Auschwitz as a Place of Obligation for Christian Ethics

Following a trip to Auschwtiz, Rabbi Goldberger heard: »We were in Auschwitz.« He replied, »You and I were not in Auschwitz. My mother was in Auschwitz. We only visited Auschwitz.«

By Bernhard Sill

From the 5th to 10th of March 2007 a group of students from the faculty of Religious Education at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt »visited« Auschwitz for the first time. The group consisted of participants from Bernhard Sill seminar »Auschwitz« as a Place of Obligation for Christian Ethics. To hold the seminar »in the place« was an idea which a student during the preliminary seminar had. As a lecturer I started with pleasure to implement the idea and planned the seminar, the title of which refers to the name of a place that forces like none other the question, whether ethics of any kind has to take place at its special location.

In 2015 the next group of students with Professor Bernhard Sill from the Religious Faculty of Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt will visit Oswiecim.