Incredible Journey

I’ve been home for a week, but my heart is still in Poland. It is absolutely amazing how people can connect and create deep bonds in such a short time. The things we shared together will forever live with me. Our mentors were incredible! Avi, Tsipi, Rabbi, Howard, Anna and everyone touched my life in a way I’ve never experienced before. My emotions run deep, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about the events of this trip. For me, the mood was set on the very first day when the rain covered us at the Jewish cemetery. Not only were we soaked, but we were also drenched with sadness. Learning the history of this area of what was once the ghetto filled me with a heartache I cannot describe. Treblinka, the extermination camp, was different. I tried to understand how anyone could commit these crimes against humanity, but nothing and no one will ever be able to justify what happened here. Even though so many were killed here, the stones representing the areas the Jews were from seemed to reach to the heavens. It was as if he slaughtered were somehow comforting us. Majdanek–this was my melt down. I had read various things about the Holocaust and seen movies and TV programs, but they weren’t anything like the reality of this place. I cried, and I cried, and then I cried again. Unmeasurable grief filled my heart, and I was momentarily broken; but the arms of friends gave me solace. Sadly, my heart still aches…the seven tons of ashes…overwhelming emotions flooding my heart and soul. The memorial services at Treblinka and Majdanek provided a temporary comfort as we were able to pay tribute to those who died. Auschwitz-Birkenau: As we rode the bus along side the railroad tracks, I was haunted by the trains that carried so many to their deaths. The countryside was beautiful, and the sun was shining–peaceful and pastoral; however, images of those trapped inside the train cars were pressed in my head. It was hard to enjoy the beauty of the day because of the haunting scenes that were in my mind. Touring this place left me in the darkest, coldest place I can imagine. Pictures of innocent faces…men, women and children! The hair, eye glasses, shoes, and the suitcases with names of the slaughtered. Pictures on the walls made it so real. How…why? Birkenau means Birch Valley. I have seen the place in so many movies. Following the train tracks inside the death camp allowed me to think of the many people who rode into this place and never came out. I walked along the tracks out of the camp in memory of those people. I could leave, and all I could think about was that they could not. Howard, the trip would not have been the same without him. I can only imagine what this was like for him and his family. To stand in the barracks where he was once held captive, to tell his story to us, to have survived this must have been so powerful. I am filled with deep gratitude and respect for this man! For me, this trip was about compassion and forgiveness..this is the message. It was not just about what we saw but about what we do with this experience. I am forever grateful…not just for the education I received in Poland but for the friendships I brought home. I have never connected with others on such a level before, and I intend to nurture these relationships so they only continue to grow. My dream is to have other teachers and students from John Marshall High School experience Poland and it’s lessons…to be able to share this with the faculty and staff of my school. Tolerance, understanding, empathy…these are the fruits of this trip.