Poland: A trip of tears, touching stories, and TLC.

Our masa to Poland was quite an emotional rollercoaster for me. We visited Jewish ghettos, concentration camps, and even heard the grueling stories of Holocaust survivors, and their experiences at the camps. Each additional thing that we did this past week, made the Holocaust seem more like a reality to me. The more I learned and saw, the more amplified my feelings and reactions were. While we were in Poland, we focused on both life and death. Although I tried to see the life that is still existent in Poland, I couldn’t help but notice all the death that surrounded me. Jews were stripped of their humanity, freedom, families, belongings, and so much more that cannot be replaced.

One of the first places we visited was Tikochin. Tikochin was a quaint little town, or shtetl. It had shops, homes, a beautiful church, and people walking around. Everything there seemed so peaceful, which makes me think of life. There were beautiful flowers, and you could hear the wind rustling through the trees. We gathered in the beautiful old synagogue, and filled it with life, just as it had once been.

Despite there being traces of life in Poland, I was more focused on the aspect of death, since that’s what our trip was centered around. The number ‘6 million’ was tucked into the deepest crevices of my mind. One of the places that really made me think of death was Majdanek. Walking around the camp while reading a survivor’s Holocaust story, made the entire site seem so empty and dead. Towards the end of the day at Majdanek, we approached a large dome. I didn’t know exactly what it was all about, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t pleasant. As I approached the dome, my stomach dropped. I looked down to see a gigantic mound of ashes. Looking at this massive pile of ash, I saw my ancestors. I saw those who had come before me, and weren’t as lucky as I had been. This particular sight was probably one of the most emotional things I experienced while I was in Poland. I don’t think anything represented death as accurately as a huge pile of ashes.

While we visited the various Holocaust sites in Poland, we learned about the term ‘Kiddush H’Chayim’, which means Sanctifying Life, or emphasizing acts of resistance. These acts of resistance were ones that really stuck out to me. Despite the Nazis trying to dehumanize and distinguish the Jews, we still resisted them, and proved that we are strong and united as Am Yisrael. One of the examples that truly inspired me was the story of Janusz Korczak. Janusz was a Polish-Jewish educator and children’s author. He had an orphanage, where he educated and looked after children. During the Holocaust, he was given a chance to leave Warsaw and return home, but he gave up that opportunity to stay and help the children. Eventually, he and the children all got killed. This story is a form of resistance, or Iberleben, because it shows that saving a group of children is more important than saving a single person’s life. It shows that it is worth sticking up for your beliefs, even if it means that you may suffer from it.

Rabbi Emil Fackenheim said, “Jews are forbidden to hand Hitler posthumous victories, they are commanded to survive as Jews, lest the Jewish people perish.” The way I interpret this quote, or 614th mitzvah, is that despite our tragic past, and the fact that the Nazis tried to eliminate the Jewish people, we must stay strong and remain as Am Yisrael. I completely agree with this statement. Whenever we reference the Holocaust, we say, “Never Forget.” Despite the fact that the Nazis tried to eliminate us, and came close to doing so, we are still here today and standing stronger than ever. Today, we have our own state! This is something that the Jewish people have wanted for thousands of years, and I think that it’s really important that we remember who we are, and what we stand for as Am Yisrael.

Overall, Poland was quite a long and emotional journey. Over the course of the week, we saw things that we never could have imagined were possible. We experienced the Holocaust in a way that is not possible through simply reading a textbook or having a class discussion. Although this Poland journey was quite difficult and terrifying, and although all any of us wanted was to get the hell out of this country, it was a truly inspiring and enlightening trip. We cried together, we helped each other through the tough times, and we all came out so much closer and stronger as a group.

Must a Jew Believe in God? Article

God has always been a concept that I've struggled with. What is God exactly? Do you have to believe in God to be Jewish? What does believing in God even mean? The article Must a Jew Believe in God talks all about the Jewish belief of God. According to Rabbinic and Biblical Judaism, the belief in God is something that is important. The Maimonides' thirteen principals of faith mentions that God does exist, and that believing in God is essential to one's Judaism. Obviously, depending on the type of Judaism, orthodox or reform, you will get different answers about one's belief in God.

I think that it is up to each person to interpret their God, and their views about God. Some people may feel a strong connection to God, while others may not. Personally, I don't know if I believe in God or not, but I absolutely still consider myself Jewish. I'm in Israel, the holiest place on earth, studying, and experiencing the culture for four months. If that still doesn't classify me as Jewish, then I don't know what does.

From Israel to Jordan: Across the Border

Having my parents in Israel this past week has been incredible. It has been so nice getting to catch up with them, and fill them in on all of my Israel adventures. This past weekend, we went on an adventure of our own! It started off on Friday morning, with a 4:00 AM wakeup. By 4:45, we were headed down to Eilat, and a few hours later, we started to approach the Israel-Jordan border. Before I knew it, we were walking on Jordan territory. Jordan is literally across the street from Israel, but as we headed to Petra and Wadi Rum, I noticed all of the cultural differences. The language is different, the people are different, the geography is different. That's something that's really interesting to me. I think that we tend to judge other countries and cultures based on preconceptions that we may have of them, but you see a completely different side of things when you're actually there experiencing it for yourself. This is a perfect example of me being on EIE and living in Israel for four months. Everyone has their preconceived ideas of Israel, and the conflict going on here, but it's incredibly different to be living here and experiencing it myself.

Matisiyahu's Religious Journey and Substance Abuse Problems

The article I read was about Matisiyahu's upbringing, and his religious journey and substance abuse problems. I thought that this article was so interesting. We all know who Matisiyahu is, we've all sung and danced to his songs. This article was so intriguing to me, because I've always seen him as such a real and optimistic guy. This article is proof that we don't know nearly as much about people as we think we do.

Matisiyahu got into drugs and alcohol at a very young age, letting these substances control him for most of his life. While he was going through the toughest of times, he turned to music, Judaism, and the land of Israel. Israel, along with music, were things that helped him find the right path in life. He used his belief God, and ancient traditions to cleanse himself of all of the toxic things in his past. He then used these things as a way to better his future, which I truly admire.

Women of the Wall Magilah Reading

Over the past few days we have celebrated Purim in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We all dressed up, went to a parade, and had so much fun! On Shabbat, we visited the Kotel and joined the Women Of The Wall for a special reading of the Magilah. All of these women were huddled around a Magilah scroll, dressed in costumes, chanting, and shaking the grogger every time we heard Haman's name.

It was such a cool experience to be at the Western Wall, surrounding by all of these incredible and empowering women who have fought for so much justice, change, and equality. I felt honored to be standing among them, participating in the reading of the Magilah, and the celebrating of Purim.

Hiding Judaism in Copenhagen Article

The article I chose to read was entitled, 'Hiding Judaism in Copenhagen.' This article talks about  anti-semitism occurring in Copenhagen, and how people react if they find out that you are Jewish, or even worse, Israeli. Israel's ambassador to Denmark, Arthur Avnon, gave Jews in Nørrebro, Copenhagen advice, suggesting that Jews traveling in Copenhagen exercise 'extreme subtlety': "Don’t speak Hebrew too loudly, cover up any visible Star of David jewelry, fold your kippot and slip them into your pockets." 

One of Denmark's best-known journalists, Martin Krasnik, decided to test out the Ambassador's warning, wondering what would happen to him if he walked through the streets of Nørrebrogade, a place that he used to live, wearing a kippah. Many people asked him if he was Jewish. They flipped him off, or told him to go to hell. However, Krasnik mentioned that the outcome would have been much worse if he were an Israeli. 

As much as I found this article interesting, it disgusts me. This article was written almost two years ago, and even now there is still a large wave of anti-semitism and attacks in Europe. Another aspect of Jewish life that this article made me think of was The Holocaust. The Holocaust ended 7o years ago, and there is still anti-Jewish behavior being exhibited all over the world. I truly hope that we can put an end to all of this anti-Semitic and disgusting behavior soon.

One Month in and a Vacation

Well, we have officially been in Israel for over a month! I feel like we just got here, but yet we've already done so many cool things! This past week and a half, we headed down south for a vacation. Our first stop was Masada, which we hiked at 4:00 AM in the pitch dark and freezing cold! Once we got up there, we had a beautiful t'fillah service, and a Jewish History class. Although the weather was pretty unbearable, I learned so much about Jewish History at Masada. I used to think that Masada was just a tourist destination, a beautiful place to hike. However, being there, and being educated on the location, I learned so many things that I had never known. For example, I learned that Herod The Great built Masada as a vacation home, that it had a lot of Roman influence, and that the Roman Siege of Masada lead to a mass suicide of all of the Jewish people living there at the time.

After Masada, we went to the Dead Sea, stayed in Bedouin Tents, road camels, went to Eilat, and so much more. All of these were aspects of our trip that I had been waiting for since arriving in Israel. It was all so much fun! However, my most meaningful experience of the week was definitely Gadna. At first, I didn't like it. I had a really hard time adjusting, but in the end, I ended up loving it. Over the few days that I was there, I learned so much about myself, and how to work with other people. The entire experience gave me a whole new appreciation for Israelis, and all that they do. Each of them work so hard to serve their countries, which is something I truly admire.