Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most visible scar on the world’s conscience. Wind, rain, freezing cold and scorching sun slowly erase it. Yet the evil forces that created it remain: disdain, hatred, apathy, intolerance against people different from ourselves, anti-Semitism. The responsibility to preserve it is on those of us living today, while it still exists, to decide whether its voice will be passed on to our children, and to their children. Or will it slowly vanish and fade into silence.

Auschwitz-Birkenau’s authenticity and its ability to tell the story of the Holocaust are unparalleled. The generation of survivors is slowly passing away. Soon there will be no eye witnesses to tell the story. Auschwitz-Birkenau must be preserved so young people, old people, any citizen of the world can try to understand what has happened and what could happen again. Only through facing the reality of our past we hope to rid intolerance from our future.

It is an unfair fight to preserve the meaning of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Because the forces of hatred remain as corrosive as the natural elements. But you can make the fight fair. Today, we need your help

Piotr M.A.  Cywiński
President of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation
Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Gail Becker
Chairwoman of the Board
Friends of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation (USA)