Israeli School Trips to Auschwitz Should be Banned

Thanks again Con, of course I can agree as to the heinousness of the Holocaust; this was a time period in which millions of Jews faced the most brutal treatment and Auschwitz is a clear example of this--so this isn't a debate on the Holocaust as such, but whether, looking at present time, Israeli schools should be able to make trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Just to make it clear to Con as well, I am not only referring to Auschwitz as a camp that Israeli students should not be permitted visits to--but all WW2 camps used by the Nazi's. **Opening Argument** Auschwitz-Birkenau was established by the Nazi regime in 1940, in the beginning of WW2. Originally it was intended as a camp for political prisoners who had failed to copy with Nazi agenda (1.) http://www.history.com... Only a small number of Jews were deported to the camp, until 1942 (2.) http://auschwitz.org... At this point, along with other camps in the German area of control (Belzec, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Chelmno, Dachau, etc.) one of the primary purpose's became to imprison Jewish people-from all over central Europe and East Europe; even parts of the West and South were not immune. This all occurred in the three year 'final-solution', in which the intention was to rid Europe, literally, of Jewish presence. The atrocities that took place are fairly common knowledge--gas was also used in other camps, and in Nazi vans, but the high number of people killed at Auschwitz is what has given its reputation today. It is estimated that at least 960,000 Jews died there (3.) https://www.ushmm.org... In January 1945, frontline (Soviet) Ukrainian troops entered Auschwitz, many Jews had previously been forced to on marches by the Germans, but there were about 1000 very sick prisoners left. I will now go onto my main contentions-- this may be a controversial point, but when Israeli students visit Auschwitz it is not necessarily for the reason people assume they are doing so; 'education' and being made aware of ones history is often just an excuse. People can learn about any topic matter anywhere--visiting the place isn't necessary. Israeli Jews come from a very nationalistic country, with very nationalistic ideals. At present they have a leader who quite casually makes statements such as: 'they will not put us back into (the) gas chambers' in his speeches, when he is basically trying to defend Israel's domestic and international approach towards politics; nationalism and the idea that there is an enemy, and that you must fight against it, are very commonplace things for Israeli's. Which thus brings me to the point of Israeli teenagers when they visit Auschwitz--in many situations, they lack decorum. It's completely 'normal' for them to bring Israeli flags and wave them around. I would argue is disrespectful to the memory of Jews who were actually at Auschwitz, in particular to the ones who had no real concept of what 'Israel' would be, who were happy in Europe prior to the Holocaust and led relatively contented lives there. Moreover, it is also disrespectful to all the non-Jews that were taken to Auschwitz. Though fewer in numbers, they still went, and some still died. These would include the Polish prisoners, Roma gypsies, Soviet prisoners of war, etc.--the third link I gave offers the statistics on non-Jewish prisoners who were imprisoned and killed. I'm sure for any non-Jews who come from Soviet countries, it is not exactly typical for them to wave around their national flag and take selfies. This is such common knowledge that even a Facebook group was set-up to ridicule the Israeli's taking selfie pictures at Auschwitz (4.) http://www.haaretz.com... And to show the flags: http://i.imgur.com... http://i.imgur.com... http://i.imgur.com... http://i.imgur.com... http://i.imgur.com... Now, to me this cheapens the place and it is unhealthy for teenagers to have such a preoccupation with their national flag, especially when considering all the political issues and misdemeanours in their own country. In addition, from first-hand accounts, Israeli students can be extremely gregarious when they visit Auschwitz, often disregarding others visitors and behaving as if they have 'special' rights. One Polish news outlet, Przekroj weekly, wrote a story of young Israeli's damaging hotels and behaving rudely towards locals (5.) polishpress.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/israeli-teenagers-are-a-nuisance-in-poland/amp/ (Unfortunately I cannot link any other article, as it is in Polish.) One Israeli principle, in 2016, decided to cancel all Auschwitz trips for his school (6.) http://www.timesofisrael.com... He stated that: 'Some of the children who go on the trip return from it more chauvinistic, and I definitely think that that"s not how the trip should be.' 'If there is a humane and universalist atmosphere in society or in the country, the trip can strengthen these messages, but when the atmosphere in the nation today is delegitimization of the other and when the atmosphere in society is ultranationalist, then this trip serves those trends.' And: 'The trip in recent years is a trip with tendencies that are more belligerent and more suited to the atmosphere and the regime in Israel, which includes hatred of the other and fear of the other.' He also cited the high costs and obvious emotional trauma that may be felt by many of the young students. For most schools, the price per student to go to Auschwitz is at least 1000 dollars; which if you do the mathematics is overpriced and expensive. Nine Israeli travel bosses were fined for forming their own 'cartel' and overcharging schools by 20% (7.) http://www.telegraph.co.uk... I would personally argue more, given that accommodation and basic amenities in Poland are really very cheap. Anyway, I think this summarises my opening argument so I will wait for Cons)