A Trip to Auschwitz and Ukraine in June 2025
- Jun 21, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 3, 2025
Written by Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
Jonathan Dubrulle is a Healer-Influencer in Madrid who likes to help people create 'paso a paso' a better life.
The birthplace of my paternal grandmother, the most evil extermination camp of WW2, and the current fight by Ukraine against Putin. Like exactly 80 years ago, the same battle of light against darkness still prevails. If you’re interested in how a trip to connect with family roots resulted in feeling the calling to support the Ukrainian cause, you should read this article.
Krakow, Poland
My belated paternal grandmother was originally from Krakow. It was my first visit, and I was surprised by the beautiful charm of the old town. A quick video on Main Market Square, with pigeons flapping around me, resulted in 2K views in 24 hours on YouTube. The religious and cultural heritage can be felt throughout the city.
After having a vegetarian dinner in the Bhajan Café, the waitress said there was a temple in the basement and that I could visit with my shoes off. In the Hindu temple, I reached out to divinity as I was going the next day to Ukraine, a country still at war. Walking back, I remembered a church that stuck in my mind. I went in, looked at the light-coloured ceiling, and prayed that all would go well, hoping that the video and fashion shoot would be safe and have a real-world impact.
Auschwitz – Birkenau 80 years later
But first, I visited the darkest remains on planet Earth of how evil humans can get. On a guided tour from Krakow, I heard nauseating stories about how 1.5 million people were gassed in five years’ time, of which 1.1 million were Jews. In one camp with a surprisingly small surface. One thousand people were gassed at a time, in a diabolic machine to annihilate Jews, gays, and disabled people. The eugenics of the Nazis, wanting to clean up the gene pool, rubs against my beliefs of embracing the diversity of humanity in all its facets.
The first selection was to survive the abhorrent days on the train to get there, without water, latrines, food, or light. On arrival, existing prisoners would calm the survivors and tell them they had a chance of surviving the war through working in the camp. Eighty percent were gassed immediately, after being asked to strip down naked to take a shower all together. In 20 minutes, all would be dead, knowing that they were lied to and hopefully still believing that God still loved them.
Josef Mengele would smile at children and experiment on them, causing pain until death. Homosexuals were given a pink triangle and often beaten to death at the camp. The camp workers would get rotten vegetable soup, hard bread, and maybe a coffee.
Becoming day by day more like skeletons because of lack of food and hard physical labour, like moving rocks. The average life expectancy was three months.
On Execution Square, people who were accused of something—like helping someone to escape—would be hanged or shot. Rudolf Franz Höss, the commander of the camp, would have just next door a beautiful garden where his kids would play and his wife would give garden parties.
There are only a couple of survivors still alive 80 years later, but the evidence in the memorial and museum, visited by two million people a year, is so clear that there can be no denial of the Holocaust.
Taking the leap of faith to visit Ukraine
Some people didn’t understand, as I was risking my life. But being brave and wanting to make a difference includes calculated risk-taking. I took wartime insurance, Ukrainian health insurance, installed the AirAlarmUkraine app, and booked a hotel and a bus from Krakow to Lviv in Ukraine.
Lviv is the biggest city in the west of Ukraine, making it easier for aerial defenses to take down rockets and drones. Given the longer distance to Russia, it was the safest bet for a first-time visitor.
The 7-hour bus trip includes spending several hours at the Polish-Ukrainian border. It’s an annoying part of the trip. I arrived at night, and given the curfew, the only option was to take a taxi to the hotel.
The next day, I met at St. George Cathedral with my photographer and videographer, Andrey. He came by car, as he said it was too dangerous on foot, since police ask for the papers of men and force them to fight on the front if they are above 25 years old.
Other men try to escape over the mountains, but few succeed with drones monitoring the area. The historic city is beautiful, and we did fashion photography at several churches, from a panorama point, and at the Opera House.
The best was saved for last. We went to a newly created graveyard for the military who died during the conflict that started on 2/22/22. I was allowed to place a candle for a soldier whose DNA could not be identified. They weren’t allowed to say how many people were buried there, but there were thousands of graves and flags waving in the wind. The images in my mind are unforgettable and touched my heart.
While we were walking back, buses of military personnel and families were arriving to pay their last respects with a brass band, for a new hero who had fallen.
On the bus back, I chatted with Julia next to me. She talked about the PTSD most people experience and the continuous high stress levels. We also agreed that it was unfair that women can leave the country, but men can’t. Andrey loved to travel, but hasn’t been able to do so since the start of the war more than three years ago. Julia was flying to Pisa, Italy, but had to face the reality that the times when she could fly directly from Ukraine were over.
Lessons from the past and present
1. Don’t buy lies, and think for yourself
As the Nazi’s lied about ‘just undressing to take a shower’. We shouldn’t believe the endless lies of some world leaders like Putin. The soldiers who didn’t stand up to the orders of gassing people - one thousand at a time - will be judged, also by history.
2. Don’t let people plant a seed of doubt
Some people believed on the tour that Hitler was still alive, which is impossible. Other people believe it never happened. The evidence is there through buildings, pictures, shoes, fences, gas chambers and testimonies. Don’t doubt it.
3. People should be able to live and be themselves
The Nazi’s accused you for being you: Whether it was for being a Jew, Gay or Disabled.
4. Darkness has to be stopped
The lessons from the Nazis teach us that there is no redemption possible, and that giant spiders like Putin have to be stopped by force.
5. Doing the right thing
Despite the risks involved, I wanted to tell the story of Ukrainians for a Brainz Magazine article, a photoshoot for covers of fashion magazines, and produce videos with messages for social media and my website. This is the way I can contribute to the fight.
Coming back and going to Kiev
Talking to Andrey and Julia, I felt the need to do more. Despite the daily bombings, I feel compelled to go to this over in Kiev later this year. I was given important advice on how to do this as safely as possible. A compilation of video, images and stories to resonate with the world, that is the goal. If you're ready to find out more about me, go to linktree.
Read more from Jonathan Dubrulle
Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
I’m Jonathan (38y) and a Spinal Flow Practitioner in Madrid. I started as a high-potential at Thomson Reuters when I was 21. After Brussels and Geneva, I started the healing journey in Singapore and fell in love with my Chiropractor. I discovered I was gay in a country where it was still illegal at the time. With a broken heart, I moved to New York City, where I worked in Corporate Strategy. At 24, a revolt of the soul would happen at the Times Square Headquarters, and I was admitted to Bellevue Hospital.
Now I have a practice in the center of Madrid. I help clients heal and grow, develop good microhabits, and create strategies to impact the world. Beauty can rise out of ashes.
