A Pilgrimage to Poland

Our trip to Poland was one of the hardest and coldest weeks of my life, as well as one that I will definitely never forget. Although I was constantly sad and tired, I learned an incredible amount of information about the Holocaust that is impossible to wrap my head around. We visited many places in Poland such as Warsaw, Lublin, Krakow, Auschwitz, and Lodz. We learned not just about the 6 million Jewish lives lost, but the lives of the Jewish people before and after the Holocaust as well as the resistance during life in the ghettos. 

All throughout our Poland pilgrimage, we visited sights significant to the Holocaust, along with places that let us peak into life before and after this tragic massacre of Jewish life. The comparison of Tykocin before the Shoah and Tykocin during the Shoah is just one of many examples that show how drastically life was changed due to the Holocaust. Tykocin was a shtetl, or small village, where Jews were accepted and lived in society alongside others. It was said to be a world within a world because here, Jewish life flourished. The Jews were granted a charter of rights established by the Polish government. On our walk around the town, we saw old restaurants and shops decorated with Jewish symbols that showed us a glimpse into Tykocin life pre-Holocaust. Tykocin was a very small community with an estimated 50% of the population being Jewish; the Jewish community within Tykocin was very close and tight-knit. That tight- knit community, however, changed greatly after the Holocaust as all the Jews were forcefully taken into the forest and shot one-by-one. Not only were they hatefully murdered, but they were forced to dig their own graves, and count down the minutes until their death. Some hopped they would be spared, as we read an account of 2 young girls who begged the Nazi’s to let them live, and were murdered immediately following their request. When we went to visit the graves of those who were persecuted, we saw there were not individual graves, but instead there were three mass graves. The Nazi’s considered mass graves to be the effective solution on how to kill the most Jews as fast as possible. However, even that became too slow, and Nazi’s would later use gas chambers. It’s crazy to think the Star of David is plastered onto a restaurant in Tykocin when not even a ten minute drive away thousands of Jews were murdered. To me, this shows the disgusting violence of the Holocaust, but that we have to remember a good life for the Jews did exist at one point regardless if it is still standing today. 

Many Jews fought against the Nazi regime through acts of Iberleben, (the yiddish word for survival.) While in the Ghetto and Memorial Walk in Warsaw, we learned of the different ways Jews fought for their rights through the resistance movement. One specific story that stood out to me was about Janusz Korczak. He was a doctor and a writer who made the brave decision to open an orphanage in one of the ghettos. Although he was given countless options to leave the children, he chose to stay, and was eventually shot and killed with them. Though he never once let the kids believe they were going to die; he even told them they were just going for a walk, but in reality they were on their way to where they would see their death. Another example of Iberleben was when a Jewish doctor made the drastic decision to poison the ill children in the ghetto’s hospital when she found out they were going to be sent to the gas chambers. I never thought of this as a form of resistance due to the fact that the doctor was actively killing innocent children, but now I understand that it completely is. The doctor took the initiative, which must have been terribly hard, to let the children die in peace rather than being murdered by the Nazis. This shows how the resistance movement could range from simply being there for a child, to making life ending choices. Another act of resistance was that of heroic girls, Chajka, Frumke, and others. These girls would escape the ghetto based on their Aryan looks and travel to Polish cities by day such as Lublin, and Czestochowa. They did this without hesitation and came back to the ghetto each and everyday even though they had the opportunity to escape and put themselves in danger each time they left. Their resistance was to complete dangerous missions in order to better the lives of others in the ghetto. All acts of Iberleben are selfless, courageous, and deserve incredible recognition, because they are all acts of loving kindness. 

Rabbi Emil Fackenheim wrote, “Jews are forbidden to hand Hitler posthumous victories, they are commanded to survive as Jews, lest the Jewish People perish.” This quote, or the 614th commandment is one that all Jews should be required to follow. Fackenheim is saying that we cannot allow Hitler to achieve his goals during the Holocaust after death. If I want to call myself a member of the Jewish community, I think it is essential to follow this mitzvah. I plan on observing this mitzvah by marrying a Jewish man because of the large problem intermarriage causes in the Jewish world. I also plan to raise my children Jewish and, of course, teach them about the Holocaust. As difficult as it may be, remembering the Holocaust is the only way we can ensure to never be mass persecuted again. I completely agree with Rabbi Fackenheim’s statement because to disagree is to give Hitler power beyond his grave. I am proud to be Jewish not despite of Hitler’s demonic actions, but in spite of them. 

The Poland pilgrimage taught me not just about the Holocaust, but about myself. Before this trip, I knew a few of the events that took place during the Holocaust but it was always impossible to believe them. It was so difficult for me to wrap my mind around what happened during the Holocaust before seeing the places in which these tragedies took place. Even now I still find it impossible to believe Hitler and the Nazis could be so heartless, but by visiting Poland, I am able to better understand my past. This allows to move forward knowing that I cannot stand by idly. Just as those in the resistance did, it is up to me and my generation, being the last able to hear accounts from living survivors, to stand up for those who no longer have a voice. The holocaust is not the first time in Jewish history that Jews have been violently murdered for no reason, but it is our job through education and supporting Am Israel to make sure it is the last.

A Purim "Shpil" in Soviet Moscow

Growing up, I always admired the Purim play at my temple. There was even one year that I was in it. To me, it symbolized turing a difficult but victorious Jewish story into a play that I could relate to and understand. I never thought of Purim as a way to come together until I read this article. I liked how the author though of Purim as a way to escape the oppression and want to emigrate. Everyone, no matter who they were came together for the play, all squeezing into an apartment since there was no theater they could perform at. I think the story the author of the article told also perfectly encompasses the story of purim. It is about standing up for Jewish rights without knowing the consequences. In the end, Ester’s devoted bravery saved all the Jews from Haman’s horrid antisemitism. This story shows how going out of ones way to celebrate purim and put on a play can allow people to come together in ways they did not know was possible. The play united a family just as Purim united the Jews of Soviet Moscow. 

http://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2016/02/a-purim-shpil-in-soviet-moscow/

Jerusalem

This weekend I had the incredible opportunity to spend the weekend with my parents in Jerusalem. I had been into Jerusalem before, but never for more than a couple of hours, and not during all of shabbat. I spend the weekend with my parents, seeing family friends, eating really, really good food, and walking around the streets of Jerusalem. The experience was really enjoyable as I had never left Tzuba before without the EIE community. It was really nice to have a weekend to reflect on my past 6 weeks in Israel and become excited for what was yet to come. I knew that stores in Jerusalem closed on shabbat, but I never understood what the fully meant until I witnessed it first hand. I felt like I was in a zombie apocalypse movie as the streets were completely empty. The only other time I had seen something like this was during Christmas in America. It was nice to know everyone around me celebrated shabbat and that the stores were closed for a reason, a jewish reason. At the same time though, I felt frustrated with the fact that I was only in Jerusalem for 2 days, and could not go out to eat dinner at a restaurant or shopping past sundown. I now better understand why liberal and secular Jews are angered with the city closing down on shabbat. It really can put a dent into ones weekend, even the trains are closed. At the same time, I felt very united and like I was sounded by Judaism everywhere I went. 

While in Jerusalem I had the opportunity to go to the Zoo! This was such a fun experience for me because I love animals. At the zoo, I got to feed the giraffes and elephants which was something I had never done before. One of the giraffe’s had also given birth just a week ago! The zoo was really cool because it is one of the only places in Israel where complete pluralism exists. While walking around I saw people from all cultures and religions existing in peace. I thought it was awesome knowing that the zoo is a safe place that is welcome to everyone. 

Richard Kalmin’s Migrating Tales

The babylonian Talmud, or the talmud we study today is made up mostly of the Mishna and Gamara. The Mishna is oral law once written down by Yehuda Hanaci, and once it is written down, it is set in stone. The Gamara follows three main guidelines: it states logic and opinion, brings in other teachings and text and uses stories to explain itself. Also in the Talmud is the Rashi commentary, which is commentary used to explain the logic behind the talmud and help understand it. The Mishna and Gamara are in the center of the Talmud page so they are least likely to get destroyed. The article I read talks about a book, Migrating Tales by Richard Kalmin and contains evidence of all parts of the Talmud’s creation. It shows that it is very impressive the Jews did not assimilate while living among so much roman culture and influence. To me, this proves the importance the Babylonian Talmud had on the Jews, as its teachings allowed us to remain strongly Jewish. 

http://marginalia.lareviewofbooks.org/here-there-and-everywhere-by-amit-gvaryahu/

Gadna

EIE is so crazy to me because we are constantly on the move and having new experiences. At the cost of sleeping, we are able to do more than I could have ever imagined. Sometimes what we do is super fun, but other times it can be really difficult. I’ve learned on this trip that there are 3 main ways in which we experience things. The first being we enjoy the experience while it is happening and after it over, the second that we do not enjoy the experience while it happening but learn from it once it is over and the third being we do not like the experience at all. So far on EIE I am pleased to say I have in one way or another enjoyed everything on the trip and am forever thankful for all that I am experiencing. 

Before Gadna, I was very unsure of what to think of the next 5 days. I am not a very loud or athletic person, so I did not not think Gadna would be for me. I was pretty worried it would be a type three experience, and I would just be counting the down the seconds until it was over. Luckily, my Gadna experience was quite different from how I imagined it being. I learned to appreciate the commands once I saw they weren't a punishment. Looking back on Gadna, it was definitely a type two experience. Although it was really hard for me in the moment, I am happy I did it and feel so proud of myself for surviving. I learned discipline and respect, and have a new found loving and understanding for the army (but don’t worry mom and dad I won’t be joining anytime soon.)

Massada

After hearing about Massada for so long, I was so excited to finally be able to experience it for myself. I was filled with so much jubilee about getting to the top that I did not realize how hard the hike itself would be. We woke up 4 in the morning to try and get to the top of the rock for sunrise. Although I am not an early riser, I can truly say it was worth it. I have never seen such a beautiful sunset as the one I saw that morning. The hike itself was long as there were many steps and it was all uphill. At times I wanted to give up and wished we were ridding in the gondola to take us to the top. As I reached the last step though, I felt so proud of myself, knowing I had made it. I imminently regained my breath and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I was in awe of the view, I had never seen something so magical in my life. I felt so accomplished and happy. Being at the top of Masada is a feeling I will never forget. Up until this trip I felt like I had been living in an American bubble in Israel, but being at the top made me feel so connected to all of Israel. It was the first time I considered Israel home and I am so happy for that. Although Massada was a difficult climb, it is an experience I will never forget.

500 year anniversary of the world's first ghetto

When I think about the word ‘ghetto’, I normally think of an unsafe neighborhood or a run down part of town. It is crazy to think that to many Jewish people, the word ‘ghetto’ is an automatic trigger of being oppressed. The word "ghetto" is derived from a community in Venice, Italy, where the first ghetto ever was. Now, 500 years later, although ghettos are no longer a threat to the Jewish people, they remind us of the hardships Jews had to face. This article illustrates that this 7 - acre piece of land was used to keep Jews captive. In the beginning, they had no rights, but were eventually able to trade during the day, and ultimately become free. Although free today, very few live on the land that used to assimilate the Jews. I believe this is because the land is a physical and tangible symbol of what the Jews went through. It is a constant reminder, and living on the land is still too hard for many. I think this shows how important it is to have time to heal. Even 500 years later, the ghettos still remain a soft spot for the Jews, showing how difficult it can be to recover from being put down for hundreds of years. The photos of the ghetto showed its dark beauty. It illustrates the memories of the jews that are no longer with us by painting the land in such a grim light. I really liked the pictures because they showed that even though time moves forward, sometimes it takes longer to overcome the past.