Memories

*FROM 11/11*
The reason we came on this trip to Poland and the reason we study the Holocaust is to remember. We remembered in the woods of the shtel, at the cemetery, at Majdanex, and today at the Warsaw Ghetto. This morning after a disappointing breakfast (there were no dried fruits this time ☹) and one that was not in a separate kosher dinning room (we weren’t allowed to eat the meat), we got on the bus and learned about the Warsaw Ghetto. The first thing we did was visit a small portion of the wall that is still standing today. The ghetto itself was only 2% of Warsaw and originally had to fit 386000 Jews (then the ghetto was shrunk and had to fit even more people). Next we went on a memorial tour. At each memorial we heard a story of resistance. We learned that the people found out what was happening in the camps by sending little kids, hidden under the train to the camps and back. Girls were sent as spies/helpers traveling to different cities b/c they couldn’t be identified as Jews as easily as men could (b/c of circumcision). At the memorial of the Jewish hospital (which had bee right next to the train station) we were informed that nurses would poison children right before the Nazis would come to take them, so that they would not have to bare the pain of a gas chamber or cattle car. We saw the sight that Mila 18 (a book by Leon Uris) was based on and learned about youth movements started in resistance. We saw the sewage pipes that people would travel through for safety. We also learned that it took the Nazis 3 weeks to take over all of Poland but a month to take over the small Warsaw Ghetto after the uprising. After that we lunch. They brought it about 18 boxes of pizza for the 44 students and 7 staff members. We demolished all of it in about 8 minutes. However, after lunch things hit a rough patch. All my memories were taken from me. Upon entering the bus after lunch I recall putting my camera in my hat and putting in on the seat but once I sat down my camera was no longer in my hat. All 200 pictures I had taken on the trip so far were gone. By then end of the day I had searched the entire bus, my bag, and had no luck. Our first stop after lunch was the airport to drop Ariella and Shira off b/c they have little kids and had not leave us for the rest of the trip. Then we picked up David Alon (who was teaching our class) and started our 5+ hour bus ride to Krakow. Our final movie of the trip was Schindler’s list. Having never seen the movie I was extremely impressed. While his original attempt was to make money he ended up saving 6000 people to date (1100 at the time but 6000 as a result of reproduction), which is more Jews than are currently live in Poland. Around 7:30ish we stopped for dinner, it wasn’t very good. When we got to Krakow I stayed behind to search the bus, still no luck. Then we had to try and find the hotel. None of the staff who had stayed behind knew where we were going. So Jake, Jon, Larissa, Izzy, Sydney, Preston, Mandy, Hadas, Yoni, Lior and I were lost for about 15 minutes until we found D Sol. When we finally arrived we got our rooms and had class discussions. Conveniently Yael and I’s room had a connecting door to Sydney and Larissa’s. Which was wonderful, especially b/c we are in the hotel for 4 nights.