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Israel - Day IX

Orian Leitersdorf - October 10th, 2018

How was it? How was it? How was it? This question encompasses me from all directions, on the first day back to school, as I search for ways to describe my journey in the past week. Although I believe that the journey, through which thirty of us went through together, can only be truly experienced by being in Poland with us, I also have a responsibility to be a witness for the Holocaust and to prolong the memories of those no longer with us.

Throughout our journey, we learned about the atrocities committed in the Holocaust constantly, being overwhelmed and undergoing an emotional transformation. This part of the journey can only truly be experienced by being there, as no history textbook or story can ever come close to affecting people as being there does. While in Poland we walked in the shoes of those who passed away, traveling through the same roads which they did and beginning to feel what they felt. We present ourselves with life-changing questions in which we question our own morality, our humaneness, and our responsibility in this world. As our guide said, this part of the journey "can lead many people to conclude that people are evil".

However, the guide also informed us that if that is our take-away from this journey that he has failed. While this journey appears to be based on learning about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the evilness of the perpetrators for those crimes, in reality it had been a journey through our own soul and has also presented us with hope for our future. Through the devastation of disaster came hope with the stories of Righteous Amongst the Nations and Ghetto Revolutions, showing how not all man is evil and that another Holocaust can be avoided, if we try to aim for good in our life. This journey has affected every single one of its participants in ways not imaginable, while preparing them for the future to prevent another Holocaust in the search through their own soul.

Poland - Day VI

Galya Freeman - October 7th, 2018

Other than the occasional rustling of the leaves, swaying of trees and buzzing of bees, there is complete silence- deafening silence, but I hear everything. I hear the screams, the cries, the gunshots, the bodies tumbling to the ground. I can’t help but notice how beautiful nature is; the forest is home to an abundance of life: leaves, grass, flowers, trees, insects. Amidst the beauty and life, however, as I sit here, leaning on a tree, with a coat to my left and a cozy jacket warming my body, I see complete mayhem: young kids separated from their parents, SS officers shouting, people stripped of their clothing and dignity, maybe also sense of humanity. It’s very surreal. Surreal to think how a few decades ago, so many people were killed instantly, shot to death at the very place I was sitting. Ever since the age of eight I have learned about the Holocaust, I’ve read many memoirs and testimonies of survivors, researched various aspects of it, but nothing compares to actually being at one of the locations of execution. We walked around the forest for a few minutes; it was empowering in a sense to see small Israeli flags placed around the graves. As I walked back to the bus, I was hit by a strong sense of pride to live in Israel.

Poland - Day IV

Orian Leitersdorf - October 5th, 2018

Tears crawl out of my eyes as I walk through the Belzec extermination camp. On my left I see rocks, rocks, and rocks; in my mind I compare this landscape to the terrible history with regards to the Holocaust. I take a few moments to take in all the atrocities that occurred in this place seventy years earlier, picturing the Jewish people trudge through the asphalt path and the opportunities connected to each family. I think to myself, what if my parents and brother were headed for this place? What if I was?

While battling with these questions, I look to my right and I see green grass and trees; for me this represented the potential for the future. While thinking of what happened just meters away from me, I think of how I can grow and change to prevent myself from returning to the terrible asphalt side to my left and go to the better potential future. Interestingly, I also notice that even the terrible Holocaust represented by the left side had some green trees surrounded by asphalt rocks; I compare these trees to the righteous amongst the nations doing the right thing while surrounded by others that do not. I ask myself, what can I do, given what had happened in the Holocaust, to reach the greener potential for my future?

Poland - Day IV

Natalie Meller - October 5th, 2018

First thing in the morning we arrived at a small town in Galitzia, we saw a modern building with two stores on the bottom floor and two apartments on the top one. What seemed like another building on a random street turned out to be Ohad’s grandfathers childhood house. We heard the story of his survival from the war and continues to our next stop- the mass grave of Polish Jews murdered in Józefa. We lit candles to commemorate those who were murdered, said Kaddish, and took a moment to ourselves to think and reflect. Later we arrived at the Belzec (extermination camp) memorial. We were given simple instructions of walking from one side to the other of a pitch black room. What first seemed pointless turned out to be extremely effective in the sense that we were able to feel such discomfort from such a small act,but turning around we could see light, what resembled the light in the end of the tunnel or in other words, hope. We later walked past the the memorial it self where we received prewritten letters from our parents. Not one eye was left dry and some much strength and love was given by those papers, and those words. Our final stop was the NN theater. We were taken a tour around the museum and finished with a performance by two men, one playing the violin and the other reciting stories in Polish. They were extremely talented and with the harsh topic, and string stories, still managed to make us smile. To finish off the day we were able to welcome the Shabbat all together, doing a kiddush, and eating all together.

Poland - Day IV

Orian Leitersdorf - October 5th, 2018

I stomp my feet out of anger as I walk away from the Jewish mass grave. While angry at the Nazis, I’m also sad due to the huge loss of potential that occurred just behind me. I find a tree which I then lie against and look up at the sky.

Beneath me is the same ground which was walked on by Nazis and soon-to-be-murdered Jews. I ask myself the following questions: How could the world have benefitted from the one thousand eight hundred souls that were lost? What if I was one of those Jews? What if I was one of those Nazis? What would I do?

As I look at the sky, I begin crying. It was everything together: the site of the atrocities, the questions I ask myself, the personal stories of my family, and more, that caused me to make a vow. I promised to myself that I will never harm another human being, and that I will open my door to the person seeking refugee. Although we return to our normal school life in less than a week, I hope that I will always remember the lesson that I learned here in Poland and I will forever be grateful to the people that supported my journey through the Holocaust.

Poland - Day IV

Galya Freeman - October 5th, 2018

"inside [the gas chamber] the people were still standing erect, like pillars of basalt, since there had not been an inch of space for them to fall or even lean. Families could still be seen holding hands, even in death.” I read this as I walked through the exhibition in Belzec. Belzec was one of Poland's most efficient death camps, responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Jews in an insanely short amount of time. Like cattle, Jews were shoved into dark and empty concrete rooms, then gassed to death within ten minutes. As someone who reads many dystopian fiction novels, It was virtually impossible to comprehend that Belzec actually existed and operated; it seemed like a concept straight out of a fictional book, but the death machine was a reality.

Before arriving at the museum, we drove to Grotzka Street in Jaroslaw, where we heard the story of Ohad’s grandfathers’ experience. His grandfather grew up in an ordinary family; they lived in a two-story house they owned, and his parents shared a business with his uncle’s family. When the Nazis invaded Poland, substantial aspects of their life were revolutionized, as the anti-jewish edicts were enforced: they were forced to wear the notorious yellow star of David, restricted by curfews, and soon after, his family’s business license was revoked, making it impossible for his parents to continue working. Ohad also shared a terrifying encounter his grandfather had with an Austrian ss officer at the mere age of 9. One day, when Jewish men above the age of 27 were forced to line up for the deportation toa labor camp, Ohad’s grandfather ran out his house to give his neighbor, who was in line, some food. An Austrian soldier, with skull badge on his hat and a symbol of the SS on his collar, caught sight of him. He pointed a gun to his head, and In a tone that I imagine being malevolent and intimidating, said “I will kill you like a dog.” ironically, a German soldier saw the Austrian soldier and ordered him to back off, in so doing saving his life.

Poland - Day II

Orian Leitersdorf - October 3rd, 2018

There it was. My family name, Leitersdorf, appeared before my eyes in the historic log book of murder too many times. Suddenly, Auschwitz was different. No longer was I hearing the stories about distant people from many years ago (even though I already knew of my connection to the Holocaust) but now everything became personal. For some reason I stayed longer in the room with the historic book which contained only very general details for each of my ancestors: birth date, birth location, and location of death. Even though I had already gone to many museums about the Holocaust, heard many stories about my family’s experience, and conducted research into my past, it never felt personal until I touched that book.

As we continued to the next exhibit in Auschwitz, the place in which I had walked in merely minutes before seemed completely different. The experience changed from the distant features of a museum to the atrocities directed at my family - carefully planned out by evil masterminds to the point where calorie consumption was optimized to minimize rebellion - to keep me from entering this world. All of this, only because we are Jewish. But the ultimate question still resonates in my brain - although many answers have been suggested - of why did the Nazis hate my family so much that they would execute this inhumane solution involving many academics completely aware of their thoughts.

Poland - Day III

Galya Freeman - October 4th, 2018

We began the third day of our journey at a former Ghetto in Krakow. Food scarcity, poor sanitation, disease and confined spaces riddled ghettos such as the one we visited. We learned that people lived in a constant state of uncertainty, and as basic necessities became increasingly rare, smuggling grew rampant.

Tadeusz Pankiewicz, now recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations, was a Catholic pharmacist who helped countless Jewish people survive by smuggling in certain “goods,” a predominant one being hair dye. It was surprising to hear how a basic product, like hair dye was so sought after by the Jews in the ghetto; seeming just a few years younger could determine the difference between “left” and “right” or in other words life and death. His pharmacy was turned into an interactive museum, which we walked through.

Within the ghetto, we walked to an abandoned, dilapidated-looking building - a former hiding sight for jews. We heard the story of a six-year-old boy, his name unknown, who was told by his father to hide in the space between the roof and the attic until the Nazis disappeared. The young boy did just that and remained in his hiding spot for over two days. No food, no water, and no guidance, he sat there helplessly waiting. Unfortunately, he did not survive. it's difficult for me to fathom the terror the child must have felt as he waited alone, hungry and confused.

Paulina, a righteous among nations passed away last week; her funeral was just a few days ago. As a show of respect, we went to visit her grave. Lucash told us about her benevolent personality, how she opened her apartment to hungry Jewish people and provided them with food and indirectly a sense of hope or perhaps even faith in humanity. We listened attentively to her testimony.

We then drove to the center of Krakow, where we were given free time to roam around the streets and eat lunch. Though the area was touristic, It was nice to obtain a small insight into the modern polish culture and see polish people going about their day-to-day life.

The two hours of touring were followed by a long drive to Morkova, a small remote village. There we heard about the story of the Ulma family, also heralded as Righteous Among the Nations. After all the deportations had finished, Jews were still being hunted by the Nazis. Jewish families, in turn, desperately sought places in which they could hide. The Goldman family, for instance, arrived at the outskirts of Morkova and were fortunate enough to be hosted by a generous Christian family. The father, of this family Jozef Ulma was a farmer and photographer with six kids. The mother, Wiktoria, was pregnant, due to give birth to her seventh child quite soon. During this time, when Jews were being scouted like witches during the Salem Witch Trials, people caught hiding them were instantly killed, shot immediately with no hesitation. Amidst all the chaos and danger, the Ulma family hid the Goldmans and kept them safe, until one day Gestapo officers were informed of the ordeal. Soon after, Nazi officers barged into their house demanding to see the hidden Jews. Despite being threatened, Jozef and Wiktoria refused to turn the family in; Jozef was then shot right in front of his wife- yet she still refused to cooperate. Eventually, they were all massacred, one by one: Wiktoria, their kids, and the entire Jewish family. News of the happening spread and the following week corpses of 12 killed Jews could be seen sprawling on the fields outside. Neighbors that previously housed Jews were overcome by fear and in turn, killed them before they were caught.

In contrast to the neighbors, the courageous act committed by the Goldman family incited a discussion about human nature and the concept of choice. What motivated these righteous people to risk their lives and save people they had absolutely no connection to? Curiosity? Maybe a sign from God, or intuition; there were various different opinions among us. The discussion, for me, engendered deep introspection, through which I asked myself how I would have acted as a bystander. Would my sense of empathy overpower fear or vice versa?

Poland - Day II

Galya Freeman - October 3rd, 2018

Today was intense. We began our day at 6:30 am, quickly ate breakfast then ran to the bus for a more-or-less hour ride to Auschwitz. The more word “Auschwitz” is powerful and daunting enough to elicit strong emotions, so one could imagine how nervous, yet intrigues we felt on the way, or at least i can speak for myself. When we arrive at the labor-heavy camp, Eli challenged us with a short, seemingly simple question. He pointed out the entrance sign that declared “Work Makes You Free” and questioned the purpose and meaning behind it. On one hand, the sign had a literal meaning, do your work and you will receive certain privileges in return. On the other hand, it was a haughty statement with a sinister connotation, implying that the prisoners are slaves to the new regime and can easily be exploited.

Naively, I was shocked to learn about another Nazi method of tormenting the prisoners: taking art and changing its meaning. Art, especially in the form of music usually provides one with solace- an escape. In Auschwitz, music was utilized to remind the victims that there was essentially no escape and hey will always be inferior. As someone who has a close connection to music, it was heart-rending to hear that an orchestra was placed right outside the gas chambers, where people’s lives were being taken away.

As we continued walking through Auschwitz, we learned about the various punishments imposed upon those who attempted to escape. Penalties ranged from public executions of loved ones to suffocation rooms, starvation rooms, and confinement into tiny areas, in which multiple people had to stand up continuously for 19 hours with no time to recover the following day. One of the barracks displayed an exhibition about the life of the Jewish people leading up to the Holocaust, Montages of children playing were shown: families were enjoying their time together as were young couples- it is so hard to fathom how less than a decade later, the same people would meet an after of torture and death.

Auschwitz Birkenau was the next stop. Rather than disembarking from the bus right outside the entrance, we walked via a similar path the victims did, with the purpose of trying to understand the anxiety and uncertainty felt by the victims as they walked to an unchain destination for an unchain amount of time. As soon as i caught a glimpse of the notations entrance, my eyes began to water and soon after, tears began to roll down- it was very overwhelming. The barbed wires, countless barracks, and the gray rainy weather all evoked an indescribable feeling - an amalgamation of sadness, anger, and confusion.

We entered one of the barracks and saw the rows of ‘beds” provided by the victims. I naively assumed the three-leveled wooden slabs that were supposed to be bunk beds held 3-4 people per level, but in reality, double the number of adult people were crammed. After hearing about the inhumane living conditions a discussion about morality and choice arose. The concept of a Kappa ( a jew who helped the Nazis maintain order) and whether or no their actions were justified perplexed many, especially me.

Poland - Day II

Natalie Meller - October 3rd, 2018

Driving through the town Oświęcim, where Auschwitz the concentration camp is placed in, seemed to be easier than expected. We looked for signs of death, genocide, or any kind of proof of the atrocities, but instead, we were surrounded by green fields, tall trees, and life. It seemed a bit crazy that after all that happened in the city, people now live there, yet it's also very easy to forget that life does go on and we can’t stay stick in the past. One of the most powerful moments in the concentration camp would have to be the name book. We walked into a room that in the middle a big stand with thousands of white sheets was standing. Organized by alphabetical order, on each piece of paper there names of all those who passed through Auschwitz. Not only that people were able to look for their family members or see their last name appear on one of the papers, but seeing names and so many of them, helped us realize that our families were standing on the same land, it was no longer one person’s story, and it was no longer a number, it was much bigger than that. Exiting Auschwitz I, we were headed to Auschwitz- Birkenau, the second concentration camp. Birkenau felt so different than Auschwitz in the sense that one became a museum, walking in we did not feel as if people were tortured under our feet, but the other was still the way it was left, the long houses, the ‘beds’, and the gas chambers put pictures we have seen to life and was able to bring us closer to understanding the extent of the horror going on during those times. A question that we were faced with during one of the discussion was about the capos (the inmates that became helpers of the Nazis), and whether or not those decisions can be judged? And whether or not the people can be judged? There were many certain and uncertain opinions which left us all still wondering what our thoughts are. Finally, we ended our day with a positive act, giving. After sharing our thoughts about the day we went through, we each gifted one person with a pre-prepared gift from home for them to take on the journey. Much thought was put into all the gifts and after a day of seeing so many places where awful things have occurred, we were able to end the day knowing that people cannot just take, but also give.

Poland - Day I

Galya Freeman & Natalie Meller - October 2nd, 2018

Today we embarked upon the journey to Poland. After a sleepless five-hour flight, a two-hour layover, and an additional one hour flight, we arrived at our destination: Krakow, Poland. Tired, yet excited, we were eager to start our journey. The main attraction for the day was the Jewish quarter of Krakow, where we walked around observing a different aspect of the Jewish life years before the war began. Eli, our guide, pointed out the missing mezuzot (a Jewish symbol placed in the entrance of every Jewish building or room) in the majority of the buildings we went into, which was very surprising. We visited various synagogues, each one having a different legend behind it, in some of which students were acting out the roles. In one of the synagogues, Eli brought up some thought-provoking questions such as what is the red line when it comes to social gaps before losing the essence of a community?, and could a rabbi lying to a king be justified?. We were given time to walk around independently and glance at artifacts in a synagogue museum. We faced slight rain and wind, as well as weather a bit colder than in Israel, however, we still were able to enjoy the adventure and return to the hotel tired, hungry and looking forward to the rest of the journey.