I'm back home now and I'd like to redirect you to my website that I can now update now since I am no longer using my iPad. Thank you again for the support!
a.
Remembrance & Hope 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
This is Not Goodbye...
This is Not Goodbye...
Today has come and gone, this journey however is not over, it has just begun.
After the events of today a 'farewell' dinner was held where we could all come together and celebrate the strides that we have made thus far. Food was ate, speeches were given, many songs were sang, pictures were taken, and many happy tears were said. A bitter sweet rain fell as we exited towards the buses to return back to the hotel for our las CLG meeting. The room was silent as we walked in all knowing that this was the beginning to the end of this once in a life time, indescribable opportunity that few will have.
I could ramble on for pages about the people, places, stories, and lessons. Some of these you have already heard, some are yet to come. I would just like to take this time now to note a few thoughts as I begin to 'pack' my bag:
- the power of story is strong
- love is the most powerful tool that we have
- we shall overcome
- the torch is being past and we need to maintain/share aspects of these stories with every who asks and everyone we meet
- those who go through some of life's darkest times can overcome the obstacles in their way and be resilient
- it is our responsibility as humans to standup and take action against intolerance, antisemitism, racism, etc.
Please stay tuned as in the coming weeks all of the notes and pictures will come to be, I will provide more detail and insight into each individual place. Again, thank you for all of your love and support.
"Head up, heart higher." - Devin Heroux
Today has come and gone, this journey however is not over, it has just begun.
After the events of today a 'farewell' dinner was held where we could all come together and celebrate the strides that we have made thus far. Food was ate, speeches were given, many songs were sang, pictures were taken, and many happy tears were said. A bitter sweet rain fell as we exited towards the buses to return back to the hotel for our las CLG meeting. The room was silent as we walked in all knowing that this was the beginning to the end of this once in a life time, indescribable opportunity that few will have.
I could ramble on for pages about the people, places, stories, and lessons. Some of these you have already heard, some are yet to come. I would just like to take this time now to note a few thoughts as I begin to 'pack' my bag:
- the power of story is strong
- love is the most powerful tool that we have
- we shall overcome
- the torch is being past and we need to maintain/share aspects of these stories with every who asks and everyone we meet
- those who go through some of life's darkest times can overcome the obstacles in their way and be resilient
- it is our responsibility as humans to standup and take action against intolerance, antisemitism, racism, etc.
Please stay tuned as in the coming weeks all of the notes and pictures will come to be, I will provide more detail and insight into each individual place. Again, thank you for all of your love and support.
"Head up, heart higher." - Devin Heroux
Warsaw Day #2 (Tykocin & Treblinka)
Warsaw Day #2 (Tykocin & Treblinka)
Another somber day began as we arrived at the Jewish cemetery which was built within the ghetto during the Holocaust, for those with loved ones lost. The cemetery is the largest in Europe and once you enter you cannot see the ends of it on any of perimeter. Over 200,000 people are buried here, including a few from prior to the war, but many are those who perished in the Warsaw ghetto. Some of those who were apart of the Jewish uprising are laid to rest here.
Many graves are marked with traditional Jewish stones, inscribed with messages in either Hebrew or Yiddish, some stones are large while others are small. In the middle of the cemetery is the location of two mass graves, erected for those who did not have a place and for the to time during the war when so many were dying that there was a constant line of family members with their dead waiting for a place to lay them to rest
Tykocin was approx. two hours outside of the city and is a small hamlet. Before the war the Jewish population of around 1500 flourished here with a large synagogue and spent their lives living simply. When the Nazis arrived they rounded up the Jews in the town square on August 24th.
As we drove out of the small place which today does not have many habitants and few Jewish people. The synagogue which was once the centre of the village and life is now a museum where it highlights the people who's lives were lost. The synagogue was beautiful and inclusive, as all of the prayers of the Torah are painted by hand on the wall. Pinchas performed a prayer and others around began to gather. This prayer was followed by some songs and reflection before leaving.
With the theme from Schindler's list playing in the background we were asked to board the buses in silence and remain that way. We drove past the square where the innocent people of this place were taken. Driving down the roads with the flat farm land on either side of us it was made clear that if you tried to escape you had no where to run.
Upon return to a dense forest we silently exited the bus and walked down a path. Once in the forest it felt as there was no escape. We walled for a number of minutes before coming to an opening where on either side of us was a fenced in area to the right/left/front. These were the pits that were dug for the people Tykocin where they would fall to their death. Stripped of their clothes in a final attempt to dehumanize these people on their final minutes, all 1500 inhabitants were murder at gun point between August 24/25. There is one survivor, a small boy who was seven at the time. During the summoning of the Jews to the square, the boy's father asked him to return home to get something, when he saw what was coming he hid.
There were no survivors of the Tykocin village after the Nazis were through with them, in a matter of 24 hours they had completely rid of the population. Michael had one of us read the story of one young women who survived a similar round up in another small city. She stood by naked as her mother, father, sisters/brothers, grandmother, and neighbors were shot. She was shot but not killed, she explains how she begged for her God to take her, what sin had she committed that was placing her here, alive. She spent three nights and three days laying in the grave, when she heard a baby cry. She believes that the small child she found is the reason that she is alive.
We all remained quiet as we took our time at the sites of the three mass graves, Faigie commenting at on point that we are her oice hen she is gone some day. Sitting on the bus now it is quiet, as many reflect as we make our way to the last stop of this journey while we are here, Treblinka. Although this maybe the last physical location we visit, this journey is only just beginning for all of us and what is to come from us we will soon find out.
Treblinka was our last and final site stop on this journey that seems like it was coming to an end too quickly. Treblinka was built for one purpose, death. Designed to send Jews from Warsaw and the surrounding area to, it was responsible for the death of more than 850,000 Jews even though it was one of the smaller camps that the Nazis built. The process was quick at the came and upon arrival to the platform Jews were stripped of their belongings, shower, shaved, and sent directly to the gas chambers.
Why strip them of their belongings and shave their hair if they are headed for immediate death? The Nazis needed the items for supplies in Berlin and the hair to make products such as mattress covers and mats. Sick. The whole process at Treblinka lasted only 30-40 minutes, and towards the end of the war the time was cut down to 20 minutes. Only adults and children were placed into the gas chamber at this site, those who could not walk (elderly and disabled), as well as, babies and infants were dealt with in another manor. The elderly and disabled were shot into a pit, while the Nazis played a disgusting game of blowing infants against the wall to their death. Those who could complete this task in one attempt were praised.
Through more of Michaels stories we were able to obtain a better understanding of what via those Jews chosen to be slaves here and also through the few who were able to survive the uprising at the camp. Those salves who were required to short goods and move bodies after they were gassed told stories of people being pushed into the gas chamber, their arms in the air to allow the creation of 7% more space. After it was packed to the brim with people the Nazis proceed to throw small children on top of everyone else to use every inch of space humanly possible. The salve recounts that the Nazi guards watched through a small window the victims being gassed and once the killing was complete they told them that they were 'asleep' and it was now time to burn the corpses.
During the duration of operation at Treblinka a uprising was devised as those working at the camp attempted to steal weapons from the guards and search clothing for money as they shorted belongings. On the night of the uprising one of the organizers was caught with money on them, he would not provide the guards with information. Instead of ditching their uprising attempts the prisoners decided to continue anyway, that night 600 prisoners attempted to escape the camp. In the end only 70 of them survived the uprising and thus, the death chambers of Treblinka.
After descriptions we came to the monument where the gas chamber used to be located and rocks we spent some time reflecting and Pinchas performed a song which came to him in a dream during 1992. The song was written in remembrance of his twin sister, mother, and father who he lost during the Holocaust.
Ordinary Men is a book that looks at some of the men who participated in the German group who were responsible for these mass killings.
"Your walls are killing me as this heart is beating endlessly...just keep yelling out until there is no more." - Lines from Airplanes
Another somber day began as we arrived at the Jewish cemetery which was built within the ghetto during the Holocaust, for those with loved ones lost. The cemetery is the largest in Europe and once you enter you cannot see the ends of it on any of perimeter. Over 200,000 people are buried here, including a few from prior to the war, but many are those who perished in the Warsaw ghetto. Some of those who were apart of the Jewish uprising are laid to rest here.
Many graves are marked with traditional Jewish stones, inscribed with messages in either Hebrew or Yiddish, some stones are large while others are small. In the middle of the cemetery is the location of two mass graves, erected for those who did not have a place and for the to time during the war when so many were dying that there was a constant line of family members with their dead waiting for a place to lay them to rest
Tykocin was approx. two hours outside of the city and is a small hamlet. Before the war the Jewish population of around 1500 flourished here with a large synagogue and spent their lives living simply. When the Nazis arrived they rounded up the Jews in the town square on August 24th.
As we drove out of the small place which today does not have many habitants and few Jewish people. The synagogue which was once the centre of the village and life is now a museum where it highlights the people who's lives were lost. The synagogue was beautiful and inclusive, as all of the prayers of the Torah are painted by hand on the wall. Pinchas performed a prayer and others around began to gather. This prayer was followed by some songs and reflection before leaving.
With the theme from Schindler's list playing in the background we were asked to board the buses in silence and remain that way. We drove past the square where the innocent people of this place were taken. Driving down the roads with the flat farm land on either side of us it was made clear that if you tried to escape you had no where to run.
Upon return to a dense forest we silently exited the bus and walked down a path. Once in the forest it felt as there was no escape. We walled for a number of minutes before coming to an opening where on either side of us was a fenced in area to the right/left/front. These were the pits that were dug for the people Tykocin where they would fall to their death. Stripped of their clothes in a final attempt to dehumanize these people on their final minutes, all 1500 inhabitants were murder at gun point between August 24/25. There is one survivor, a small boy who was seven at the time. During the summoning of the Jews to the square, the boy's father asked him to return home to get something, when he saw what was coming he hid.
There were no survivors of the Tykocin village after the Nazis were through with them, in a matter of 24 hours they had completely rid of the population. Michael had one of us read the story of one young women who survived a similar round up in another small city. She stood by naked as her mother, father, sisters/brothers, grandmother, and neighbors were shot. She was shot but not killed, she explains how she begged for her God to take her, what sin had she committed that was placing her here, alive. She spent three nights and three days laying in the grave, when she heard a baby cry. She believes that the small child she found is the reason that she is alive.
We all remained quiet as we took our time at the sites of the three mass graves, Faigie commenting at on point that we are her oice hen she is gone some day. Sitting on the bus now it is quiet, as many reflect as we make our way to the last stop of this journey while we are here, Treblinka. Although this maybe the last physical location we visit, this journey is only just beginning for all of us and what is to come from us we will soon find out.
Treblinka was our last and final site stop on this journey that seems like it was coming to an end too quickly. Treblinka was built for one purpose, death. Designed to send Jews from Warsaw and the surrounding area to, it was responsible for the death of more than 850,000 Jews even though it was one of the smaller camps that the Nazis built. The process was quick at the came and upon arrival to the platform Jews were stripped of their belongings, shower, shaved, and sent directly to the gas chambers.
Why strip them of their belongings and shave their hair if they are headed for immediate death? The Nazis needed the items for supplies in Berlin and the hair to make products such as mattress covers and mats. Sick. The whole process at Treblinka lasted only 30-40 minutes, and towards the end of the war the time was cut down to 20 minutes. Only adults and children were placed into the gas chamber at this site, those who could not walk (elderly and disabled), as well as, babies and infants were dealt with in another manor. The elderly and disabled were shot into a pit, while the Nazis played a disgusting game of blowing infants against the wall to their death. Those who could complete this task in one attempt were praised.
Through more of Michaels stories we were able to obtain a better understanding of what via those Jews chosen to be slaves here and also through the few who were able to survive the uprising at the camp. Those salves who were required to short goods and move bodies after they were gassed told stories of people being pushed into the gas chamber, their arms in the air to allow the creation of 7% more space. After it was packed to the brim with people the Nazis proceed to throw small children on top of everyone else to use every inch of space humanly possible. The salve recounts that the Nazi guards watched through a small window the victims being gassed and once the killing was complete they told them that they were 'asleep' and it was now time to burn the corpses.
During the duration of operation at Treblinka a uprising was devised as those working at the camp attempted to steal weapons from the guards and search clothing for money as they shorted belongings. On the night of the uprising one of the organizers was caught with money on them, he would not provide the guards with information. Instead of ditching their uprising attempts the prisoners decided to continue anyway, that night 600 prisoners attempted to escape the camp. In the end only 70 of them survived the uprising and thus, the death chambers of Treblinka.
After descriptions we came to the monument where the gas chamber used to be located and rocks we spent some time reflecting and Pinchas performed a song which came to him in a dream during 1992. The song was written in remembrance of his twin sister, mother, and father who he lost during the Holocaust.
Ordinary Men is a book that looks at some of the men who participated in the German group who were responsible for these mass killings.
"Your walls are killing me as this heart is beating endlessly...just keep yelling out until there is no more." - Lines from Airplanes
Warsaw Day #1
To come! Post was lost.
Warsaw Day #1 (to come!)
Umshlagplatz
-
Warsaw Ghetto
-
Korczak's Orphanage
-
Nozky Synagogue
-
Old Town
-
Mila 18
-
Warsaw Day #1 (to come!)
Umshlagplatz
-
Warsaw Ghetto
-
Korczak's Orphanage
-
Nozky Synagogue
-
Old Town
-
Mila 18
-
Friday, May 20, 2011
"Mac Student Representing Holocaust Survivor on March
Attached is the link to the article my local paper in Burlington, Ontario kindly wrote about our journey and my survivor Hedy Bohm. Thank you for the support.
Burlington Post Article
Burlington Post Article
Majdanek
This is so much bigger than us, is what I realized today as we entered
Majdanek, a place that was a labour camp, as well as, a concentration camp. It was never intended to be a death camp but, many of the victims were killed
due to starvation, beatings, or getting shot.
Arriving at this place and seeing the large Soviet monument in front of the green camp that lay beyond it. Before we began out journey through the camp, our survivor, Pinchas completed his Holocaust story by outlining his story through Majdanek, by himself, at the age of ten years old.
Setting the scene for us, we began our journey inside the camp. The camp which encompasses approx. 270 acres is one of the largest camps, and had the potential to house more people and be more destructive than Auschwitz.
In a future blog I will go into detail on the aspects of the camp and the stores Michael shared with us while we were.
After walking all morning throughout the camp we reached the back where the crematorium and the other memorial are located. I am really struggling to find words for these places as the ideas and emotions they portrayed to me are so big and I feel it will take me time to comprehend this back to you. Michael proceeded to tell us that in the final days as the Germans realized that the Soviets were closing in a mass killing spree ensued. Ditches were drug and the next day loud speakers were set up to play happy military music while the Germans proceeded to slaughter 18,000 Jews in one day (other types of prisoners were held at Majdanek, but only Jews were selected for this event).
Those killed were shot by machine gun into the ditched, located directly next to the crematorium. Those in the village of Lublin located meters from the camp, became curious of what was going on due to the constant stream of smoke and they more potent smell as usual. The Germans response to these questions... we are having a Harvest Festival. After the liberation tones of human ash were found in piles were found (each person representing 2-3 cups of ash).
Walking through the crematorium, feeling the cold of the walls, and the disbelief that humans could do this to their own. The commander of the the crematorium was so heartless that he built a bathtub in the room where the crematorium ovens were located. Why? Because with a shortage of water, resulted in a lack of hot water available. Therefore, while the oven burned the bodies of these people who's lives were cut short for a reason some with never fathom this man sat basked in the heat of his hot bath water. Heartless.
Joined in hands Rachelle, Chani, Emily, and I entreated this place together our hearts aching for what took place here. Coming out on the other side of the building, as none who entered during the Holocaust did we were met by the place where their lives were ended by the gun and bullet of the cold, heartless Nazi. Holding each other, Geraldine joining us, we wept. Why? Out of anger, despair, sadness, frustration, disgust, hurt, ache. All the while the city witnesses just a short ways away down the small hill.
Coming the final memorial with the whole group, holding hands, linked arm-in-arm, no one alone as we climbed the stairs reaching the top. Air seemed difficult to come by as you peered over the edge of this indescribably big pit, all full of human ash mixed with rocks from the grounds of the camp. This made it real. The culmination of all the aspects at this camp hit me like a kick in the gut.
Candles were distributed and we all came together in our huddle which seemed closer then any other time this week, breathing deeply in unison, the wind speaking to us as it blew through the sides of the memorial ever so quietly but with so much power at same time. We were not alone here, now. Faigie proceed to read a passage from a surivior, Carla then reading a letter from someone who was not so lucky. It was written by a women who was in Vienna, having sent her daughter to England with the one children's program she was writing to her daughter to tell her she knew that the de orations were coming and it was her time. She was writing to say goodbye, I'll miss you, and most importantly I love you. The women who perished some time later at the hands of the Nazi's was Carla's Grandmother, the girl the letter was written to was her mother.
Prayers were read by Pinchas, the prayer for the death/mourning, as well as the prayer for the victims lost in this tragedy. These prayers linked us all, all sharing that there is a higher power and the continual prayer that these people should now be forgotten. Hands held, arms linked even one linked as you could she Pinchas, Faigie, Carla and all the others affected by the Holocaust close their eyes and remember. Words can not describe what was running through my mind as the prayers were recited and we later lit the candles for those innocent lives lost. This was particularly meaningful amd emotional for Pinchas as he believes his father, mother, and sister's ashes are located here.
I found Laura and as two people who don't have a direct connection, words didn't need to be spoken as we embraced as many other did just simply trying to make sense of it all, something that I am unsure will ever occur.
The past few days have opened my eyes, and I don't think for sometime after I return home I will really be able to put this down on paper and share it with you all. I am grateful over the past week to have been able to room with Rachelle, the granddaughter of an Auschwitz survivor. Her openness about this experience and her grandfather have allowed me a small window to what this is like for those who's family has been impacted by the Holocaust directly or more simply the impact the Holocaust has on her being a person of the Jewish culture and faith. Other key person to my insight and learning is Chani, a girl in my Core Learning Group.
As someone with no personal or religious connection to the Holocaust, I have struggled to figure out where I fit into all of this. My connection developed within then last few days as we spoke about then aspect of humanity and the fact that this was an atrocity to human kind, and that is something that we all can share regardless of colour, race, religion, sexual orientation, and background. I walk through this place to every human, for every person affected by this and those who continue to be affected by human injustice and intolerance.
I thank you for your patience, thoughts, and prayers as I experience this journey. I can feel the support of you all and those around me.
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” -Elie Wiesel
Majdanek, a place that was a labour camp, as well as, a concentration camp. It was never intended to be a death camp but, many of the victims were killed
due to starvation, beatings, or getting shot.
Arriving at this place and seeing the large Soviet monument in front of the green camp that lay beyond it. Before we began out journey through the camp, our survivor, Pinchas completed his Holocaust story by outlining his story through Majdanek, by himself, at the age of ten years old.
Setting the scene for us, we began our journey inside the camp. The camp which encompasses approx. 270 acres is one of the largest camps, and had the potential to house more people and be more destructive than Auschwitz.
In a future blog I will go into detail on the aspects of the camp and the stores Michael shared with us while we were.
After walking all morning throughout the camp we reached the back where the crematorium and the other memorial are located. I am really struggling to find words for these places as the ideas and emotions they portrayed to me are so big and I feel it will take me time to comprehend this back to you. Michael proceeded to tell us that in the final days as the Germans realized that the Soviets were closing in a mass killing spree ensued. Ditches were drug and the next day loud speakers were set up to play happy military music while the Germans proceeded to slaughter 18,000 Jews in one day (other types of prisoners were held at Majdanek, but only Jews were selected for this event).
Those killed were shot by machine gun into the ditched, located directly next to the crematorium. Those in the village of Lublin located meters from the camp, became curious of what was going on due to the constant stream of smoke and they more potent smell as usual. The Germans response to these questions... we are having a Harvest Festival. After the liberation tones of human ash were found in piles were found (each person representing 2-3 cups of ash).
Walking through the crematorium, feeling the cold of the walls, and the disbelief that humans could do this to their own. The commander of the the crematorium was so heartless that he built a bathtub in the room where the crematorium ovens were located. Why? Because with a shortage of water, resulted in a lack of hot water available. Therefore, while the oven burned the bodies of these people who's lives were cut short for a reason some with never fathom this man sat basked in the heat of his hot bath water. Heartless.
Joined in hands Rachelle, Chani, Emily, and I entreated this place together our hearts aching for what took place here. Coming out on the other side of the building, as none who entered during the Holocaust did we were met by the place where their lives were ended by the gun and bullet of the cold, heartless Nazi. Holding each other, Geraldine joining us, we wept. Why? Out of anger, despair, sadness, frustration, disgust, hurt, ache. All the while the city witnesses just a short ways away down the small hill.
Coming the final memorial with the whole group, holding hands, linked arm-in-arm, no one alone as we climbed the stairs reaching the top. Air seemed difficult to come by as you peered over the edge of this indescribably big pit, all full of human ash mixed with rocks from the grounds of the camp. This made it real. The culmination of all the aspects at this camp hit me like a kick in the gut.
Candles were distributed and we all came together in our huddle which seemed closer then any other time this week, breathing deeply in unison, the wind speaking to us as it blew through the sides of the memorial ever so quietly but with so much power at same time. We were not alone here, now. Faigie proceed to read a passage from a surivior, Carla then reading a letter from someone who was not so lucky. It was written by a women who was in Vienna, having sent her daughter to England with the one children's program she was writing to her daughter to tell her she knew that the de orations were coming and it was her time. She was writing to say goodbye, I'll miss you, and most importantly I love you. The women who perished some time later at the hands of the Nazi's was Carla's Grandmother, the girl the letter was written to was her mother.
Prayers were read by Pinchas, the prayer for the death/mourning, as well as the prayer for the victims lost in this tragedy. These prayers linked us all, all sharing that there is a higher power and the continual prayer that these people should now be forgotten. Hands held, arms linked even one linked as you could she Pinchas, Faigie, Carla and all the others affected by the Holocaust close their eyes and remember. Words can not describe what was running through my mind as the prayers were recited and we later lit the candles for those innocent lives lost. This was particularly meaningful amd emotional for Pinchas as he believes his father, mother, and sister's ashes are located here.
I found Laura and as two people who don't have a direct connection, words didn't need to be spoken as we embraced as many other did just simply trying to make sense of it all, something that I am unsure will ever occur.
The past few days have opened my eyes, and I don't think for sometime after I return home I will really be able to put this down on paper and share it with you all. I am grateful over the past week to have been able to room with Rachelle, the granddaughter of an Auschwitz survivor. Her openness about this experience and her grandfather have allowed me a small window to what this is like for those who's family has been impacted by the Holocaust directly or more simply the impact the Holocaust has on her being a person of the Jewish culture and faith. Other key person to my insight and learning is Chani, a girl in my Core Learning Group.
As someone with no personal or religious connection to the Holocaust, I have struggled to figure out where I fit into all of this. My connection developed within then last few days as we spoke about then aspect of humanity and the fact that this was an atrocity to human kind, and that is something that we all can share regardless of colour, race, religion, sexual orientation, and background. I walk through this place to every human, for every person affected by this and those who continue to be affected by human injustice and intolerance.
I thank you for your patience, thoughts, and prayers as I experience this journey. I can feel the support of you all and those around me.
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” -Elie Wiesel
Krakow #2
Krakow Day #2
After a night out last night that included dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant in Market Square and a bit of time out at a local night spot in the city.
Today we took time this morning to go on a walking tour of Krakow and the important parts of the city that have played a key role in the development of the Jewish community in the city, as well as, areas that were in the Krakow Ghetto.
Oldest Synagogue in Poland
- in this place we discussed various aspects of the Jewish faith and practices
- the synagogue was used as a community centre for the Jewish people for study
- we visited the cemetery located behind the at synagogue where two pivotal Rabbi are
- while at the site we learned that in the war the stones were all knocked down and taken away from this site (many were used for structures and roads), after the war stones were brought back to the synagogue but are not placed in the right locations and in some cases some areas have no stones
- additionally, in the Jewish faith when people have a pilgrimage to these important people's resting place it is common practice to leave a note with a hope or prayer on it and place it in a silver box, later a Rabbi takes the notes and barriers them
- in a later post I will discuss some of the things I have learned about the Jewish faith and their practices
En Route to the Krakow Ghetto & K Pharmacy
- we walked on foot to the location of the Krakow Ghetto, crossing the bridge as the Jewish people once would have crossed one of the many bridges from one side of the city to the other on route to the Krakow Ghetto believing that they were simply being 'relocated'
- the ghetto was 600 x 400 feet and housed approx. 18,000 people
- on killing sprees at times they could kill between 300 - 700 people in one event (approx. 1 body every two meters in the ghetto
- discussed the attempted youth uprising in this ghetto, but the risks associated with an uprising (e.g. the Nazis could kill more people and it wouldn't do any good)
- the site of the pharmacy in the ghetto where the owner chose not to leave his business and in turn ended up helping the Jews in the ghetto throughout the war
Plashov Concentration Camp
- all that is here is a memorial, and further down the hill the grey hall and the villa the commander of the camp lived on site
- Michael (our faculty guide) talked about what was here and what happened
- this is the place where the Schindler's list was based off of and filmed
Pinchas' Story
- while at the camp we sat and listened to part of Pinchas' story which I will include more information on tomorrow
I appreciate all of your patience as my blogging has been somewhat delayed these past few days. I will be catching up tomorrow and will be writing formal blogs about certain aspects upon return. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"the only thing that matters, is that it matters." -unknown
After a night out last night that included dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant in Market Square and a bit of time out at a local night spot in the city.
Today we took time this morning to go on a walking tour of Krakow and the important parts of the city that have played a key role in the development of the Jewish community in the city, as well as, areas that were in the Krakow Ghetto.
Oldest Synagogue in Poland
- in this place we discussed various aspects of the Jewish faith and practices
- the synagogue was used as a community centre for the Jewish people for study
- we visited the cemetery located behind the at synagogue where two pivotal Rabbi are
- while at the site we learned that in the war the stones were all knocked down and taken away from this site (many were used for structures and roads), after the war stones were brought back to the synagogue but are not placed in the right locations and in some cases some areas have no stones
- additionally, in the Jewish faith when people have a pilgrimage to these important people's resting place it is common practice to leave a note with a hope or prayer on it and place it in a silver box, later a Rabbi takes the notes and barriers them
- in a later post I will discuss some of the things I have learned about the Jewish faith and their practices
En Route to the Krakow Ghetto & K Pharmacy
- we walked on foot to the location of the Krakow Ghetto, crossing the bridge as the Jewish people once would have crossed one of the many bridges from one side of the city to the other on route to the Krakow Ghetto believing that they were simply being 'relocated'
- the ghetto was 600 x 400 feet and housed approx. 18,000 people
- on killing sprees at times they could kill between 300 - 700 people in one event (approx. 1 body every two meters in the ghetto
- discussed the attempted youth uprising in this ghetto, but the risks associated with an uprising (e.g. the Nazis could kill more people and it wouldn't do any good)
- the site of the pharmacy in the ghetto where the owner chose not to leave his business and in turn ended up helping the Jews in the ghetto throughout the war
Plashov Concentration Camp
- all that is here is a memorial, and further down the hill the grey hall and the villa the commander of the camp lived on site
- Michael (our faculty guide) talked about what was here and what happened
- this is the place where the Schindler's list was based off of and filmed
Pinchas' Story
- while at the camp we sat and listened to part of Pinchas' story which I will include more information on tomorrow
I appreciate all of your patience as my blogging has been somewhat delayed these past few days. I will be catching up tomorrow and will be writing formal blogs about certain aspects upon return. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"the only thing that matters, is that it matters." -unknown
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Auschwitz & Birkenau
FKrakow Day #1 (Auschwitz, Berkinau, and the march)
Sleep didn't come easily to many of us last night, as well all attempted to try and prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for what lay in store today.
I left both of these places today humbled and changed. At the moment I am still attempting to grasp at all or theses ideas and crimes. Once I do I will share more than this brief note with you. We were asked today to take 10 mins at our core learning meeting and this was my result.
I walked, we marched.
To places that are laid with
the ashes of those who were
victims to this. Speechless.
Words are difficult to find as stones
beneath our feet shift in the Earth, the same
Earth where they nice stood too. Same place
different time, different time, different reason. Space .
All affected in a different way, yet similarities
emerge in thoughts and feelings. At the same
time silence and tears were all that came. Thoughts.
In a so large at times felt so small. An ear to
hear breaks, a hand to touch a worn beam,
a sound of making walking in the wind. Surreal.
A circle representing friendship, support, love,
and hope emerged in this place. Stories we are
told, music present, homage aid, a promise mad. A stone laid.
The truth still runs, breaks still squeal, cargo is
stills unloaded, but not for the same reason and
never again it will. Hope.
"One word, one stone." - Anon
Sleep didn't come easily to many of us last night, as well all attempted to try and prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for what lay in store today.
I left both of these places today humbled and changed. At the moment I am still attempting to grasp at all or theses ideas and crimes. Once I do I will share more than this brief note with you. We were asked today to take 10 mins at our core learning meeting and this was my result.
I walked, we marched.
To places that are laid with
the ashes of those who were
victims to this. Speechless.
Words are difficult to find as stones
beneath our feet shift in the Earth, the same
Earth where they nice stood too. Same place
different time, different time, different reason. Space .
All affected in a different way, yet similarities
emerge in thoughts and feelings. At the same
time silence and tears were all that came. Thoughts.
In a so large at times felt so small. An ear to
hear breaks, a hand to touch a worn beam,
a sound of making walking in the wind. Surreal.
A circle representing friendship, support, love,
and hope emerged in this place. Stories we are
told, music present, homage aid, a promise mad. A stone laid.
The truth still runs, breaks still squeal, cargo is
stills unloaded, but not for the same reason and
never again it will. Hope.
"One word, one stone." - Anon
My Thoughts on May 17th
My Thoughts on May 17th
10:09pm here and still just over an hour away from arriving in Krakow,
Poland; much like the Jews once did. The apporx. nine hour drive offered
people and opportunity to catch up on sleep, self reflect on the places visited thus far, as well as, informal discussion on thoughts/feelings/stories.
I spent a few hours sleeping before gathering my thoughts to fill in my blog on what has been occurring over the past two days. I want to thank you all for your thoughts and words of encouragement as I continue on this journey. I am privileged to have been given this opportunity and to in turn, share these things with you.
Today I felt as through visiting Track 17 and the location of the Wannsee Conference made this trip and the events surrounding these places real. Unlike yesterday, today's sites were locations that actually pivotal roles in the war. I have trouble fathoming how it would feel to walk through your city to the train station, as you have no idea what is in store for you.
Being in the room here where the elements of the final solution were discussed brought feeling forth of anger and disgust. How 'humans' could plan the death and destruction of other humans is something do difficult to understand.
I will leave you today with these basic thoughts as I attempt to mentally and emotionally prepare for what tomorrow - Auschwitz, Berkinau, and the march - will bring. I am not sure what to expect, as like many, much of my knowledge and images come from books.
10:09pm here and still just over an hour away from arriving in Krakow,
Poland; much like the Jews once did. The apporx. nine hour drive offered
people and opportunity to catch up on sleep, self reflect on the places visited thus far, as well as, informal discussion on thoughts/feelings/stories.
I spent a few hours sleeping before gathering my thoughts to fill in my blog on what has been occurring over the past two days. I want to thank you all for your thoughts and words of encouragement as I continue on this journey. I am privileged to have been given this opportunity and to in turn, share these things with you.
Today I felt as through visiting Track 17 and the location of the Wannsee Conference made this trip and the events surrounding these places real. Unlike yesterday, today's sites were locations that actually pivotal roles in the war. I have trouble fathoming how it would feel to walk through your city to the train station, as you have no idea what is in store for you.
Being in the room here where the elements of the final solution were discussed brought feeling forth of anger and disgust. How 'humans' could plan the death and destruction of other humans is something do difficult to understand.
I will leave you today with these basic thoughts as I attempt to mentally and emotionally prepare for what tomorrow - Auschwitz, Berkinau, and the march - will bring. I am not sure what to expect, as like many, much of my knowledge and images come from books.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Berlin #2
Berlin #2
After getting some much needed sleep to recharge from from the 36+ hr journey after leaving Toronto on Sunday we were back out in the city this morning with Track 17, location of the Wannsee Conference, Bayerische Platz Memorial, and Check Point Charlie, as well as, a piece of the Berlin Wall in passing.
Track 17
Track 17 had a different impact on me than the monuments/memorials from yesterday as this was real, this as a place where like myself once stood, their future in unknown. The station which is still functioning today marks the place where Jews from Berlin were brought to be taken to places such as the Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz.
Along the remnants of the path run a walkway and on the walkway were dates from months throughout the early 1940s which included the exact date, number of Jews deported, and where they were deported to. As Pinchas (the survivor traveling on Bus 1 later noted the Nazi kept very detailed records of their victims and events.
Wannsee Conference Location
- a villa located on the coast of a Lake (now a weekend 'cottage' town)
- the building now a museum and library (upstairs) covers the material surrounding the Conference and the decisions made prior to and after
- the Conference itself was held on January 20th, 1942; this date being the second time the Conference was organized as the original date (December 1941) was postponed due to the event of Pearl Harbour
- it was not the top senior officials that met at this Conference but those who were carrying out the operations to the 'Final Solution'
- killing was already taking place in Europe, however, this was where the final measures to kill 11 million Jews would be decided upon; on completion of the Conference more killing centers and camps we built
Bayerische Platz Memorial
- located in the middle of a park
- created in 1993 by an artist and a profesor
- old rules that the were inflicted on the Jews now hang on signs behind picture of an object that relate to the restriction (see pictures for example)
- the rules posted are in German; we were asked to wander the area find these signs (not at eye level) and ask locals to translate what was inscribed
- some were reluctant to translate or speak to what the Memorial represented; others were open and shared the information, as well as, additional facts/stories
Check Point Charlie/Old Gestapo Head Quarters/Berlin Wall
- driving through the city later in the morning we past
- Check Point Charlie one of the main checkpoint during the division of the Berlin Wall
- the old Gestapo Headquarters is currently being converted into a museum if I heard correctly
- a large section of the old Berlin Wall stands fully intact to serve as reminder of the obstacle that stood there for so many years dividing a people and a city
- throughout the area there were a large number of tour buses as we were told that many people come here as it was a place of terror and fear, therefore, some souvenir booths sell items such as Soviet uniforms, gas masks, and Communists Flags
After getting some much needed sleep to recharge from from the 36+ hr journey after leaving Toronto on Sunday we were back out in the city this morning with Track 17, location of the Wannsee Conference, Bayerische Platz Memorial, and Check Point Charlie, as well as, a piece of the Berlin Wall in passing.
Track 17
Track 17 had a different impact on me than the monuments/memorials from yesterday as this was real, this as a place where like myself once stood, their future in unknown. The station which is still functioning today marks the place where Jews from Berlin were brought to be taken to places such as the Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz.
Along the remnants of the path run a walkway and on the walkway were dates from months throughout the early 1940s which included the exact date, number of Jews deported, and where they were deported to. As Pinchas (the survivor traveling on Bus 1 later noted the Nazi kept very detailed records of their victims and events.
Wannsee Conference Location
- a villa located on the coast of a Lake (now a weekend 'cottage' town)
- the building now a museum and library (upstairs) covers the material surrounding the Conference and the decisions made prior to and after
- the Conference itself was held on January 20th, 1942; this date being the second time the Conference was organized as the original date (December 1941) was postponed due to the event of Pearl Harbour
- it was not the top senior officials that met at this Conference but those who were carrying out the operations to the 'Final Solution'
- killing was already taking place in Europe, however, this was where the final measures to kill 11 million Jews would be decided upon; on completion of the Conference more killing centers and camps we built
Bayerische Platz Memorial
- located in the middle of a park
- created in 1993 by an artist and a profesor
- old rules that the were inflicted on the Jews now hang on signs behind picture of an object that relate to the restriction (see pictures for example)
- the rules posted are in German; we were asked to wander the area find these signs (not at eye level) and ask locals to translate what was inscribed
- some were reluctant to translate or speak to what the Memorial represented; others were open and shared the information, as well as, additional facts/stories
Check Point Charlie/Old Gestapo Head Quarters/Berlin Wall
- driving through the city later in the morning we past
- Check Point Charlie one of the main checkpoint during the division of the Berlin Wall
- the old Gestapo Headquarters is currently being converted into a museum if I heard correctly
- a large section of the old Berlin Wall stands fully intact to serve as reminder of the obstacle that stood there for so many years dividing a people and a city
- throughout the area there were a large number of tour buses as we were told that many people come here as it was a place of terror and fear, therefore, some souvenir booths sell items such as Soviet uniforms, gas masks, and Communists Flags
My Thoughts on May 16th
My thoughts on May 16th
Yesterday it begin... after arriving in Berlin the journey through these places that hold so much meaning about not only the Holocaust, but also about the people who are no longer here go share their own story began. After our Group Discussion last night where we all reflected on the day together I was able to let my emotions and feelings settle and put some thoughts together. Coming together as we did last night was so powerful and enriching we we were all able share together our thoughts and as a group support each other in this difficult moments.
Walking through the streets of Berlin in 2011 we sew a very different Berlin with undertones of the past that seem to appear on every block within this city. The city is full of aspects of German reconciliation to the Holocaust and it is difficult to measure the amount of burden/guilt both previous/present/future generations will feel. The number of monuments, memorials, and dedications (e.g. street names). I can only wonder how much these objects still affect Jews in their everyday life so many years later. Have they forgot? Do they remember? Do some continue to turn a blind eye to the situation that took place?
There were to places today that impacted me I'm ways I will have difficulty explaining. The first stop was that of the Memorial to the Gay Victims of the Holocaust. Being at this site I thought of those I know who are gay and who k am blessed to have in my life everyday. These feelings resurfaced in the evening when we held our ceremony indoors to honour these victims (after it had been postponed at the site due to the rain). Stories of those gay victims were bravely read by participants who are openly gay, their voices strong as they stood to represent not only the victim but also themselves and anyone else gay. Following the reads the musical group (including myself) snag True Colours as everyone's emotions from the day began to poor out through the room.
I continue to struggle with what took place last night, I spoke at the discussion last night as to how grateful I am that I get to return home at the end of this and those in my life will still be there. At the same time, I hope that instead of shunning these individuals for their personal choices in present day that we except them for who they are, rather than continuing to punish them like some have in the past.
The National Memorial for Jewish victims in Berlin was overwhelmingly large, but feel that this is necessary to protest just have big the human loss was over 6 million people). I walked through the rows of the blocks as they changed shape, running my hand along them, walking through the rain, trying to grasp at the 'why'. As the blocks got taller it felt as though it they were closing in we the city disappeared before my eyes. John in our group last night described it as the pathway of rows and columns as the restrictions of the Nazi's and the blocks in their varying size and shape represented the uniqueness of every person and them overcoming them.
A few trees were scattered throughout the blocks on the site, and seemed as though they were the glimmer of life and hope for the victims represented here and for the future. I can't help but wonder though of this place in the middle of the city centre impacts the people of Berlin and Germany as it does us? Does it continue to serve the purpose it was intended to? Or has it just become a part of the city and blended into their routine of everyday life.
There was an enormity present in the size of the silence of the victims of the Holocaust, however, at the same time a sense of poetry emerged in some places, maybe the voices of those victims encouraging us and other to tell their stories and not forget them. I am still attempting to process my emotions about these places and their meanings as someone who has no personal connection I believe it will be important for me to reach out to others without the connection, to teach them how it is every human's responsibility to remember these events and respect the differences of one another that make us each so unique and beautiful.
At the end of the day a slight tinge of guilt was present as we can sleep now and we can eat now, something that these people did not have the luxury of knowing on a daily basis. We are extremely privileged in the environment and area of the world we live it, it's not something we all think about on a regular basis, maybe we should.
Yesterday it begin... after arriving in Berlin the journey through these places that hold so much meaning about not only the Holocaust, but also about the people who are no longer here go share their own story began. After our Group Discussion last night where we all reflected on the day together I was able to let my emotions and feelings settle and put some thoughts together. Coming together as we did last night was so powerful and enriching we we were all able share together our thoughts and as a group support each other in this difficult moments.
Walking through the streets of Berlin in 2011 we sew a very different Berlin with undertones of the past that seem to appear on every block within this city. The city is full of aspects of German reconciliation to the Holocaust and it is difficult to measure the amount of burden/guilt both previous/present/future generations will feel. The number of monuments, memorials, and dedications (e.g. street names). I can only wonder how much these objects still affect Jews in their everyday life so many years later. Have they forgot? Do they remember? Do some continue to turn a blind eye to the situation that took place?
There were to places today that impacted me I'm ways I will have difficulty explaining. The first stop was that of the Memorial to the Gay Victims of the Holocaust. Being at this site I thought of those I know who are gay and who k am blessed to have in my life everyday. These feelings resurfaced in the evening when we held our ceremony indoors to honour these victims (after it had been postponed at the site due to the rain). Stories of those gay victims were bravely read by participants who are openly gay, their voices strong as they stood to represent not only the victim but also themselves and anyone else gay. Following the reads the musical group (including myself) snag True Colours as everyone's emotions from the day began to poor out through the room.
I continue to struggle with what took place last night, I spoke at the discussion last night as to how grateful I am that I get to return home at the end of this and those in my life will still be there. At the same time, I hope that instead of shunning these individuals for their personal choices in present day that we except them for who they are, rather than continuing to punish them like some have in the past.
The National Memorial for Jewish victims in Berlin was overwhelmingly large, but feel that this is necessary to protest just have big the human loss was over 6 million people). I walked through the rows of the blocks as they changed shape, running my hand along them, walking through the rain, trying to grasp at the 'why'. As the blocks got taller it felt as though it they were closing in we the city disappeared before my eyes. John in our group last night described it as the pathway of rows and columns as the restrictions of the Nazi's and the blocks in their varying size and shape represented the uniqueness of every person and them overcoming them.
A few trees were scattered throughout the blocks on the site, and seemed as though they were the glimmer of life and hope for the victims represented here and for the future. I can't help but wonder though of this place in the middle of the city centre impacts the people of Berlin and Germany as it does us? Does it continue to serve the purpose it was intended to? Or has it just become a part of the city and blended into their routine of everyday life.
There was an enormity present in the size of the silence of the victims of the Holocaust, however, at the same time a sense of poetry emerged in some places, maybe the voices of those victims encouraging us and other to tell their stories and not forget them. I am still attempting to process my emotions about these places and their meanings as someone who has no personal connection I believe it will be important for me to reach out to others without the connection, to teach them how it is every human's responsibility to remember these events and respect the differences of one another that make us each so unique and beautiful.
At the end of the day a slight tinge of guilt was present as we can sleep now and we can eat now, something that these people did not have the luxury of knowing on a daily basis. We are extremely privileged in the environment and area of the world we live it, it's not something we all think about on a regular basis, maybe we should.
Berlin Day #1
Berlin
Today Germany is a country of 3.4 million people (the 4th largest economic power in the world). Made up of modern states both before and after the war (Berlin to the East and Kerr to the West), all united officially in 1987. Berlin is Slavic for swamp and was originally developed in 1871 by uniting local principalities into "modern" Germany.
Walking through Berlin yesterday was an experience that was interesting yet strange at the same time as placed throughout the city are various memorials, monuments, and sites that reflect pieces and elements of the war and prior. Berlin is one of the cities with some of the, if not the most Holocaust memorials/monuments in Europe.
I am going to attempt to summarize and highlight the important and items that spark numerous feelings over the next few days, at first the accurate names may not be listed, please be patient. Upon my return home as begin to reflect on my journey I will post articles with greater detail on the sites visited on MRH.
Oranienburg Synagogue
- the synagogue was built at the time as a controversial item as it stuck out in Berlin and it was not local to the area
- symbolized, "we can do what we want and we are not afraid"
- on November 9th, 1938 synagogues and Jewish businesses were burned and broken into
- prior to the outbreaks of violence and changes the population of Jews in the area shrunk from a size of approx. 160,000 to approx. 75,000 after people emigrated outward
- this synagogue was burned and a local fireman put out the fire but it is unsure if his actions were ideology based or because the building was so close to others in the neighborhood (the fireman never joined the Nazi party)
- the synagogue was used for storage throughout the war and today is a museum
- today the building is surrounded by a number of security features including roadblocks, laws that don't allow people to stand outside the building, as well as, both uniformed and planned clothed patrol officers for protection and security
First Jewish Cemetery/location of Local Old Age Home
- first tomb is from 1671 (place of birth Vienna), only stone in the cemetery is that of Mendelson the Father of Jewish Enlightenment
- people were brought to the Home beginning in 1941 to be held prior to deportation
- around 55,000 Jews were brought to this 'common' area throughout the Holocaust
- the monument being placed on a stone represents eternity
- Chanie in our group picked up one of the small stones surrounding the the park and placed it on the monument, in the Jewish culture placing a stone on a monument or tomb symbolizes that someone has been there and the are thinking about those people(s)
Functioning Jewish School
- built by Mendelson for Jews to learn to learn 'non-Jewish' subjects (math, science, etc.)
- prior to 18th century Jews did not learn 'external' studies
- security had always been present at this school (and many Jewish schools throughout the world for that matter), " hatred is hatred, bur reasons change"
Missing Section of House
- "come and see what you can't see"
- originally Jewish homes given to Germans, portion of the building was bombed out during the war and not replaced
- the names of the victims are printed on the side of the building next door
- by French/Jewish artist
Stumbling Stones
- "when name is forgotten, person is forgotten"; "better to be seen then not seen at all"
- 17,000 created by a man at a price of 96€ each; 3000 are scattered in the roads throughout Berlin (the biggest monument)
- negatives: small, on the ground, not protected (graffiti)
- positives: gets people to look down, blends into the city (part of life)
Mother With Child
- created by an artist with the first name Cathy; a socialist and a well k own artist
- her art was considered degenerative throughout the war and she was not allowed outside of her home
- the statue is to represent mourning and above it there is an opening in the ceiling (mourning is continual, when it snows there is snow on the statue)
Site of Book Burning at University
- 20,000 books were burned on this day to symbolize the Jewish literature poison that existed in the libraries
- the memorial underground beneath a sheet of glass is simply empty book shelves where those 20,000 books should be
Gay Victim Memorial
- a simple, tall, black concrete block with a video screen inside of two men kissing; something during the Holocaust that could have you arrested, deported, or shot
- as Dustin stated, "something so simple, yet, so powerful"
Reichstag/Brandonburg Gate
- in the centre of the city where the Berlin Wall once stood diving the East and West of the country
- the largest and only remaining gate, this gate has bared witness to history at this lowest and highest moments
- amazing how one piece of history can represent so many things to so many different people
National Jewish Victim Monument
- columns and rows so perfectly straight, yet the blocks amongst them so different, varying in height/depth/width
Today Germany is a country of 3.4 million people (the 4th largest economic power in the world). Made up of modern states both before and after the war (Berlin to the East and Kerr to the West), all united officially in 1987. Berlin is Slavic for swamp and was originally developed in 1871 by uniting local principalities into "modern" Germany.
Walking through Berlin yesterday was an experience that was interesting yet strange at the same time as placed throughout the city are various memorials, monuments, and sites that reflect pieces and elements of the war and prior. Berlin is one of the cities with some of the, if not the most Holocaust memorials/monuments in Europe.
I am going to attempt to summarize and highlight the important and items that spark numerous feelings over the next few days, at first the accurate names may not be listed, please be patient. Upon my return home as begin to reflect on my journey I will post articles with greater detail on the sites visited on MRH.
Oranienburg Synagogue
- the synagogue was built at the time as a controversial item as it stuck out in Berlin and it was not local to the area
- symbolized, "we can do what we want and we are not afraid"
- on November 9th, 1938 synagogues and Jewish businesses were burned and broken into
- prior to the outbreaks of violence and changes the population of Jews in the area shrunk from a size of approx. 160,000 to approx. 75,000 after people emigrated outward
- this synagogue was burned and a local fireman put out the fire but it is unsure if his actions were ideology based or because the building was so close to others in the neighborhood (the fireman never joined the Nazi party)
- the synagogue was used for storage throughout the war and today is a museum
- today the building is surrounded by a number of security features including roadblocks, laws that don't allow people to stand outside the building, as well as, both uniformed and planned clothed patrol officers for protection and security
First Jewish Cemetery/location of Local Old Age Home
- first tomb is from 1671 (place of birth Vienna), only stone in the cemetery is that of Mendelson the Father of Jewish Enlightenment
- people were brought to the Home beginning in 1941 to be held prior to deportation
- around 55,000 Jews were brought to this 'common' area throughout the Holocaust
- the monument being placed on a stone represents eternity
- Chanie in our group picked up one of the small stones surrounding the the park and placed it on the monument, in the Jewish culture placing a stone on a monument or tomb symbolizes that someone has been there and the are thinking about those people(s)
Functioning Jewish School
- built by Mendelson for Jews to learn to learn 'non-Jewish' subjects (math, science, etc.)
- prior to 18th century Jews did not learn 'external' studies
- security had always been present at this school (and many Jewish schools throughout the world for that matter), " hatred is hatred, bur reasons change"
Missing Section of House
- "come and see what you can't see"
- originally Jewish homes given to Germans, portion of the building was bombed out during the war and not replaced
- the names of the victims are printed on the side of the building next door
- by French/Jewish artist
Stumbling Stones
- "when name is forgotten, person is forgotten"; "better to be seen then not seen at all"
- 17,000 created by a man at a price of 96€ each; 3000 are scattered in the roads throughout Berlin (the biggest monument)
- negatives: small, on the ground, not protected (graffiti)
- positives: gets people to look down, blends into the city (part of life)
Mother With Child
- created by an artist with the first name Cathy; a socialist and a well k own artist
- her art was considered degenerative throughout the war and she was not allowed outside of her home
- the statue is to represent mourning and above it there is an opening in the ceiling (mourning is continual, when it snows there is snow on the statue)
Site of Book Burning at University
- 20,000 books were burned on this day to symbolize the Jewish literature poison that existed in the libraries
- the memorial underground beneath a sheet of glass is simply empty book shelves where those 20,000 books should be
Gay Victim Memorial
- a simple, tall, black concrete block with a video screen inside of two men kissing; something during the Holocaust that could have you arrested, deported, or shot
- as Dustin stated, "something so simple, yet, so powerful"
Reichstag/Brandonburg Gate
- in the centre of the city where the Berlin Wall once stood diving the East and West of the country
- the largest and only remaining gate, this gate has bared witness to history at this lowest and highest moments
- amazing how one piece of history can represent so many things to so many different people
National Jewish Victim Monument
- columns and rows so perfectly straight, yet the blocks amongst them so different, varying in height/depth/width
Monday, May 16, 2011
Update on Day 1.
Today was a great day and right now I attempting to process everything I have experienced and felt. I am going to take the time to write this all out on our 9 hour by ride tomorrow. Tonight I have been sharing my room with Rachelle who is from Toronto and her grandfather is a survivor.
Please see my Facebook for a few select photos of our journeys today.
Please see my Facebook for a few select photos of our journeys today.
Trucking Along.
First plane ride down and one short one to go before we arrive at our final destination of Berlin, Germany around 11 o'clock on Monday May 16th. The flight was fairly uneventful, lack of internet made it difficult for me to post my orientation summary blog and this blog until now as we have an hour layover in Frankfurt.
Most of the flight was spent trying to get a few hours of sleep while also taking what time we could at the wee hours of the morning to get to know those around us a little better.
This morning as we awaited the arrival of the sun and breakfast a few of us talked about experiences and who we are marching for on the trip. Again, and I know it will continue as the week progresses, it is intestine to listen to everyone's perspectives/stories as to what brought them to today. For some those specifics are still being work out and the self discovery portion of the journey will aid in that.
What lays in store for us today is a walking tour of Berlin, including:
- The Neue Wache War Memorial
- Grosse Hamburger Strasse
- Bebelplatz
- Oranienburg Synagogue
- Reichstag/Brandenburg Gate
- Tiergarten Memorial
- Rosemstrasse Monument
- Hitler's Bunker
- Holocaust Memorial & Museum or Bayerische Platz (TBC)
Information on all of this locations (as well as links to sites) can be found on my previous posting on my Weebly site.
In addition to these locations we will be performing a small ceremony at the Memorial for Gay Holocaust victims. During out time at the time various participants who are gay will perform readings over our headsets, followed by the vocal group performing a rendition of True Colours (Cyndi Lauper). While these items take place, participants will have a opportunity to view the video shown at the memorial which is presently of two women kissing. This monument was only erected three years ago, and every two years the video is changed from two men to two women.
Most of the flight was spent trying to get a few hours of sleep while also taking what time we could at the wee hours of the morning to get to know those around us a little better.
This morning as we awaited the arrival of the sun and breakfast a few of us talked about experiences and who we are marching for on the trip. Again, and I know it will continue as the week progresses, it is intestine to listen to everyone's perspectives/stories as to what brought them to today. For some those specifics are still being work out and the self discovery portion of the journey will aid in that.
What lays in store for us today is a walking tour of Berlin, including:
- The Neue Wache War Memorial
- Grosse Hamburger Strasse
- Bebelplatz
- Oranienburg Synagogue
- Reichstag/Brandenburg Gate
- Tiergarten Memorial
- Rosemstrasse Monument
- Hitler's Bunker
- Holocaust Memorial & Museum or Bayerische Platz (TBC)
Information on all of this locations (as well as links to sites) can be found on my previous posting on my Weebly site.
In addition to these locations we will be performing a small ceremony at the Memorial for Gay Holocaust victims. During out time at the time various participants who are gay will perform readings over our headsets, followed by the vocal group performing a rendition of True Colours (Cyndi Lauper). While these items take place, participants will have a opportunity to view the video shown at the memorial which is presently of two women kissing. This monument was only erected three years ago, and every two years the video is changed from two men to two women.
Education, Experience, Expectations
Today was a day full of information, introductions, and connections. The morning spent in the conference room at the Sheraton hotel was a fury of activity as we learned about what to expect from the journey and learn about each other.
The morning began over bagels and creme cheese where they highlighted Who We Will Meet, what the Canadian Centre for Diversity is, and the Role of the Facilitator. After the introduction to the program we broke into our first set of many groups for the morning, the first topic of discussion was that of Community Commitments. These commitments are ones that we will try to consciously follow throughout the trip to help us respect one another, as well as, each others ideas and opinions.
Transitioning to our next group our topic of discussion was "Who Are You," where we were asked (1)Name, (2)What people who know you know about you, and (3)What people who really know you know about you. This activity gave us all an opportunity to open up to each other a level that we were comfortable with.
World Cafe was the next task at hand where again we rotated through different groups, this time revisiting the topis of the Webinar discussions over the past two months. The Paradigm, Antesemitism, Victims of the Holocaust, and finally the MRH Experience. Talking about the MRH experience the key points highlighted by many were the transformation that will likely occur as a result of the journey and the collective aspect of the trip (involved students representing the future generation). The cominalities that we share are the desire to learn, the aspect of prevention, and the reality we face today. Following up the World Cafe the facilitators reenforced the acknowledgment of the differences of each group affected and the term Jew became negative when everything bad became associated with it.
Our break for lunch came and went and we spent the remainder of the afternoon meeting Paul, the social worker traveling with us and then coming together in our Core Learning Group (CLG). In our CLG we spent time refreshing on house keeping items and then getting to know what was on each other's mind through three key questions. (1) One thing you can't stop thinking about?, (2) One thing you know for sure about the Holocuast; one thing you are unsure about, (3) The heart of the matter?
We are now sitting at the airport waiting to get on our fight and I can honestly say that this group of people is an amazing group of individuals and I am really grateful to be apart of it.
The morning began over bagels and creme cheese where they highlighted Who We Will Meet, what the Canadian Centre for Diversity is, and the Role of the Facilitator. After the introduction to the program we broke into our first set of many groups for the morning, the first topic of discussion was that of Community Commitments. These commitments are ones that we will try to consciously follow throughout the trip to help us respect one another, as well as, each others ideas and opinions.
Transitioning to our next group our topic of discussion was "Who Are You," where we were asked (1)Name, (2)What people who know you know about you, and (3)What people who really know you know about you. This activity gave us all an opportunity to open up to each other a level that we were comfortable with.
World Cafe was the next task at hand where again we rotated through different groups, this time revisiting the topis of the Webinar discussions over the past two months. The Paradigm, Antesemitism, Victims of the Holocaust, and finally the MRH Experience. Talking about the MRH experience the key points highlighted by many were the transformation that will likely occur as a result of the journey and the collective aspect of the trip (involved students representing the future generation). The cominalities that we share are the desire to learn, the aspect of prevention, and the reality we face today. Following up the World Cafe the facilitators reenforced the acknowledgment of the differences of each group affected and the term Jew became negative when everything bad became associated with it.
Our break for lunch came and went and we spent the remainder of the afternoon meeting Paul, the social worker traveling with us and then coming together in our Core Learning Group (CLG). In our CLG we spent time refreshing on house keeping items and then getting to know what was on each other's mind through three key questions. (1) One thing you can't stop thinking about?, (2) One thing you know for sure about the Holocuast; one thing you are unsure about, (3) The heart of the matter?
We are now sitting at the airport waiting to get on our fight and I can honestly say that this group of people is an amazing group of individuals and I am really grateful to be apart of it.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
New Home
I have created a new website to house my blog and other items related to the March of Remembrance and hope.
You can find it all here: Remembrance & Hope 2011
It is likely though that I will be linking you all back to this blog here to follow my journey while I am away, do to the lack of support for my new site on the device I will be taking with me.
Thank you for all your time and support!
a.
You can find it all here: Remembrance & Hope 2011
It is likely though that I will be linking you all back to this blog here to follow my journey while I am away, do to the lack of support for my new site on the device I will be taking with me.
Thank you for all your time and support!
a.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
New Webpage.
To anyone who follows my blog here I have started a website for my travels to include not only my blog but also pictures information on MRH, and other links.
Remembrance & Hope 2011
While I am away however I will be linking back to my blog here as I am unable to access my Weebly account due to the lack of flash ability on the device I will be using.
Thank you again for taking the time to hear my story and follow my journey.
a.
Remembrance & Hope 2011
While I am away however I will be linking back to my blog here as I am unable to access my Weebly account due to the lack of flash ability on the device I will be using.
Thank you again for taking the time to hear my story and follow my journey.
a.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Updates.
I have been busy writing my exams at university this past two weeks, and as of right now am sitting the library preparing myself to study for my last one which is this evening. Once exams are done I will dive into a whirlwind of activities to get ready for my trip which is in just over three weeks! In the mean time I wanted to leave a quick update on a few items you can expect to hear from me on in the coming days.
1) Tomorrow morning I will be going to Toronto to meet with Hedy Bohm, the local survivor I will be representing.
2) I have a stack of books at home which are going to recieve some much needed attention once my exams are done this evening. It's my hope that I can get through most of them before I leave and possibly take one or two with me as ebooks to read along the way. Listed below are the books on my reading list:
- Holocaust A History (Deborah Dwork & Robert Jan van Pelt)
- A History of the Holocaust (Yehuda Bauer Nili Keren)
- The Boy in The Stripped Pajamas (John Boyne)
- The Unworthy Life (James M. Glass)
- Hitler's willing Executioners (Daniel Jonah Goldhagen)
- Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust & People With Disabilities (Suzanne E. Evans)
If any of you are aware of a good book that discusses the issues pertaining to the homosexual population during the Holocaust I'd very much appreciate the name of the book as I have yet to find an suitable text to cover this topic.
In addition I will be finishing up reading the book we are asked to read by MRH: War & Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust (Doris L. Bergen). This book has been very through thus far and I find it very helpful to make the connections between the different events that occurred throughout history to lead to Hitler's campaign to 'cleanse' the German population. To see the full list of books/movies that I have already read over the years on the history/issues of the Holocaust please refer to my blog, "Stories Retold".
3) Last but not least, I will hopefully be transitioning away from this interface for my blog over the weekend to a website based interface to include my blog, pictures, and videos when I am away overseas in order to keep everyone up-to-date on all of our journeys.
1) Tomorrow morning I will be going to Toronto to meet with Hedy Bohm, the local survivor I will be representing.
2) I have a stack of books at home which are going to recieve some much needed attention once my exams are done this evening. It's my hope that I can get through most of them before I leave and possibly take one or two with me as ebooks to read along the way. Listed below are the books on my reading list:
- Holocaust A History (Deborah Dwork & Robert Jan van Pelt)
- A History of the Holocaust (Yehuda Bauer Nili Keren)
- The Boy in The Stripped Pajamas (John Boyne)
- The Unworthy Life (James M. Glass)
- Hitler's willing Executioners (Daniel Jonah Goldhagen)
- Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust & People With Disabilities (Suzanne E. Evans)
If any of you are aware of a good book that discusses the issues pertaining to the homosexual population during the Holocaust I'd very much appreciate the name of the book as I have yet to find an suitable text to cover this topic.
In addition I will be finishing up reading the book we are asked to read by MRH: War & Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust (Doris L. Bergen). This book has been very through thus far and I find it very helpful to make the connections between the different events that occurred throughout history to lead to Hitler's campaign to 'cleanse' the German population. To see the full list of books/movies that I have already read over the years on the history/issues of the Holocaust please refer to my blog, "Stories Retold".
3) Last but not least, I will hopefully be transitioning away from this interface for my blog over the weekend to a website based interface to include my blog, pictures, and videos when I am away overseas in order to keep everyone up-to-date on all of our journeys.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Many Roles of the Holocaust
Webinar #3 took Wednesday April 13th in the middle of the exam frenzy us university students call the last few weeks of the term, we all found time to come together for an hour and half to regroup and have a wonderful presentation by Carson Phillips who is a candidate for his PhD at York University in Toronto. Prior to the Webinar we were asked to read two articles from Prism Magazine which can be found online. One article discussed the Evian Conference and the other discussed the role of archival documents and memoirs to aid in teaching the history of Holocaust to students today.
A little bit of background on Mr. Phillips, in 2005 he graduated from York U with his M.A. in Humanities, and he also has a graduate diploma in Holocaust & Genocide Education from the University of Toronto. Mr. Phillips has interned at the Auschwitz Jewish Centre in Oswiecim, Poland, studied at the International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem, Israel, and at the Holocaust Education Foundation Institute of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. (York U Website)
The lecture Mr. Phillips presented last night was formed around, "Paradigm of the Perpetrator, Bystander, Victim, & Helper." For those of you who are unsure of what a paradigm is described as 1) a typical example or pattern of something; a mode and 2) a worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject.
Raul Hilberg
We begin by discussing Mr. Raul Hilberg who opened up the field for Holocaust studies in publishing his definitive scholarly text, "The Destruction of the European Jews" in 1961. In this text he identified three components to the paradigm, Perpetrator, Bystander, and Victim. The other addition of components such as helper and rescuer were added to the paradigm at later dates by other scholars. Most recently scholars have made additions to the model in terms of gender and sexuality studies.
Holocaust Reverberations
The past will never rest when it comes to the Holocaust and Mr. Phillips indicated to us that the reverberation of the Holocaust is particularly strong in Germany and Austria as the newer generations in these countries attempt to "come to terms" with the past. During this new generation of youth the category of the perpetrator becomes more complex as stories and knowledge begin to come to light as those individuals attempt to discover who there family members were. There have been many books published by relatives of those involved in the war, but few have been translated to English and Mr. Philips highlighted three books and one documentary that he finds particularly interesting and important in learning about reverberations and the perpetrator.
Books: The Himmler Brothers, The Man in the Pulpit, and Tracks of My Father
In all of these publications the authors discovered, throughout their research on their family members who they really were. In most causes family members overshadowed the real actions and roles their family members had in the Holocaust and it not until these later dates where those from the new generations discover the real truth.
Opening Up the Paradigm
Mr. Phillips discussed the difference between the Mitlaufer (someone who runs with the crowd) and a Semi-active participant. Even if someone during the war was just designing decrees for the Nazis to pose they still have a negative impact on someone's quality of life and thus would be considered a perpetrator.
Brief History of the Perpetrators
After the war in the 1950s were perpetrators were since as "devils/monsters in human form" and through the years have gone through transitions to "banality of bureaucrat/evil" into the 1960s, during the 1990s there was a shift as people begin to see how "ordinary" men and women became perpetrators and this made it much more difficult to understand. An example of this "ordinary" perpetrator was seen when Mr. Christopher Browning went to trial for his war crimes.
Using the Lens of Gender for Perpetrators
Next Mr. Phillips discussed the role of women in the role of perpetrators. Throughout war times women created a buffer from their husband's jobs. They provided their husbands with a safe home and the ability to come home and be fathers after a long day (of killing). Many scholars after the war identified women as victims in totality due to the male dominance and interracial policies that existed at the time. Mr. Phillips also used the example of Hitler's secretary and her role in the war as the tasks she were to complete were what were required of her in order to fill the demands of her job.
Victims
When Mr. Phillips spoke about the victims of the Holocaust, primarily the Jews, he made it clear that each Jew responded to the events unfolding around them in a different way, whether that be through the concept of agency, spiritual resistance, or choiceless choices.
The example provided for the concept of agency looked at a young girl who lost her whole family early on during the war and decided that it was only appropriate that she hide the fact that she was Jewish and join the Partisans. She made this conscious decision because she felt that she had nothing left to live for.
The concept of spirituality was a struggle for Jewsih people as many of them tried to keep their beliefs as a part of their life. Choiceless Choices is something that may be more difficult for some people to grasp as it is the lesser of two evils. Mr. Phillips use the example of Adam Cenokvo (Ghetto Leader) to show how when faced with the unthinkable of being asked to make a selection of which Jewish people to put on the deportation list. When faced with this task that other leaders found easy to complete Mr. Cenokvo simply could not allow himself to chose these individuals fate and instead took his life.
Rescuers
There is no "prototype" of a rescuer as they transcend education, socioeconomic backgrounds, religion, etc. This is also the area where fluidity and overlap of the categories takes place.
Contemporary Issues
Lastly, Mr. Phillips highlighted some key issues surrounding the Holocaust that are occurring today, one of which being the National Fund of the Republic of Austria. Austria's process of dealing with their part in the Holocaust occurred very late and didn't begin until the 1990s. The lady who was hired to head the National Fund is Jewish and her father is a survivor, therefore, she has some ability to understand Austria complex history in relation to the Holocaust. The Fund was created in hopes to support and educate individuals on the Holocaust.
"Over a half-century has passed since the hell of the Holocaust, but its spectre still hangs over the world and doesn’t allow us to forget." - Irena Sendler (Polish victim who rescued children)
A little bit of background on Mr. Phillips, in 2005 he graduated from York U with his M.A. in Humanities, and he also has a graduate diploma in Holocaust & Genocide Education from the University of Toronto. Mr. Phillips has interned at the Auschwitz Jewish Centre in Oswiecim, Poland, studied at the International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem, Israel, and at the Holocaust Education Foundation Institute of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. (York U Website)
The lecture Mr. Phillips presented last night was formed around, "Paradigm of the Perpetrator, Bystander, Victim, & Helper." For those of you who are unsure of what a paradigm is described as 1) a typical example or pattern of something; a mode and 2) a worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject.
Raul Hilberg
We begin by discussing Mr. Raul Hilberg who opened up the field for Holocaust studies in publishing his definitive scholarly text, "The Destruction of the European Jews" in 1961. In this text he identified three components to the paradigm, Perpetrator, Bystander, and Victim. The other addition of components such as helper and rescuer were added to the paradigm at later dates by other scholars. Most recently scholars have made additions to the model in terms of gender and sexuality studies.
Holocaust Reverberations
The past will never rest when it comes to the Holocaust and Mr. Phillips indicated to us that the reverberation of the Holocaust is particularly strong in Germany and Austria as the newer generations in these countries attempt to "come to terms" with the past. During this new generation of youth the category of the perpetrator becomes more complex as stories and knowledge begin to come to light as those individuals attempt to discover who there family members were. There have been many books published by relatives of those involved in the war, but few have been translated to English and Mr. Philips highlighted three books and one documentary that he finds particularly interesting and important in learning about reverberations and the perpetrator.
Books: The Himmler Brothers, The Man in the Pulpit, and Tracks of My Father
In all of these publications the authors discovered, throughout their research on their family members who they really were. In most causes family members overshadowed the real actions and roles their family members had in the Holocaust and it not until these later dates where those from the new generations discover the real truth.
Opening Up the Paradigm
Mr. Phillips discussed the difference between the Mitlaufer (someone who runs with the crowd) and a Semi-active participant. Even if someone during the war was just designing decrees for the Nazis to pose they still have a negative impact on someone's quality of life and thus would be considered a perpetrator.
Brief History of the Perpetrators
After the war in the 1950s were perpetrators were since as "devils/monsters in human form" and through the years have gone through transitions to "banality of bureaucrat/evil" into the 1960s, during the 1990s there was a shift as people begin to see how "ordinary" men and women became perpetrators and this made it much more difficult to understand. An example of this "ordinary" perpetrator was seen when Mr. Christopher Browning went to trial for his war crimes.
Using the Lens of Gender for Perpetrators
Next Mr. Phillips discussed the role of women in the role of perpetrators. Throughout war times women created a buffer from their husband's jobs. They provided their husbands with a safe home and the ability to come home and be fathers after a long day (of killing). Many scholars after the war identified women as victims in totality due to the male dominance and interracial policies that existed at the time. Mr. Phillips also used the example of Hitler's secretary and her role in the war as the tasks she were to complete were what were required of her in order to fill the demands of her job.
Victims
When Mr. Phillips spoke about the victims of the Holocaust, primarily the Jews, he made it clear that each Jew responded to the events unfolding around them in a different way, whether that be through the concept of agency, spiritual resistance, or choiceless choices.
The example provided for the concept of agency looked at a young girl who lost her whole family early on during the war and decided that it was only appropriate that she hide the fact that she was Jewish and join the Partisans. She made this conscious decision because she felt that she had nothing left to live for.
The concept of spirituality was a struggle for Jewsih people as many of them tried to keep their beliefs as a part of their life. Choiceless Choices is something that may be more difficult for some people to grasp as it is the lesser of two evils. Mr. Phillips use the example of Adam Cenokvo (Ghetto Leader) to show how when faced with the unthinkable of being asked to make a selection of which Jewish people to put on the deportation list. When faced with this task that other leaders found easy to complete Mr. Cenokvo simply could not allow himself to chose these individuals fate and instead took his life.
Rescuers
There is no "prototype" of a rescuer as they transcend education, socioeconomic backgrounds, religion, etc. This is also the area where fluidity and overlap of the categories takes place.
Contemporary Issues
Lastly, Mr. Phillips highlighted some key issues surrounding the Holocaust that are occurring today, one of which being the National Fund of the Republic of Austria. Austria's process of dealing with their part in the Holocaust occurred very late and didn't begin until the 1990s. The lady who was hired to head the National Fund is Jewish and her father is a survivor, therefore, she has some ability to understand Austria complex history in relation to the Holocaust. The Fund was created in hopes to support and educate individuals on the Holocaust.
"Over a half-century has passed since the hell of the Holocaust, but its spectre still hangs over the world and doesn’t allow us to forget." - Irena Sendler (Polish victim who rescued children)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Strangest of Places.
Growing up it became habit of mine to always watch the news in the morning before I got ready for my day. Now as a third year business student that habit has become more important as those in the business world need to have a strong understanding of what is going presently in order to apply this knowledge to business decisions.
This morning once I arrived at the library to study for exams (having already watched the news and skimmed the paper over breakfast) I opened Yahoo.ca and there was a link in the top bar where they post the big/interesting stories. There was one that caught my eye about a writer/professional organizer who lives in 90 square foot apartment. I know what you're thinking if you're reading this, where is she going? Well, as I watched the video that lady, by the name of Felice was taking about how she spends most of her time writing and that her next book, titled "What Papa Told Me," comes out next month. She then proceeded to say that the book was about her grandfather, Murray Schwartzbaum who was from Poland and survived eight different camps during the war.
I proceeded to look up this book on amazon.com and the book is something that I hope to read before I leave on the trip in May (on top of the other four I already have on the go). The book is about the stories her grandfather told her about is time during the war in the camps, as well as, his struggle to come to America afterwards and establish a life for him and his family. The tragedy of the tail is the his wife, a survivor of the Holocaust ends up committing suicide. The story is told in first person through the eyes of Murray.
I plan on ordering this book and once I read it I will post a summary/review on how it was and what insight I gained from his perspective on the Holocaust, and his adjustment to life after the fact.
"Everyday's a birthday when I get up in the morning." - Murray Schwartzbaum
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Who I am Marching for...
I am very excited to write this blog. I have just made connection with the survivor I will be representing during my time over seas on the March.
When we were presented with this tasks last Thursday after our Webinar I was a little panicked about being able to find someone I could make a connection with before I left. It was really important to me that I would be able to do this because I want to be able to represent their story in every way that I can but at the same time gain some insight from them on their actual experience. Then maybe when I am in these places I can close my eyes and try to imagine what it was like for them. When I set out to find someone I left myself open and was just hoping that I would be able to find someone local from my immediate community.
With that being said I am truly grateful and honoured to say that I will be representing and marching with pride for Ms. Hedy Bohm. During February Hedy spoke at Waterdown High School in Waterdown, Ontario to help students their prepare for their March break trip to Germany, Poland, and Russia. I was lucky enough be provided connection to her through Nathan Tidridge (Waterdown High School) and Catherine Gitzel (a friends of Hedy's).
For almost 50 years Hedy kept silent to many about her experience during the Holocaust and carried the pain that came with those memories she had. Hedy was born in Oradea, Romania and as an only child she was the daughter of father (a tradesman) and her mother. Her family had the ability to send her to an all girls Jewish school, where Hedy hoped to one day become a gym or creative dance teacher. During the early 1940s when the rules began to be implemented on the Jewish population, Hedy and her family were relocated to The Ghetto where they shared a room with three other families after they turned in all of their personal belonging to the Nazis. The area Hedy was from had a population of 25,000 Jewish people, add to that 5,000 from surrounding areas, there were approximately 30,000 people living on only a few blocks of the city. (O'Hara, Spectator)
Hedy and her family saw groups of people daily escorted out of The Ghetto and to the train station. It was never disclosed where they were heading exactly or what they were going to be doing once they arrive, however, rumours began to circulate as to what the Nazis were doing to the Jews. No one wanted to believe them. At the end of May 1944, Hedy's family was now one of those families loaded on to a wagon with no idea where they were going. For three days they travelled in the dark wagon, provided with no food or water. Upon arrival when the doors were opened and guards began to yell she was at Auschwitz. (O'Hara, Spectator)
I look forward to speaking with Hedy in the coming weeks and being able to provided you with more information on her story. I am grateful that I have found someone who will provide me with the opportunity to represent them self and their story on my journey next month.
" That was my wish. That it didn't happen." - Hedy Bohm
When we were presented with this tasks last Thursday after our Webinar I was a little panicked about being able to find someone I could make a connection with before I left. It was really important to me that I would be able to do this because I want to be able to represent their story in every way that I can but at the same time gain some insight from them on their actual experience. Then maybe when I am in these places I can close my eyes and try to imagine what it was like for them. When I set out to find someone I left myself open and was just hoping that I would be able to find someone local from my immediate community.
With that being said I am truly grateful and honoured to say that I will be representing and marching with pride for Ms. Hedy Bohm. During February Hedy spoke at Waterdown High School in Waterdown, Ontario to help students their prepare for their March break trip to Germany, Poland, and Russia. I was lucky enough be provided connection to her through Nathan Tidridge (Waterdown High School) and Catherine Gitzel (a friends of Hedy's).
For almost 50 years Hedy kept silent to many about her experience during the Holocaust and carried the pain that came with those memories she had. Hedy was born in Oradea, Romania and as an only child she was the daughter of father (a tradesman) and her mother. Her family had the ability to send her to an all girls Jewish school, where Hedy hoped to one day become a gym or creative dance teacher. During the early 1940s when the rules began to be implemented on the Jewish population, Hedy and her family were relocated to The Ghetto where they shared a room with three other families after they turned in all of their personal belonging to the Nazis. The area Hedy was from had a population of 25,000 Jewish people, add to that 5,000 from surrounding areas, there were approximately 30,000 people living on only a few blocks of the city. (O'Hara, Spectator)
Hedy and her family saw groups of people daily escorted out of The Ghetto and to the train station. It was never disclosed where they were heading exactly or what they were going to be doing once they arrive, however, rumours began to circulate as to what the Nazis were doing to the Jews. No one wanted to believe them. At the end of May 1944, Hedy's family was now one of those families loaded on to a wagon with no idea where they were going. For three days they travelled in the dark wagon, provided with no food or water. Upon arrival when the doors were opened and guards began to yell she was at Auschwitz. (O'Hara, Spectator)
I look forward to speaking with Hedy in the coming weeks and being able to provided you with more information on her story. I am grateful that I have found someone who will provide me with the opportunity to represent them self and their story on my journey next month.
" That was my wish. That it didn't happen." - Hedy Bohm
Friday, April 1, 2011
"The World Will Be In Auschwitz"
The quote that opens my post today is from that of Robert Han Van Pelt who is Professor at the University of Toronto and the lecturer for our second Webinar. He sat down and spoke to us last night about his research on Auschwitz and what we can expect when we go to this place in May. He travels to the site at least twice a year to study the architecture and conduct his research of the extermination facilities at the camp. In 2000, he acknowledged as the leading world-expert on Auschwitz and has participated in a defence team for a civil suit against British Holocaust denier David Irving, as well as, publishing a book in 2002 entitled Holocaust: A History. (thecanadianencyclopedia.com)
During his lecture last night he discussed what we could expect to see when we visit Auschwitz, as well as, challenges he feels that we will face individually during our time at the camp. The problem we will face before we leave is all of the narratives that we will come across in readings/videos about the camp and how many refer to it as names such as, “hell on Earth, ass hole of the Earth, a place to kill Jews, etc.” The narratives about how to describe Auschwitz began development after the first forensic investigation of the place in 1945.
Today is can be called a beautiful place, especially in the summer time as there is nature and forests surrounding the camp. It is a little place surrounded by mountains and a densely populated area and will be very different from when we visit Treblinka later, which was known as, “the end of the road.”
He proceeded to explain to us what could be the best possible ways to reconnect to what happened during the war during the present time. The best time he feels to visit is early in the morning when the fog lingers; you can obtain the image you probably have set up about this place in your mind. We need to be prepared to be there with a large number of other tour groups, it will be busy, and he described that it will operate as ‘Auschwitz Land’ in a way. Auschwitz itself is a group of camps (up to 40), but only two of them are open to the public. Everything between Auschwitz and Bernkinau during the time of the war was camp. Today the area is an agricultural semi-urbanized area.
The Auschwitz you will see today will be the Auschwitz the people after the war intended it to be. When we enter through the front gate we may feel important, that we are experiencing what many of the Jews did arrive at this gate as they arrived outside of Bernkinau first (approximately 85%). We will not experience what the Jews did because we will be experiencing a memorial site, which is much different.
We discussed the various types of ‘conflict’ that still surround the camp today including religious disagreements and the Holocaust deniers.
Auschwitz is a major Polish historical site as many Polish people were murdered here and that is why is became a memorial. However, after 1978 the Catholic Church felt it necessary to grant Saint status to two of those who were imprisoned in Auschwitz, Maxilian Kolbe (Saint of Auschwitz) and Edith Stein (Martyr of Auschwitz). Kolbe was a Polish priest who died as prisoner number 16770 on August 14th, 1941 when a prisoner escaped form the came and the Nazis selected 10 others to be killed by starvation in punishment for the escape. When one of the individuals selected to die (Franciszek Gajowniczek) began to call out about his wife and children, Kolbe asked to die in his place and his request to the Nazis was granted. (www.auschwitz.dk) Edith Stein was born into a Jewish family and in 1922 converted to Christianity. She moved from Germany to the Netherlands to avoid Nazi prosecution, however, in 1942 she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she died in the gas chambers. The controversy surrounding the Saints of Auschwitz was that of tall the Christian objects and items that began to show up around the site as many Christians began to make pilgrimages to the area to be in this area where this Saints were once. With all of the crosses and Christian items present many Jews found it inappropriate, as there was a place where over a million of their people had perished. (scrapbookpages.com)
Holocaust deniers are individuals who believe that the Holocaust did not occur and try to prove to others that it did not occur. For example, Professor Han highlights that these individuals will have scientists come to the came to take samples from bricks in the gas chambers to test for a resin of the chemical used to kill the Jews. When the tests come back no resin could be detected, and this therefore, gives these people ground to say that here were no gas chambers, thus there was no Auschwitz, and therefore, there was no Holocaust. But we know that is not the case.
The key point he wanted us to take away from his lecture last night is that we need to focus on the detail. Before arriving at the camp our sense of site will have potentially been exhausted due to all of the pictures/videos we have seen in preparation for the journey and in school over the years. With that being said, many people who go just hoping to ‘see’ the camp will be disappointed and thus, we need to make use of our other sense such as touch, hear, and smell. We should touch the objects there to feel the tangibility of the place, or smell the air, or close our eyes and listen to the birds in the forest. Take someone’s hand and walk through the camp making the connection together.
He recommended that at some point during our visit we take some alone time to ourselves for 10 – 15 minutes to develop our own personal perspective of the place and what we are going to take away from this. It is more important what happens when you return home from this journey and you start to think about your experience. The story that we personally will make about this trip is ultimately what this experience is about. Don’t panic if you don’t feel anything while you are there, it’s reality.
Links of Interest
- Robert Han Van Pelt: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009821
- Holocaust Deniers: http://www.ihr.org/leaflets/denial.shtml
"The Nazis victimized some people for what they did, some for what they refused to do, some for what they were, and some for the fact that they were." - John Conway
Saturday, March 19, 2011
What is the March of Remembrance & Hope?
I felt that it would be beneficial if I provided you with a quick summary of what the March of Remembrance & Hope (MRH) is, and what the goals are of the programs for the students involved.
For over a decade, MRH has brought together students from diverse backgrounds for this transformative, experiential learning opportunity. It engages them on every level: heart, mind, and spirit and equips them with the tools they need to take action against racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
The March of Remembrance & Hope takes students selected on a six months educational journey that includes two months of interactive preparation leading up to the nine day Holocaust/genocide study and leadership mission in Germany and Poland. Three months later, they reconvene for a 3-day leadership retreat to develop action plans for post-program projects. (MRH website)
Now that I have been placed in my Core Learning Group (CLG #1) we will interact in four Webinar's (one of which has already taken place) over the next two months. The purpose of these Webinars is to get to know each other a receive some valuable information on the topics we will be discussing on the trip. In addition to our Webinars that take place a portal will be launched that will allow everyone in the group to reflect on articles our educators post, post articles we find that we would like to share with other, and allow us to discuss the events the will take place over the next few months.
Throughout our time in Germany/Poland we will be travelling with the staff from The Canadian Centre for Diversity as well as two Holocaust survivors and two educators. In having these individuals travel with us it is hoped that we will be provided with as much information and tools as possible to gain the most of this experience.
As I receive more information in terms of what will be taking place when we are in Europe I will keep you up to date.
Listening to: Swim - Jack's Mannequin
For over a decade, MRH has brought together students from diverse backgrounds for this transformative, experiential learning opportunity. It engages them on every level: heart, mind, and spirit and equips them with the tools they need to take action against racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
The March of Remembrance & Hope takes students selected on a six months educational journey that includes two months of interactive preparation leading up to the nine day Holocaust/genocide study and leadership mission in Germany and Poland. Three months later, they reconvene for a 3-day leadership retreat to develop action plans for post-program projects. (MRH website)
Now that I have been placed in my Core Learning Group (CLG #1) we will interact in four Webinar's (one of which has already taken place) over the next two months. The purpose of these Webinars is to get to know each other a receive some valuable information on the topics we will be discussing on the trip. In addition to our Webinars that take place a portal will be launched that will allow everyone in the group to reflect on articles our educators post, post articles we find that we would like to share with other, and allow us to discuss the events the will take place over the next few months.
Throughout our time in Germany/Poland we will be travelling with the staff from The Canadian Centre for Diversity as well as two Holocaust survivors and two educators. In having these individuals travel with us it is hoped that we will be provided with as much information and tools as possible to gain the most of this experience.
As I receive more information in terms of what will be taking place when we are in Europe I will keep you up to date.
Listening to: Swim - Jack's Mannequin
Set the Stage.
It is important to provide you with some general facts about WWII and Anti-Semitism, the facts/figures posted below are provided by a MRH Lecture presented by Dr. Catherine Chatterley (University of Manitoba). These are both key facts that are important to better understanding Anti-Semitism and its relation to WWII, as well as, facts that I found intriguing and would like to look into further.
Definition of Anti-Semitism: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group (Merriam-webster.com)
General Information:
- Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years; the only new concept that Hitler introduced to Anti-Semitism was that of Death camps
- Theology: association between the Jews and the devil (Jews killed Jesus); in the imagination is what gives the Jews the power (accusation of conspiracy; Jews work against society)
Relationship Between Anti-Semitisn & Racism
- Invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, where Hitler believed was where the creation of Jews and their conspiracy took place
- There were 6 death camps, all located in Poland
- Other groups targeted secondarily to the Jews: Polish, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah Witness (due to not agreeing to fight due rejection of Hitler's theories) [all added to the extermination lists in 1942]
Numbers:
- 1.3M people were sent to Auschwitz over the course of WWII; 1.1M were killed by the end of January 1945
- hundreds of Jehovah Witnesses and Homosexuals
- 15,000 Prisoner's of War (POWs)
- 21,000 Roma
- 70,000 Poles in politics
- 1M Jews (many children and infants)
- 6M+ Jews were killed (4M have been named), known to be upwards of 7/8M total
- Killed 2/3s of Jewish Europe
- fragmented communities left, wiped out/greatly diminished very old populations
" Do not believe, in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything because merely on the authority of your teachers or elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reasons and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." - Hindu Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism
Definition of Anti-Semitism: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group (Merriam-webster.com)
General Information:
- Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years; the only new concept that Hitler introduced to Anti-Semitism was that of Death camps
- Theology: association between the Jews and the devil (Jews killed Jesus); in the imagination is what gives the Jews the power (accusation of conspiracy; Jews work against society)
Relationship Between Anti-Semitisn & Racism
- Xenophobia: hatred of the stranger/unknown/other (common to all human groups)
- Racism: European concept; like animals are divided into species; similar to concept of nations
- Traditional anti-semitism
- 1800 to 1900 years old
- instead of religion making Jews different, not a racial explanation and now has become a
part of their blood (there is a science to it)
- Anti-semitism
- not race/racial in its inception
- religious; based on Christian theology
- much older, more complex than racism
Specific Information to WWII:
- Hilter was able to set his idea in motion through German society via propagandaSpecific Information to WWII:
- Invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, where Hitler believed was where the creation of Jews and their conspiracy took place
- There were 6 death camps, all located in Poland
- Other groups targeted secondarily to the Jews: Polish, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah Witness (due to not agreeing to fight due rejection of Hitler's theories) [all added to the extermination lists in 1942]
Numbers:
- 1.3M people were sent to Auschwitz over the course of WWII; 1.1M were killed by the end of January 1945
- hundreds of Jehovah Witnesses and Homosexuals
- 15,000 Prisoner's of War (POWs)
- 21,000 Roma
- 70,000 Poles in politics
- 1M Jews (many children and infants)
- 6M+ Jews were killed (4M have been named), known to be upwards of 7/8M total
- Killed 2/3s of Jewish Europe
- fragmented communities left, wiped out/greatly diminished very old populations
" Do not believe, in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything because merely on the authority of your teachers or elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reasons and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." - Hindu Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism
Friday, March 18, 2011
Stories Retold
* this blog entry is a work in progress... (finish entries, fixing spacing)
As I have a personal interest in the topic of World War II and the Holocaust I have read a number f books and viewed a number of movies over the years in order to further familiarize myself with the time period and the events that occurred. I hope that these resources will be beneficial to you in better understanding the issues surrounding the Holocaust or continue to build on the knowledge that you may already have.
Books
- Night (Elie Wiesel)
- Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank)
Movies
- Downfall (2004):Takes place in April of 1945, as the Russian army is closing in from the East and from the West the Allied Expeditionary Force. The story is told through the narration of the former secretary of Adolf Hitler who worked alongside him throughout the war. The movie takes you through in great detail the dramatic decisions made and the life altering choices that took place in the Berlin bunker during the end of WWII.
Out of every movie I have seen to date this was the only one that has told the story of the final days of WWII from the perspective of the Nazis and Hitler himself. To see the soldiers of the Nazi army sitting in the halls of the bunkers as they shake, while the opposition approaches. I personally feel that the set design and depiction of the massive underground system that Hitler had built is unlike anything and it really sets the seen that every book outlines about how big the system he built under Berlin really was. The decisions that certain individuals made during the final moments of Nazi power will shock the viewer, as many of these facts are not recorded in many books. Hitler himself who cowardly chose to commit suicide with his life and have his body burned to not allow the allied forces to find him dead or alive. Once he is gone it is difficult for anyone to maintain organization among the troops or the city and faster than before things slip away for the Nazis as liberation apporaches for the city and Europe.
- The Pianist (2002):
A pianist, a Polish Jew, Wladyslaw Szpilman lives as the Nazis place restrictions on his people and his family is deported to Nazi Labour camps. He is able escape capture and being shipped off by moving through/living in the ruins of Warsaw. Before the war occurred Szpilman was a said to be the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland. Throughout his time in the Warsaw ghetto attempting to survive being caught by the Nazis he was able to witness the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19 - May 16, 1943) and the Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944). He is able to survive throughout the final months of his hiding due to the assistance from a Nazi Solider by the name of Hosenfeld (who sadly died after the way in a Soviet gulag in 1952).
(IMDb.com)
(IMDb.com)
This has to be one of the best, if not my favourite movie adaptation of a story from the Holocaust. The movie does not only an impeccable job of detailing the story but, also does extreme justice by depicting what the country and the ghetto would look like over the duration of the war. The story itself is one that is sad, but lets the viewer into a situation that was all to familiar to Jews during this time, coming home and having no one left. The struggle Szpilman faces is true and to watch him wither away throughout the movie you almost wonder if he will make it. I feel I am drawn to this movie in such a strong way because the film provides the viewer and opportunity to see/feel first hand what it would be like for a individual on their own to struggle and try to face every obstacle placed against them throughout the ordeal.
I remember watching this movie on TV in Grade 6, we had the opportunity to 'Teach for a Period', an activity that our teacher Mrs. Speed encouraged because she wanted us to learn about topics that interested us and then share them with our peers. I was so moved by this movie at such a young age that I felt compelled to share the video with the class (which at the time we probably should not have watched it due to the violence but my teacher felt just as strongly as the subject as I did). Once the class viewed the movie we had to ask them to complete an 'educational' component. From what I recall I believe we asked them to right a paper reflecting on how the movie made them feel, and then following that up by indicating if they would/would not stand up and fight against the Nazis if they knew they may die anyway. Since I have not seen this movie in a number of years, I am a little fuzzy on the details but if I recall correctly the basis of the movie is a group of young people living in the Warsaw ghetto who feel that enough is enough, if their potential sentence from the Nazis is death anyway maybe they should try their best to stand up for themselves/what they believe in.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Meeting New Friends!
This evening the first of four Webinars was held for our Core Learning Group. There are two Core Learning Groups (CLG) for the trip and we are divided into 30 students on each bus. Our CLG will be our family for the trip, we will get to know each other via Webinars, we will travel together, we will interact in learning sessions with on another and we will be there for each other. I am a proud member of CLG #1!!!
I am SOOOOOO happy with my CLG right off the bat we were all getting to know each other via the chat provided in our Webinar and then we were able to get the Facebook Group up and going which will allow to communicate whenever we feel fit. These past 3 hours have been a whirlwind and all the people that I have spoken to have been absolutely great people and I can't wait to interact with the other members! It is amazing to see a group of young individuals all passionate about a common cause and ready to go on this trip to come back and make a positive impact on our family, friends, and our communities.
Over the next few weeks we will starting interacting on our Google Group by posting articles we individually find, reflecting on articles our Team Leaders post and also discussing how we are feeling about certain issues as the trip quickly approaches.
It is surreal that we will depart two months today! I cannot wait to see what the next two months leading up to this trip have to offer and what an incredible experience awaits all of the participants when we depart on this journey of a life time!
a.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- Frank Outlaw
I am SOOOOOO happy with my CLG right off the bat we were all getting to know each other via the chat provided in our Webinar and then we were able to get the Facebook Group up and going which will allow to communicate whenever we feel fit. These past 3 hours have been a whirlwind and all the people that I have spoken to have been absolutely great people and I can't wait to interact with the other members! It is amazing to see a group of young individuals all passionate about a common cause and ready to go on this trip to come back and make a positive impact on our family, friends, and our communities.
Over the next few weeks we will starting interacting on our Google Group by posting articles we individually find, reflecting on articles our Team Leaders post and also discussing how we are feeling about certain issues as the trip quickly approaches.
It is surreal that we will depart two months today! I cannot wait to see what the next two months leading up to this trip have to offer and what an incredible experience awaits all of the participants when we depart on this journey of a life time!
a.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- Frank Outlaw
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