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Auschwitz memorial launches Facebook page
[October 15, 2009] WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- The memorial museum at the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz has launched a Facebook page, hoping that the popular social networking site will help it reach young people around the globe.
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The site, which opened earlier this week, already has more than 1,000 "fans" who have subscribed. Many have left messages in English, Hebrew and Polish, the majority expressing the sentiment: "Never again." "This is a kind of an experiment on our side," memorial spokesman Pawel Sawicki told The Associated Press on Thursday. "Facebook is the tool that young people are using to communicate, so if we want to reach them, we should be using their tool." Between 1940-45, some 1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed or died of starvation, disease and forced labor at the camp, which the Nazis built in occupied Poland. Sawicki said the memorial's 1 million annual visitors are primarily students and other young people. There are already scores of Facebook groups dedicated to Auschwitz started by individuals, but the Auschwitz page -- found by searching the site with the keywords "Auschwitz Memorial" -- gives the opportunity for people to comment and participate in discussions moderated by the memorial's staff. It is in English and Polish and offers World War II photos, movies, documents from the camp and links to the museum Web site. Through Facebook, the memorial wants to work in an interactive way to preserve the memory of the site, which is taken care of by the state-run museum, and to inspire deeper thoughts. "It should not only teach the importance of remembering but also of responsibility for the world today," Sawicki said. "There is this big question: what are we to do, what is our role?" |
