The Jewish Memorial in Dachau

This photograph was shot from the inside of the Jewish Memorial in Dachau, if you couldn't tell from the Star of David in the gate or the title of the post, during my second visit to the former concentration camp. The silhouetted figure is probably a German student just peering in. A few classes were on tours that day.

Beyond these basics of background, I'm not sure what to say. I like the picture, or to be more accurate, I appreciate it. There is definitely a heavy visual and emotional weight, but I'm not sure what exactly it is I'm responding to. The harsh, interrupting bars crossing the gate? The long shadows? The mysterious person just outside the door? The simple fact that this was once a prison and site of mass murder? This bothers me. This is a picture in memorial of the Holocaust. It was not some minor event, and it should not be treated casually, yet I am at a loss to describe my feelings coherently, much less wholly comprehend them myself. It demands gravitas, and I have nothing.