US Delegation Visits Auschwitz-Birkenau

8 October 2009

Dr. Michael Haltzel laying a wreath at the Execution Wall at Auschwitz

Dr. Michael Haltzel, head of the U.S. delegation to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), led a group of delegates to visit the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz and death camp in Birkenau on October 3.  Auschwitz Museum spokesperson, Jaroslaw Mensfelt, presented an insightful and moving discussion of events that transpired at the camps. When the group came to the “execution wall” in courtyard 11 of the camp, Dr. Haltzel laid a wreath in remembrance of the thousands of prisoners killed there by Nazi guards. During his statement at the October 5 HDIM session on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, Dr. Haltzel warned that reports of hate crimes and other forms of intolerance in the OSCE region are increasing, stating “We must all commit to do more to combat this behavior.”