Auschwitz launches Facebook page to reach out to youth

THE memorial museum at Auschwitz has launched a Facebook page, hoping that the popular social networking site will help it reach young people around the globe and engage them in discussions about the former Nazi death camp and the Holocaust.

The site, which opened earlier this week, already has more than 1,800 “fans” who have subscribed, with the number growing by the hour – some 500 signed up yesterday morning alone. 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 said. “Facebook is the tool that young people are using to communicate, so if we want to reach them, we should be using their tool.”