Never forget, never ever forget.

The Associated Press reports that leaders from 60 nations around the world gathered in Krakow, Poland to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

Maj. Anatoly Shapiro, 92, who commanded the unit that captured the camp on Jan. 27, 1945, greeted leaders and survivors at a Holocaust forum in Krakow ahead of the main ceremony at the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps.

"I would like to say to all the people on the earth: Unite, and do not permit this evil that was committed," Shapiro said in a recorded video greeting played in Krakow's Slovacki theater. "This should never be repeated, ever."

I first read about Auschwitz from the pages of Corrie Ten Boom's book, The Hiding Place. As good as the book is, I doubt she was able to fully capture the horrors of what she, and the other prisoners went through. Take some time -- with your kids if you can and visit the following sites to learn more about the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps:

•The Auschwitz/Birkenau section of the Jewish Virtual Library
•Stuart C. Nichols' Virtual Tour of Auschwitz
•Alan Jacobs' photos of Auschwitz

Posted by Jack Lewis at January 27, 2005 08:50 AM