April 11, 12 and 13

On Thursday April 11, we visited the Old City and the Jewish Quarter, walking the walls of King David to the Zion Gate and to the Kotel, Western Wall. The Kotel is the holiest place in the Jewish religion . The last remnant of the second temple is visited by millions every year. People feel that it is a direct window to G-d. But for me I did not get to experience the kotel, I feel asleep on a step at the king David exhibition and was left by the group for approximately 3 hours. Finally when they decide to leave they had noticed that someone was missing and I was found. In my defense I did have a migraine and took medication.


Friday morning, we set out for Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, learning about former Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and meeting at the very site of his assassination in 1995. We broke into discussion groups there and the teens had the opportunity to talk about peace and relative issues facing Israel today. Later, we strolled through the artists' market nearby and did some more shopping and snacking. Sadly I did not get to attend and was back at the hotel due to my migraine.


Shabbat in Israel is very special and some of the teens led the service with personal quotes.Saturday morning services were a real celebration, as one of my friends Alice was called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah.the trip has really inspired her to learn more about Jewish identity and learn more about herself . After reciting the blessings over the Torah, we danced around her, lifting her up high on a chair and signing .


After a beautiful Havdallah service outside overlooking Jerusalem , it was time to celebrate with a party for all the birthdays in our group. Set in the forest, with a DJ playing songs, we danced and lots of making out occurred during this time. Hopefully no one had mono!

Wednesday, April 10 / The Founding of Modern Israel

After arriving in Israel today at 4:30 am, we took a 2 hour drive straight to Masada and then a private beach at the Dead Sea. This was really a interesting way to start our journey here and to transition from the sadness of Poland to the happiness of Israel. Even though I had been to Israel before it is a totally different experience going with your "bus family" and with a group of teens.

Tuesday, April 9 / Lublin and Majdanek

The weather was super cold and snowing while we made our way through the extermination camp of Majdanek, located in the city of Lublin ( a city Southeast of Warsaw).

Majdanek (1941-44) is one of the six death camps built by the German/Nazi occupation forces and the SS in occupied Poland, located in the city limits of Lublin, Poland. The camp's official purpose was to destroy enemies of the Third Reich, as well as help carry out the extermination of the Jews and to take part in the deportations  of Poles. Originally a POW camp for American and Soviet prisoners, camp authorities started using Zyklon B or Cyclone B gas to murder prisoners, and the camp continued to serve that purpose until it was liberated by the Soviet army in July 1944. . The number of victims is estimated to be 78,000, including 61,000 Jews, 12,000 Poles and 5,000 Soviet prisoners of war. Majdanek covered 667 acres of land and housed 45,000 prisoners at one time, with the plan to expand to house 250,000 prisoners (which never happened.) Over 500,000 people from 54 different nationalities and 28 countries passed through this death camp. To kill one person in this camp, it is estimated to cost less the a penny.Among all the death camps, Majdanek is the best preserved and could be in full operation within 48 hours.

Today, Majdanek is a chilling reminder of the Holocaust - 17 tons of ashes are openly displayed in a Mausoleum there (approximately  68,000 bodies that were originally to be used as fertilizer). A bathtub in the crematorium for the head commandant to bathe in  since it was the warmest  place in all of the camp.As well asthe rolling hills containing 48,000 bodies below as a result of a killing massacre by the SS as a retaliation for the uprising in the Sobibor camp. Three barracks contain over 430,000 pairs of shoes, Authentic nazi, SS and prisoner uniforms are also on display.

Monday, April 8 / Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day

On Monday morning, we visited Kaszimierz, the old Jewish Quarter of Cracow, where we discussed the vibrant Jewish community that existed there for hundreds of years. It was the center of strong Jewish learning and culture and the teens were able to visit the various synagogues that are in existence then and today. Because the Nazis set their headquarters in Kraco, it was not destroyed like Warsaw. We also followed the same route by foot that the Jews were confined to a Ghetto in the Podgorze district. We saw the exact site of where Jews lived and the place they gathered for transport to the Plaszow concentration camp a few miles away. We  heard about  the story of the pharmacy in the ghetto that was run by a non-Jewish man and how he  risked his own life to help smuggle food and necessary items to the people in the ghetto. He and his two assistants were responsible for saving hundreds of people with forged documents.

Monday afternoon was the actual March of the Living, with approximately 10,000 people from over 50 countries. It was a great moment of pride for us to walk together representing America and Canada with our BBYO banner held high - the same walk that so many walked unknowingly to their deaths. The walk began in Auschwitz and the concluding ceremony held in the Birkenau death camp was very sad, but, uplifting at the same time. t  We heard stories and  speeches from survivors and dignitaries (such as Benny Gantz, the Chief of General staff of The Israeli Defense Forces and the beautiful lighting of the six torches to represent the six million of our people who perished. But, truly the most memorable moments were when the thousands stood and sang Hatikvah together as one strong, loud voice and when I saw so many Jews marching arm in arm together, it made me proud of my Jewish heritage and reassured me that the Jewish people are still strong today.

Shabbat and the concentration camps

Saturday April 6:

Today we enjoyed a Shabbat walking your of the old city of Warsaw. The tour consisted of seeing some sights and then we were allowed to walk around and get something to eat or a souvenir. Some of my friends and I decided to get a "hot chocolate"( it was just melted chocolate and a goffer waffle (a waffle with ice cream, whip cream and fruit with chocolate sauce). Later that night we went to a Shabbat program lead by Canadian delegation. This program discussed the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto as well as how we are still alive and strong. What touched me the most was while the sang that hatikvah ( Israel's national anthem) and Am Yisrael Chi , all of the holocaust survivors go up on stage and started to dance together, on the projected screen you could even see some of their faces with tears coming down there eyes.


On Sunday April 7th we traveled southward a to southern poland to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was a emotionaly draning day as we walked alongside Trudy (my bus's holocaust survivor) as she told us her story. It was the first time In my life where I actually got chills and emotional while learning about the holocaust. But being in these camps were teens my age were held was very surreal. The most terrifying place in the camps, were most of my group started to cry, was the gas chambers, were you could see the handmarks and nail scratches of the people who were murdered . After we toured the camps , we had a small ceremony where we did the mourners Kaddish to honor those who had perished and then went to the Oswiecem Synagogue where we got yelled by some soldiers for interrupting their meeting . Later on we learned it was Israel Defense Forces -20th Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.

The flight and first day of poland

These are picture of the flight, and our first day the tour of trablinka. Some of my Photos are on my camera still and will not be accessed until I am back in Seattle.

Shabbat shalom

Today we ( everyone participating with bbyo)did a Walking tour of the Warsaw Ghetto and learned about the uprisings. The Warsaw ghetto contained approximately 30,000 Jews during its operation and less then 300 people survived.Later in the evening, we meet some polish Jewish teenagers. One of them lives right next to the only remaining wall of the ghetto and told us, that though it is a reminder of our people's past we need to move on with our lives. It was interesting to see how jews living in poland felt regarding the holocaust. She also said that whenever she goes to a camp she can't go with a group, since it is too personal and is still hard to comprehend the tragedy.

the memorial for the Umschlagplatz, the Gathering place before transfer to Treblinka Death Camp was also viewed today, before heading to a Jewish cemetery . We were suppose to due a Clean-up project in Warsaw’s old Jewish Cemetery but, ended up just touring it and learning about the drawings on the grave stones and the history of certain people buried there due to the snow.

I feel like the best part of the day for me was when me and a couple of others from my bus lead a memorial service in front of the Polish Jewish museum (that is under construction) for all 3 bbyo buses. Our services main idea revolved around the Jews making difficult choices to join in the uprisings and the Judenrat . As well as resistance in general regarding the holocaust. Me and a girl on my bus read a poem together in the service that I will post since it was really interesting.


I will also post some pictures taken at the ghetto, the cemetery and during Shabbat.

flight and day one

At JFK around 1 pm eastern time on the third of April , we meet in our bus groups (that for me included 2 staff members and a holocaust survivior) for a "orientation" . As well we got our "bus" hats ,windbreakers, and a March of the living backpack

the plane ride from New York to poland was approximately 7 and a half hours and was full of kids sleeping and gossiping while all of the adults and some of the staff were upstairs in first class enjoying luxury while we were all in coach

My friend asked me to ask the flight attended what El Al meant in Hebrew and the flight attendant told me and my friend that el al means up to , up yours . Which relates to the fact that it is

After a long flight and a 3 hour drive from the airport to Trablinka - a death camp that killed jews from over 17,000 different villages including warsaw,For me I was not surprised to see there was no remains left but, only memorials that commemorated the uprisings of Triblinkans and all those who perished.It was also hard to see everything since there was 2 feet of snow.

There were groups of israeli soldiers and the israeli police forces that were doing there own tours at the same time.But showed very little respect to us knowing that we were american jewish teens learning about the holocaust. As all of the groups had to share a narrow walkway, we were being asked questions by them as well as being talked about in a negative connotation,which kinda goes back to the stereotypes that americans are not jewish enough,rude and extremely loud. Though they did participate in singing and some prayers when we had mini opening ceremony I was shocked by there behavior.

Later,during the night my bus group had a debriefing on what we saw during the day and how to understand what we has seen trablinka and how that something that what some call "beautiful" had a devastating past.

The Beginning of a Journey

To begin our journey, everyone participating in BBYO's Delegation  received weekly Shabbat messages(emails) with interesting facts, educational materials and suggested books, films and websites to utilize.

For example this is the first email I received written by Sherrie Stalarow 

Since 1988, this trip has provided teens and adults the opportunity to confront the reality of the Holocaust. Participants have seen firsthand where millions of our people were killed for just being Jewish. And yet, this trip is far less about death and dying and much more about coming to terms with what it means to live as part of this world. 

International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27th 

Since 2005, when International Holocaust Remembrance Day was declared by a United Nations resolution, millions around the world pause to remember the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp.

YOU can observe International Holocaust Remembrance day by lighting a candle on January 27th and adding your name to the list of people who are showing their support for international recognition of the day.you can click on this link to add your name. 

  

Jewish Observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day - Monday, April 8, 2013 

In Israel, the internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day comes from the Hebrew calendar and corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah. Our "march" from Auschwitz to Birkenau will occur on that day.

Interesting Facts of the Week:   

What is 6 million? 

• Approximately 5.9 million Jews currently live in Israel 
• 6.5 million Jews currently live in the U.S.
• If you combined all the Jews living in France, Canada, United Kingdom, Russia, Argentina,   Germany, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Hungary, Ukraine, Mexico and Belgium - it would only total 2.5 million.  
• If we dedicated a moment of silence for each Jewish victim - the silence would last 11 years, 5 months. 
• A list of victim's names would contain 24,000 pages. These pages placed in books and piled one on top of the other, would be 8 ft. high. 
• A major football stadium would have to be filled and emptied 75 times. 
• The Torah is read from beginning to end, during one full year; if every single word represented each Jewish victim in the Holocaust - it would take 75 years to read.  

Curious George

  

Curious George, the beloved, irrepressible monkey of children's book lore, is famous for his ability to "save the day." The creators of the books, Margret and H.A. Rey, fled Paris in 1940 with a Curious George manuscript in their suitcase. During a tense inspection of their belongings by a border  official, children's illustrations were found and they were allowed to continue on their way, eventually reaching the United States. Learn more, by clicking on this link (check out their story, Life in Paris & Narrow Escape, by clicking the icon on the bottom right of the page, told through an interactive timeline).

Some interesting facts about Israel   

Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can make claim to the following: 

• Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined
• 24% percent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees - ranking 3rd in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland - and 12% hold advanced degrees.
• Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
• According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. U.S. officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
• Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic.  

Medicine:

• Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
• Israel's Givun imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, the camera helps doctors diagnose cancer and digestive disorders.
• Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with congestive heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Technology:

• Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita. 
• The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
• Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
• The technology for AOL Instant Messenger was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.