Nazi Photo Album Depicts Officers Enjoying Themselves at Auschwitz

The album doesn't have pictures of prisoners or gas chambers. Instead, it shows high-ranking officers at the camp having a good time: singing, socializing, and decorating a Christmas tree. This happened while many Jews were being killed at the camp during the Holocaust. The album was a personal scrapbook of a Nazi named Höcker who helped run Auschwitz, where over a million people, mostly Jews, were murdered. Historians at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum spent months studying the album to understand its significance. The photos in the album depict Auschwitz as Höcker wanted to remember it. The album was a way for him to preserve his memories of the camp. Some people were not surprised by the content of the album, as they believed that the officers were brainwashed into thinking they were doing the right thing. The album also revealed the involvement of other individuals, like Dr. Heinz Baumkötter, in the atrocities committed at Auschwitz. The album became the focus of a play called "Here There Are Blueberries," which explores the story behind the photos and the people in them. The play raises questions about the knowledge and involvement of young women who worked as secretaries at Auschwitz. It delves into the moral dilemmas faced by those who may have been aware of the systematic killing of Jewish prisoners. The album sheds light on the daily operations of Auschwitz and the mindset of those involved in running the camp. It captures moments of normalcy and camaraderie among the officers, contrasting with the horrors taking place at the same time. The play based on the album prompts reflection on the complexities of complicity and awareness in the face of unimaginable atrocities.