Never Forget

Last week was Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day had special significance this year because of my recent trip to Poland. I had the honor and privilege of speaking at Pardes on behalf of the group of students who went on the trip. I shared an excerpt from this blog, and spoke about the importance of remembering that the number six million is made up of 6,000,000 unique and distinct individuals.

Instead of sharing my words here, I'd like to share the words and expressions of a few friends, with their permission:

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Written by my roommate, Laura Herman, shared from her journal in an email to family and friends:
"Being in Israel has taught me how to prepare. No, not how to properly pack bags, or take provisions for a hike – both of which are useful skills in this country, but how to prepare mentally. I noticed this immediately when I arrived. Pardes began as the month of Elul started, a time when traditionally we as Jews begin to self-reflect and learn in preparation for Yom Kippur. After a month of doing so, I experienced the most meaningful Yom Kippur of my life. All because I prepared.
For Pesach this year, a friend of mine decided to organize a communal seder because his mum was visiting. He asked each of the 10 people who attended to prepare by researching one part of the seder and to share what they learned with the group. We used this as the basis for our question asking and conversation at the seder, and were there engaging in lively discussion until 3 in the morning. Our preparation served us well.
Today was erev Yom Hashoah (the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day). Instead of Pardes having its commemoration on Yom Hashoah itself, we held a day of special programming today. As our Dean said at one point while introducing a speaker, Pardes does this consciously for a few reasons, one of which is so that we as students can be prepared.
After Dr. Bernstein said this, we heard from a historian about how much Jews living in Poland during the Shoah knew about the extermination going on around them. He told us a story about the Lublin ghetto, where, in 1940 and 1941 the Judenrat (the Jewish council in the ghetto) had requested extra flour to bake matzah for Pesach. For each of these years, the request was granted. Even in the ghetto, in the midst of slavery, they were able to prepare for our celebration of freedom. For pesach in 1942, they made the same request, expecting based on precedent that it would be granted. But that year was different. That year, their request was not granted. That year, the day before Pesach started, the Lublin ghetto began to be liquidated. That year, Pesach was inverted. Even the little bit of freedom that they had previously held onto was taken away from them.
We can learn a lot from the Jews in the Lublin ghetto who prepared for their holidays under some of the most unfathomable conditions. These and other seemingly minor acts that must have helped maintain some sense of normalcy during the horror of the Holocaust inspire me. All of my preparations at various times throughout the year, culminating in Pesach just last week are a sign to me of my freedom. A luxury for which I am eternally grateful. A way, to me, to honor the lives of all of those who were murdered. To carry on the legacy of those who were somehow able to proudly maintain their Jewishness during the darkest time of our history."

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During our trip, while visiting a mass grave of children, we were asked to write in our journal a letter to our future children. These are Andrew Lustig's words:

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By Kyle Lebell:
A conversation between "Hurt" and "Other":

Hurt: I hurt. They threaten me. They beat me. They maim me. They dismember. They try to make me disappear. 

Other: Tell me everything. Tell me so you can let go. And heal.

Hurt: Here's what I saw. Here's what I felt. 

Other: That sounds horrible. I can't even imagine. Now I am going to hold you and love you even more than you were hurt. 

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In Israel, on Yom HaShoah, a siren is sounded across the country. Everyone stops what they are doing to stand in solidarity and remembrance of the lives lost during the Holocaust. Even on busy highways, people stop and get out of their cars.

The following video, recorded by Joseph Shamash, captures this moment where we were during the siren, in a small corner of Jerusalem, outside of Pardes.

This & That

Twenty-Six

My birthday fell on a Saturday this year, which was nice because it was during restful Shabbat. My roommates and I hosted a dinner on Friday night with 15 of our friends. We cooked an Asian feast of EPIC proportions; sesame tofu stir-fry, orange seitan stir-fry, fried rice, persian rice, singapore noodles, glazed vegetables, cabbage salad, and home-made spring rolls. Due to a fortunate logistical glitch, we ended up with approximately 10 birthday cakes. And per the standard at our house, the cheap wine was flowing. 

At one point during the meal, my friend Kyle asked if I had known anyone at the table the previous year (when turning 25). I looked around the table and realized that, no, I didn't know anyone the previous year. This realization (coupled with 3 glasses of the aforementioned cheap wine) brought a tear to my eye, as I felt grateful and blessed to be spending this year with such a wonderful community.

On Saturday, I slept in, had lunch with my roommates, played board games, went on a birthday picnic with a cute boy (that I'm quite fond of!), and went for drinks and jazz in the evening. Happy birthday to me!

Our table before my birthday shabbat dinner. My roommate got me the beautiful flowers in the middle!

Some of my favorite girls out for drinks and jazz on Saturday night

Beach Day!

When life in Jerusalem gets overwhelming, as it often does, there's nothing like escaping to the beaches of Tel Aviv. Sunshine, blue water, warm sand, scantily-clad Israelis... I don't hate it.

Tel Aviv! The game that is being played with the racquet is called "matkot," and is a popular beach game in Israel.
I don't want to brag (yes I do), but I'm pretty good at it.

Beach diva

Beach babes! Kalie, Me, and Laura

Roomies in the sun.

Laura, Joseph, and Kalie watching the sunset.

:)

Sunset. Not too bad, Tel Aviv!

"Next This Year in Jerusalem!"


At the end of Passover seders around the world, we say "next year in Jerusalem!" This year, I felt incredibly grateful to actually be spending Passover IN Jerusalem.

The Passover seder is an evening in which we sit around a table and re-tell the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. I attended a seder at my friend's house, with 12 other people. We were each asked to prepare a short speech and provide some discussion topics, creating an interesting and thought-provoking evening.

After a few hours of chatting, we ate a massive, delicious meal. Sprinkle in some singing, lots of laughing, and four cups of wine, and you've got an enjoyable and memorable night!

Passover prep! Cooking a FEAST at Ben's house.
In other news, Laura's going to hate that I posted this. :)

Ben and his Mom, cooking for Passover seder.

Just one of the delicious dishes for seder

One of the place settings at dinner. The book is called a Hagaddah, and is the story of Passover that we read during the seder.
This particular one is the new Jonathan Safran Foer haggadah, author of "Everything is Illuminated," making the super-nerd in me very happy.

Took this picture of Jerusalem right before Passover came in.

The World is Mud-Luscious and Puddle-Wonderful (!)

"Go out, go out I beg of you / And taste the beauty of the wild. 

Behold the miracle of the earth / With all the wonder of a child."

My school took a trip to the Golan Heights towards the end of March. I'll let the pictures tell the story...(clicking on them makes them better!)

A beautiful waterfall on the first day. If you look closely, you can see a rainbow!

Hiking on the first day.

Nikki and I, by the waterfall

Waterfall! Joseph and me :)

Mooooo.

Daffodil Diva

Coffee with my girl Leah in the morning.

Lunch in the Banias park. Me and Ben!

Banias.

Banias.

Banias

:)

Banias

Banias

The colors in the North are so pretty this time of year!

Hike on the 3rd day.

:)

All 50 of us had to cross the stream. We made it!

Kyle, Andrew, and Lauren (my BCI crew!) on the last day.

Topsy-Turvy

What is there to say about the Jewish holiday of Purim?

Purim is a joyful, happy, and silly holiday which recounts the saving of the Jews from an impending massacre in the Persian period. In the story of Purim, we see a turnaround of fate, a reversal in fortune. And so, today when we commemorate this day, everything is meant to be reversed, upside-down, topsy-turvy...

How does this manifest itself? Lots of food, heavy drinking, and debauchery (hey, sounds like a Saturday night at Penn State!). Things that might be considered taboo on other days are the norm on Purim, including dressing up in costumes.

The first part of Purim was spent at my school, where we had a megillah-reading (reading the Book of Esther). After a few drinks, it was time for the silent auction and the Purim Shpiel, a comedy/variety show where people perform skits, roast others, and generally act like fools.

In the course of the night, I downed a substantial amount of cheap beer and vodka-soaked gummy bears, bid 450 shekels in the Pardes auction to watch The Princess Bride with the dean of my school, and told multiple teachers that they were "like, the best teacher in the world, ever."

So yea, I'd say it was a good night.

Here are some pictures from Purim festivities...

Roomie and me!! A dirty Jerusalem cat and a nerd that slightly resembles Harry Potter.

Reading the Megillah (the scroll that we read during Purim).

Nikki and Amir host the Purim Shpiel.

A bunch of Pardes boys dressed up like girls. If this looks weird to you, it's because it was. Really weird.

Kyle and I performing during the Purim Shpiel. We had a great time, and got at least 3 laughs. Success!

Cooking up some delicious mishloach manot (gifts). It's customary to make treats to give to friends for Purim.

Ran into Cousin/Prophet Dan at a Purim Party in the Old City!
Mom-mom and Aunt Adele... this one's for you.

The day after Purim, my friends hosted a brunch at their house. Mimosas? Don't mind if I do!

Laura, Ben, and Deb at brunch

Laura, our hostess, posing with some of the food she made!

Hamentaschen, a Purim treat!

Poland V

(The fifth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland)
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Righteous Among the Nations

"Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world"- Talmud

In a world where morality no longer existed, where any action could lead to one's death, there were people who stood out for risking their lives for the sake of another human being.

Prior to my trip to Poland, I don't think that I understood the magnitude of this. I wondered why more people didn't help, why more people didn't stand up to say "this is wrong." I didn't fully grasp the amount of bravery and courage it took to save another's life.

We had the opportunity to hear from a woman whose family did just that. When she was a little girl, her mother decided to hide a Jewish girl in their home. By doing this, her mother took many risks. But by doing this, she saved this little girl's life, who grew up to have a family of her own.

In another post, I talked about numbers. When we think of the Holocaust, we think of large, unthinkable numbers. Six million people killed. 1.5 million children killed. 500,000 killed at just one death camp. But what about thinking about the number one?

Our tradition teaches us that if you save one life, it's as if you save the entire world. In the case of our speaker, her family didn't just save one little girl, but all of the generations that would come after her.

These few heroic individuals teach us that even in darkness, there can be a flicker of light.

Photo credit Daniel Shibley
The sign outside of Oskar Schindler's factory. During WWII, Oskar Schindler saved  over 1,100 Jews, and all the generations that would come after them.

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The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of


On the fourth day of our trip, we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the German concentration camps. This was the site of the Nazis "Final Solution," in which they planned to completely annihilate the Jewish people.

While 90% of the people killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau were Jews, there were other targeted groups, including Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah's Witnesses and tens of thousands of people of diverse nationalities.

This sign says "Work Will Set You Free." I was surprised to hear that most of the people brought to Auschwitz never actually saw this sign, because they were taken directly to the gas chambers.

Auschwitz

Empty canisters of Zykon B in the Auschwitz museum. These pellets of poison were found to be the most efficient way to  suffocate people in the gas chambers.

Block 10 was the medical experimentation block. Prisoners were chosen to be a part of special medical experiments, causing excruciating pain and torture, and in most cases, leading to death.

Auschwitz

Picture by Daniel Shibley
10,000 Poles were executed at this spot

Electric fence. Some prisoners chose to electrocute themselves on these fences rather than  bear their fate in the camp.

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Upright


Trains from all over Europe brought shipments of people to the Birkenau extermination camp. That's what the people were treated like: shipments. Traveling for days in cramped cattle cars, with no food or water, they were dropped off about a mile from the entrance to the camp. They had to walk from the train tracks to the entrance of the camp, disoriented, scared, and unsure of what would happen next.

Our group was dropped off in this same spot, and made the same walk that our ancestors did. Our teacher encouraged us to not just walk, but to walk upright, to walk with dignity, to walk in a way that the Jewish people weren't able to walk for so many years.

This was a very powerful moment for me. As we walked, I looked around at my friends, my community. The person walking in front of me, a dear friend, is intelligent, quick-witted, and hilarious. She loves to play the banjo, bake desserts for her friends, and is currently earning her PhD. The person behind me, who I greatly admire, is patient, kind, and curious. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and is currently training for a marathon.

I don't claim to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people entering the camp, not even a little bit. What I came to understand during this walk, however, is something that I couldn't fully grasp by simply looking at a photograph.

Each person that entered that camp was an individual, with unique gifts, aspirations, fears, idiosyncrasies, hopes, and dreams. Each person was a mother, a child, a brother, a teacher, a friend, a leader, a lover. Each person was truly someone to someone else.

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Efficiency

Birkenau is the extermination camp just down the road from Auschwitz. I was blown away by the sheer size of this facility. It was, quite literally, a killing factory.

This was designed with only one factor in mind: how to murder the most amount of people in the least amount of time and with the least amount of resources.

Heading into Birkenau. The train tracks you see here were built towards the end of the operation of Birkenau. Using this track, the trains could bring people directly to the gas chambers, rather than wait for them to walk there.

A cattle car.

Entrance to Birkenau from the inside.

A destroyed crematorium. Many of the Nazi-facilities were destroyed in an effort to cover up what happened.

Birkenau

An eerie sunset in Birkenau.

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Am Yisrael Chai: The People of Israel Live

How do I sum up my trip to Poland? What did I learn? What am I taking away?

I really want to sum up my trip to Poland in a way that is positive, that sees the silver lining. But, I'm finding it incredibly difficult to do so. I left Poland feeling bitter, angry, and depressed. I left feeling haunted by what I saw, and the scenarios I imagined in my head. I left with many big questions that I still haven't confronted.

Witnessing such an unthinkable atrocity, one of the biggest failures of humanity, is something that I won't ever forget. I not only feel responsible for making sure this tragedy isn't forgotten about, but also making sure that something like this never happens again.

With all of this horror and destruction, it's important for me to remember that it wasn't total destruction. The Nazis fell short of their goal. The Jewish people, while terribly scarred, continue to live on today. I felt this fact very strongly as we left each concentration camp, as we said prayers at graves, as we laughed on the bus, and as we boarded the plane to Israel.

“I have learned two lessons in my life: first, there are no sufficient literary, psychological, or historical answers to human tragedy, only moral ones. Second, just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, 

HOPE, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” 

― Elie Wiesel