent privately so that people saw the impact of their actions. But I get it too, sometimes people still ignore the private educational moments that some of us attempt to give them, and drastic measures do need to be taken every once in a while. Nevertheless people have responded positively to his project and I praise him for taking stand and educating people on a sensitive issue. The impact of his project was felt as many people stated that they didn't realize what they were doing and the impact that their photo had.

So should you take photos in these places? Yes! Absolutely. Take photos of what you saw and show your friends and family. Explain what you saw, described what you learned. Spread the word.

But don't take photos about yourself. By placing yourself in these photos, you are making the story about you, the good deed you did by visiting the site, and the center focus of the photo is about you rather than what occurred. While that never was your intention, the impact is that it draws away from the history, the part that needs to be remembered. Let the stories take center stage and you be the story teller.

And always make sure to ask if photos are allowed. Certain sites down allow them while others do but only for educational purposes. Many of these sites do allow photos as they want to encourage people to share what they have learned. But if photos are denied, please respect that as the rule is in place to preserve and respect the memory of those murdered.

All of the debate about what goes on at Holocaust memorial sites has sparked a debate about dark tourism. Dark tourism is defined as a kind of tourism where people visit sites where terrible things have occurred. It can range from the plague to genocide. But the general intention of dark tourism is to visit the sites where these terrible things occurred.

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The debate about dark tourism is whether or not it is a form of sensationalism and if people are going for the right reasons. Some people claim that dark tourism is frowned upon because people are going to feel an emotion, that they are going seeking an impact on their own personal lives. They use words like "cool" or "awesome" to describe sites where people were tortured or suffered horrible deaths. But language fails us. How do you describe so unimaginable but intriguing nonetheless? How do you express your excitement to learn about this subject without making it sound as if you approve of what happened?

The other side of the debate is that dark tourism educates people. It allows them to witness for themselves, experience a minuscule fraction of the devastation, and then spread the information. It gets the word out there of what humanity has been capable of in the past. And in a world with high tensions and weaponized machinery, this message, especially today, is one that needs to be stressed. The more people who hear and live this message the better. And if people are willing to come and treat the sites respectfully, I say do it!

The debate of dark tourism has come to the conclusion that it is all about intention. If a person's intention is to go there to show everyone that they've done a good deed, to do it for Instagram likes, or to show off, then it is frowned upon. But if their intention is to go to learn more, to see through their own eyes, to try to experience as best they can so that they can learn, be better advocates, or be more open minded, then it is highly encouraged.

Promoting responsible tourism in all sectors, not just dark tourism, is becoming increasingly important as more and more people able to travel. So we all need to examine our intentions and our impact so that we can be assured that we are not accidentally supporting any negative causes and that we are not causing any harm to already fragile sites.

A lot of the time we don't know the impact of our actions until it is over. And if that is the case, acknowledge it and move on, but don't repeat it. Life is a learning process; we all make mistakes, that's how we learn. So if you've been guilty of possibly taking a selfie somewhere, I am not here to judge. I'm just explaining why it might not be a good idea to do it again.

1. Take photos of the monument, scenery, structure, etc.

2. Don't put yourself in the photos.

3. If you think it may be offensive, don't do it.

4. Don't carve, tag, or desecrate any sites or memorials.

5. Ask the staff if you're in doubt.

6. Don't complain about things in which people suffered far worse at that site.

7. Don't feel guilty for enjoying learning or for making the effort to go to these sites.

8. Keep an open mind and reflect on your experience.

Now I am not here to poo-poo on everyone and be confrontational about a subject that I am passionate about. I get it. We all make mistakes and we are all learning as we go. But that's the point: to learn. I encourage everyone to visit sites of genocide to learn about what happened so that we can prevent these acts in the future. But go with an open mind and be conscious of the intent and impact of your actions. With that in mind, your experience will be something important and unforgettable, something which will impact your life. I hope that everyone can learn from the mistakes and horrors of humanity to make us more tolerant and stand up for the rights of everyone, not just ourselves.