Day one
Today we woke up at four am and got on the plane at eight. We got to
Poland and it on the road at one.
And we took a four hour long bus ride. On the plane coming here it was
my group of 27 kids and a group of 150 south Americans. The was kind
of cool to think that the plane is full of people going to poland for
the same reason.
In Poland I can feel people looks sometimes. We all have white
sweatshirts with a huge Jewish star on the back and we were told about
the anti semmitism still here. We just got back from the town square
and I went to an antique store with jewelery and war stuff. War stuff
like bunches of nazi stuff. There were patches and hats and pins, all
for sale. I was kind of disterbed knowing that someone might want to
buy that, I thought the type of person who won the award and what
horrible thing that they may have done to get an award. I feel like I
understnd more knowing that the anti semmitism started thousands of
years ago and that it got to the point that it did and now I am
touring a country where more than three million people died. So far I
feel like this will have much more of an impact because I understand
more, and it's only been day one. By the way it is a six hour
difference between New York and Poland.
Day two
Last night we had a sevice in the only functioning synagogue in the
Warsaw ghetto. I feel more connected to my judiasm here. After that we
went to the town square and walked around. I had been there before, it
wasn't as nice this time since you couldn't see a lot since it was
raining and dark. I was able to eat subway which was nice. I know I
came for the experience but I hope we have more free time. They have
starbucks, and h&m, and sephora. Oh my! They have more things in
Poland that we have in America.
They don't keep kosher here so for breakfast they offered among other
things, pork: sausage and bacon. When I saw it I was like Good idea to
eat because it been three months since I saw pork products but, eww I
realized that I didn't miss it at all and that I don't plan on eating
it when I go home. I guess I adapted to the food culture too. I
thought it was odd the way I felt after eating a meal with meat and
cheese. I was not the only one who didn't keep kosher for breakfast, I
just felt gross even though at home I eat pork and not kosher style...
I am not sure which one grossed me out so much. But oh well.
Today we walked around tykochin, it is a sad place. There is not a
whole lot of signs that the town used to be Jewish. And not a lot of
people around either. There was One house that had a Magen David
barely visiable built onto the side and then there was a sad unkept
cemetary hidden in the town. There are no Jews left in the town and if
so they don't speak up about it. The Jewish synagogue was partly re
build by some Poles who wanted to represent the towns Jewish past. We
had services in there where we danced around and had fun and then went
by bus in silence to a forest about six
Mins away. There in the forest were three big holes where 14000 Jews
lay dead. That's the all the jews in the whole town minus seventeen
who lived and some even testified at the Eichman trial. Once we saw
the forest we had to drive in a bit. And then we had to walk on a
"path" and buried in the forest were the mass graves. I was shocked to
hear the horrible testimonies of three people And then see it, walk up
an see where a whole city worth of Jews got shot and died in the hole
that has a small slope and was covered in grass. To know that below
the grass there are people. It was sad and shocking. It was a place I
did not go to before. I had no expecations or knowledge but now I know.
Day three
Today we walked around Lublin and saw the once Jewish quarter. It had
borders (walls) that protected the area. We wales around the area and
had to find one non Jewish thing two odd things and three Jewish
things. We found a church, old stables (behind some sketchy houses),
the old castel, a sketchy old house where you could see a scar on the
door as to where a mezuah used to be, a house where Jews were held
during the war, and a picture in a window where there were megen
davids. Then we went to majadanic. It was hard but not as hard as
aushwitz but it was hard. There was a room with shoes that were in
bins that towered over me. That was the hardest part. Also after the
bodies were burned they stacked the ashes in a pile that grew to be
three stories high by the end of the war. Not there is a monument
around the ashes so you can still see them today. I took a picture of
the pile. I wanted to take pictures while I am here but it is hard
because I want to be focused and learning and observing opposed trying
to document everything.
The staffed suprised us with letters from mommy and daddy. I am
excited to open it and I also look foward to the six hour bus ride to
krakow.
On the bus we watched Schindlers list last time I came to poland. We
were only able to see the sign because they were making it into an
exhibit. This time I will be able to go inside.
Tomorrow I will have five weeks left before I come home...
Day four
It is shabbat so we didn't do much I was excited to go to schindlers
factory but it doesn't actually open until the spring so that was
disapointing
-Shannon