“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions -Primo Levi. By 1945, the Nazis had killed nearly two out of every 3 Jews that existed in Germany. Primo Levi stood correct when he said that the common men of society are menacing when afflicted upon in a deceiving manner. Adolf Hitler convinced thousands of innocent people to become unstoppable savages through his ideas. His inhumane acts changed Germany forever, leaving an unerasable scar.

My family and I were traveling to Germany and we stopped to see what was once a Nazi death camp, Dachau. Driving through scattered scenic towns and numerous fields, I understood why Hitler placed the concentration camp in such a remote location. As we entered the site, silence captured the mood of remembrance. Those who exited were shedding tears, as they realized that this was reality in the 1940's. As we walked through a series of memorials, I began to truly comprehend the Holocaust. I was standing on the same ground that the victims of this merciless event stood on as they awaited their fate. The ghostly barracks dotted the derelict landscape. The immense iron gates, who had seen so much fear and agony, still stood intimidating and powerful.

In Germany, I was also able to visit Anne Frank’s house and stand in the walls that saw laughter, fear, pain, and suffering. They witnessed a family fall apart in the hands of tyrants.  A textbook can not provide the emotion and atmosphere that I experienced that day. I saw the bookshelf that sheltered Anne and her family from the searching Nazis. I was able to stand right in front of the door that Anne and her family were hauled out of when they were caught. Most importantly, I was able to place my hands on the glass the concealed the diary that held all of Anne's thoughts that changed the way the world looked at the Holocaust.

During my time in Germany, I learned how this terrible event left an immense scar on the history of Germany. The Germans are very ashamed of this inhumane act that their country placed upon the innocent. I met a woman who wouldn't even go to the Holocaust memorials or the concentration camp, because her grandfather was a Nazi who had worked at the Dachau camp. He had helped to put innocent men, women and children to death because he believed in Hitler’s ideas. It was impossible for this women to believe that her grandfather would undertake such an action. It is a feeling of guilt and disbelief and the inability to accept the past that this women struggled with. This feeling flooded Germany and still leaves behind its painful scars.

History. It’s doubted, it’s haunting, it’s indibible. It’s repeatable. The Holocaust is a lesson that is vital to be taught. The saying, ¨history repeats itself¨ predicts a terrifying reality that if it is not prevented, it will happen again. This experience in Germany not only helped me understand what I had been taught in school, but it also provided me with lessons I can apply to my life. The understanding that the human race turned on each other for the prize of power is mortifying, yet, we understand it’s true. Regardless of race, religion, and heritage, people should be treated equally and with respect.