TRY 2015 - Jerusalem, Israel A note on reading: The blog is in reverse chronological order! If it's your first time, try reading from the bottom. Click on the title or "Read More" to access full articles.
Enjoy!
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Sunday night, the madrichim announce their usual announcements. Only, tomorrow would be Rosh Chodesh! Along with this once a month celebration comes the Women of the Wall. Established a few years ago, their goal is to ensure gender equality at the Western Wall (Kotel), the holiest site in Judaism. Along with such an endeavour comes a lot of controversy, which youâll learn about further down.
Anyways, the madrichim gave us the option to go to their service! We would have to wake up early and take our own taxis, but it would be well worth it. Lots of people signed up to go, which was really nice. One thing I love about TRY is that weâre egalitarian: no matter your level of observance (anywhere from Ilya to Dotan and Boaz!), we all believe in the right of women to daven and lead services.
I woke up at 5:45, showered, got ready, and then went up to the main gate. I got in a taxi with Sara (madricha), Sam Berman and Meredie. Off we went! We were the first taxi out, so we got there a little early. Sam Berman and I went over to the menâs side first, to do some âwarm-upâ tefilah, and just for the sake of visiting.
By 7:20, the âMen of the Women of the Wallâ started their Shacharit towards the back of the menâs section at the wall. A few minutes later, the womenâs side started. I wondered why they were out of sync, and didnât know which one to join! The service went well.Â
We approached our Torah service, and the women were still singing. A few people read, and we all had a great time. The guys there were really nice. After the Torah reading, I got to do Hagbah! Hagbah is the tradition of raising the Torah for all to see, while everyone in the minyan holds up their pinky finger wrapped in the tzitzit (fringes) of their talit. I was called up to be the Magbia, to be able to raise the Torah at the Kotel. I had a little difficulty getting it up, but once I got it, boy, was it amazing. We rolled up the Torah, and did some dancing and singing with it. By now, the women were ready to start their Torah service.
At most Women of the Wall events, the women read their Torah portion from a Chumash (hardcover book âTorahâ). To my surprise, there was a secret operation to hand the Torah over to the women. This would be the first time ever a woman could read Torah at the Kotel Maarvi (Western Wall)! History.
This was how it went down:
Charlie, one of the guys on the menâs side, opened up the Mechitza (divider). After I did the Magbia, I passed the Torah over to someone else, who walked right through the now-open mechitza into the womenâs side! He then handed off the Torah to a lady waiting to receive it. The response was enormous, huge cheering and joy ensued as the women started to dance. Almost immediately, a few Haredi men started to charge at us, attempting to get into the womenâs section and capture the Torah. Two people got run over, and a brawl started. Despite Alexandraâs shouting for Sam and I to stand back, Sam went right in there! She wasnât so happy about that, concerned for his safety. After a while, the police came and the women read Torah! What an amazing sight.
This did evoke a conundrum in my head. Why should Jew rise against Jew? When those Haredi men charged us, they resorted to mild violence to get the Torah back. This isnât the spirit of the Torah itself! All should be able to enjoy it. But, we need to understand their narrative as well, this is what they were raised on.
There was much more balagan to follow, but it was time to get back in time for ICC class! Alexandra assembled everyone towards the back of the Kotel plaza, and gave us homemade rugelach! Sheâs the best.
We headed back, but there was a poo-load of traffic! This ended up in us all being late for ICC, and as a result, ICC didnât really happen, much to the distaste of Betsalel.
As much as I didnât like missing ICC, it was for an amazing reason. The chance to help women enjoy the Torah like men can is a great value for me, and I got to fulfill that.
Later on in the day, I picked up HaAretz newspaper. Guess who was on the front cover? Miki and Edden, as they did Hagba together. I wished them a mazel tov, as their Hagba counterpart! Only theirs was much more importantâŚ
All in all, it was an amazing event which I was ecstatic to be a part of. I made history in womenâs rights.
Today was back to school after our great Shabbat in Efrat. First period was ICC: instead of our usual Sunday-Monday-Wednesday classroom session, we went outside and explored the area around the Chava. Why, you may ask? Our neighbourhood, San Simon-Katamon was a major battleground in the War of Independence. It was the crossroads between the string of Jewish and string of Arab neighbourhoods, so each side wanted it to avoid having their respective areas cut off from each other. After a very tough battle (70% of our men were lost or wounded), we pulled through and captured the area. I also learned that my dorm was once an Arab house before it became part of the Chava... really awesome!
I also had a math test today... It wasn't difficult. But, then again, nothing academic really is difficult here. No one comes on TRY for the academics :)
Well, I can arguably say that this was one of the best Shabbatot on record, ever! This was a Shabbat Kehilla, meaning community. On these Shabbats, TRY drives to Efrat, a community about 40mins from Jerusalem and everyone is split up into pairs. Each pair is hosted by a local family, but there are some events with everyone together. Itâs the perfect blend between a Shabbat Yachad and a Host Shabbat!
I was paired up with Sam Berman, a close friend of mine from Pittsburgh. We stayed with the Vershners. When the bus pulled into Efrat, Daniel was waiting in the community centre parking lot for us. He drove us to his house (about a 3 minute drive), where we met his wife Michal, who was born in Israel. She is really nice as well! As soon as we got in, she offered us some coffee and cookies. We chatted with the both of them, as well as their son Amiel, who is in the army (Givatâi Brigade, a combat unit).Â
We all got dressed, and ready for Shabbat. Daniel, Sam, Amiel and I went to shul. It was a great Kabbalat Shabbat with lots of dancing. We walked home, made kiddush, and had a rushed dinner. Michal made a beautiful meal, but we felt badly because we needed to be back at the synagogue for 10:30 for a TRY program! We did Birkat, and then left.
This activity was a panel of youth living in Efrat. They were all Aliza (our bat sherut)âs friends, who all had interesting things to say. One guy really interested me. His name was Yonatan, and heâs currently doing medical intelligence in the IDF. He gave insight on politics and the nature of his job. After the panel, we did some debating. I didnât agree with him on a few points, but we got along well and I agreed with a lot of his points. Yonatan was hosting Tali and Meredie, so he heard all about me from Tali. :) After our chat, we joined everyone as we walked to the "hangout" on Friday nights in Efrat. In the park, very centrally located in the community (think a mini-Central Park), all the teens of the community meet up on Erev Shabbat and hang out. It was really fun, and gave us freedom (there was no curfew!). I met some really nice girls who were hosting other TRYers, but Sam wanted to go back, as it was 1:30AM. Understandable, oh well.
So, Sam and I walked back. Despite Judea/Samariaâs reputation for being âthe unsafe settlementsâ, this felt like the safest town in the world. There are guards at the entrance, and the last incident of crime was in the 80s, and it was petty theft! Efrat is a beautiful community. Once we arrived back at the Vershner household, I washed up, and then went to sleep. Saturday morning, we went to shul again. Nice service, and there were many more people here.
We walked back from shul with Daniel Vershner, and then we all made Kiddush in the backyard. The family makes their own grape juice! It was delicious.Â
Michal made an awesome lunch, with lots of great Middle Eastern food. We ate, chatted, and relaxed over the course of the meal. Specifically, the conversation delved into politics! It was definitely interesting to discuss politics with the Vershners, and listening to their perspective as âsettlersâ (according to the international community). It is interesting to note that they do own a gun, which is a safety precaution (as well, nearly everyone in Israel is trained to use one, thanks to the army).
After Birkat HaMazon, I took a short nap while Sam played with his rubiks cube. When I woke up, Amiel invited me to study the wisdom of Rav Kook with him. Amiel is a really nice guy, and made sure we felt comfortable throughout the weekend. Heâs good friends with Aliza Glassman, and thatâs how we got to be hosted at his house.
By 5:30 it was time to go off to Aliza's house for Havdalah and Seuda Shlishit. Great to meet her family! Here, we met Moshe, a guy who accompanied us to Poland. Heâs an amazing guy to meet. Currently doing voluntary reserve duty, albeit in his 60s, he is in a special IDF unit which informs bereaved families of the death of their children. He spoke about this during Seuda Shlishit, and everyone was in awe of the work he does. To do this job, it takes a certain kind of person, which Moshe exemplifies perfectly. Anyway, we heard about his story during last summerâs Operation Tzuk Eitan. Inspiring beyond measure.
After some Zemirot (the TRY classics) and Havdalah, we got back on the bus to Jerusalem. Everyone was talking about their hosts and such, and we laughed and reminisced on the amazing experience. This is definitely a Shabbat to go down in history as one of my favourites.
After the Poland Projects this morning, we departed for Tel Aviv. Our first stop was Independence Hall, where the State of Israel was declared by David Ben Gurion on May 14, 1948. Independence Hall is one of my favourite sites in Israel. Here, our state was declared, the hope of 2000 years finally come true. This was reality.
With the UN vote to create a Jewish state in then-Palestine was passed 33-13, with 10 absences. Immediately, there was partying in the streets. We would have a Jewish state! Arab armies both in then-Palestine and the surrounding countries attacked. This would be Israelâs bloodiest war - The War of Independence. This war went on for quite a while, eventually ending in 1949.
Anyway, our bus arrived in Tel Aviv and we got off around Rothschild Blvd. This is a really hip and cool street! We did a little kibitzing in our ICC classes, ate our packed lunches, and went inside to the museum. First, we watched a really interesting movie about the history of the site. It was a bit of a cheesy film, with almost as poor acting as the Burning House museum in the old city! (This was a museum with a horrible movie to go along with it). Regardless, it reaffirmed what we were learning in ICC.
Following the movie, we moved into the main hall. Another tour group moved out, as we came in. Itâs really cool to see all the chairs of famous people, such as David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir. After the presentation, Betsalel and Alexandra presented us with a replica of the declaration, and all of us had a chance to sign our names on the bottom! Itâs now hanging up somewhere in the school building.
Following this, we left and got back on the bus, this time driving over to the Palmach museum. The Palmach was the elite combat unit of the Haganah-the father of the IDF. Many famous people served in it, such as Yitzchak Rabin and Ariel Sharon. This museum detailed the history of it from the early days until it became the IDF in 1948, after the War of Independence. It was a really good museum! When we got there, Betsalel recommended that if we could, we should listen to the tour in Hebrew. I decided to take the challenge! Though I didnât understand everything, it was still really cool and I got the gist of it.
We finished the tour, and went upstairs to one of the conference rooms of the museum. Here, we met a guy named Murray Greenfield! This guy was HILARIOUS. He went from America to being a Palmach captain, bringing refugees from Europe to Israel. His ship was intercepted by the Brits, and then he was deported to Cyprus. He was really inspirational, discussing his story. Not to mention, his humour was amazing too, poking fun at pre-state life, Aliyah, Zionism and world issues. A typical witty grandfather, much like my own. It's to these people who we owe our state to, volunteers who joined the Haganah.
After this, we drove down to the âNamalâ, the Tel Aviv Port. This is a nice area with lots of shops and stuff. A bunch of us went for dinner and ice cream, and then played in a nice playground for the rest of our free time. Around 9PM, we got back on the bus and drove to the Chava. A great time in Tel Aviv!
Wednesday night, we set up for the Poland Project presentations. As part of our trip to Poland a few weeks ago, we made visual displays commemorating our trip and the victims of the Shoah. The âbig classroomâ (a multi-purpose room, serves as a classroom [obviously], synagogue, recreational room, and today, a museum about the Shoah) was set up with all our projects. They all looked amazing, and it was emotional to view them all. The projects really blew me away.
My project: Nefesh Yehudi Homiyah - A Jewish Soul Still Yearns. An Israeli flag stands proudly at Majdanek, a symbol that we are still here, and Am Israel Chai - The Nation of Israel lives.
We went to bed with a solemn environment in the dorms. The next morning, we woke up and walked over to a major intersection. At 10AM, a siren blared to mark a moment of silence honouring Holocaust. This was my first time hearing a siren in Israel. While they are generally used for air-raid alerts (rockets, bombs, etc.), they are used on Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron to commemorate the fallen. It was breathtaking to see how everything stops for a moment, in order to pay respect. Even at a busy intersection, the action pauses. I made a video describing my experience:
After classes in the morning, we were going on our usual Tuesday activity: a Tiyul! This afternoon, we were going to The Jerusalem Central Prison, Har Herzl and finally, some shopping and a nosh at Machane Yehuda.
We arrived at the Jerusalem Central prison. While no longer operating as a prison, it now serves as a museum. In case you didnât know: we are in the pre-state Zionism unit, learning about the heroes and struggles with early Aliyot and life under the Ottoman and British empires, our last rulers before we became sovereign. We saw the prisoner cells, and learned why the prison was used: rioters, and people doing illegal activity under the eyes of the British.
After World War I, the Ottoman Empire (who controlled Israel for many centuries) fell, and the Allied Forces (Britain and France, Russia didnât take any) took over different pieces of their land. Britain and France established the policy of âmandatesâ, temporary governments which would be in place until the local people could govern themselves. Britain took lands such as where Saudi Arabia  Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Israel are today. France took much of Northern Africa, Syria and other lands.
British rule over Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia ended relatively quickly (a matter of months), as all of those countries established their own governments. But, the Land of Israel posed an issue. With the sudden influx of Jews returning to their land, Arab residents were starting to get annoyed. So, riots started happening, and to this day, there are still fights over who controls the land. So, the British couldnât leave just yet, staying for 31 years as the âBritish Mandate for Palestineâ. Their flag looks strikingly similar to the Ontario flag; just instead of the coat of arms, thereâs a white circle saying âPalestineâ. The British empire is powerful, if you ask me!
Anyway, we studied the British role as a ârefereeâ as they tried to hold order here. With the fifth wave of Aliyah, Jews fleeing the remnants of Nazi Europe caused Arabs to riot even more, as this was the largest wave of immigration so far! From 1946 until the end of the War of Independence in 1949, there was much fighting.
It was really powerful to see the locations and points of conflict here, and the struggles which gave us our sovereign land today. There was also the issue of morals: Betsalel gave us an activity. At the beginning of the lesson, he gave us a scenario where we would have to prioritize life or military braveness. We received two more of these, and each time we leaned further to military braveness. This explains the conflict of early Zionists at the time: they wanted to preserve British and Arab innocents, but as the struggle became more real by the day, they were desperate for their state.Â
Following this, we visited Har Herzl. Here, we saw the museum documenting the life of Herzl, the founder of Zionism. We learned about his experiences with antisemitism, leading him to be the leader in pushing for a Jewish State. The museum outlined key moments throughout his life, and the importance of our land to our people, strengthening my personal connection to the State of Israel. Herzl was a true visionary, and an inspiration for his time.
After the museum, we did a quick tour of the graves of Jabotinsky and Herzl himself. Everyone was really busy setting up for Yom HaâAtzmaut next week!
Finally, we drove to Machane Yehuda, a huge outdoor market. This place is awesome; you can find anything here! I bought some strawberries, ĂŠclairs, and fish and chips. Everything was delicious! I even tried to haggle a bit. Then, we returned to the Chava for homework time, Maariv and chill time. Fun, eh?
Today we went back to school, for the first time since before Poland! We were away for so long, doing so many great things. But, now it was time for regular routine again. Today was good, but there have been better days. I didnât have any free periods, so that wasnât so good. On the bright side, I had some really meaningful conversations with some friends. Such is also the beauty of TRY: you get close with nearly everyone.
After an amazing time with my parents, it was time to rejoin TRY! I was overjoyed to return, but I missed my parents as well. They dropped me off at the Chava for 8AM on Thursday, and they drove over to Tel Aviv for the last two nights of their trip.
The bus left, and we eventually arrived at Zichron Yaakov. Today we were learning about the First Aliyah: Jews who started to come here in 1881, riding fresh on Herzlâs vision of Zionism. Zichron Yaakov was one of the first towns set up by the pioneers of the first Aliyah.
The first aliyah was an interesting time to come to Israel. Still under the Ottoman Empire, the land was essentially a swamp. We learned: the members of the first aliyah were high on hopes, but low on practicalityâ i.e. they didnât really know what they were doing, pioneers and all in a new land. The result was essentially a failure, but the landing was softened based on the generosity of one man. Baron Edmund De Rothschild supported the First Olim, and as such, the operation was not a complete failure. We visited his grave in Zichron Yaakov, to commemorate him for continued faith in the country.
In many ways, the first aliyah was a period of transition from the old to the new. These Jews were still religious (unlike the second aliyah), but wanted to re-orient themselves in our homeland. They built towns such as Petach Tikva, Zichron Yaakov and Rosh Pina; they essentially laid the cornerstone for Jewish settlement in Israel. They âscoutedâ the land for the later Aliyot, much like Caleb and Joshua did in the Tanach.
This was also the start of the ânew yishuvâ, meaning new settlement. Any Jew here before 1881 was part of the âold yishuvâ, ultra-religious Jews who lived in the four Holy Cities: Tzfat, Hebron, Jerusalem and Tiberias. The new Yishuv was a critical changing point in Jewish History, it re-oriented us towards our land and the hopes for a State after many years in exile. This was amazing to learn about, and to visit Rothschildâs grave.
Following this, we went to the kibbutz, as Yom Tov (Festival Day) was coming in soon, the final day of Pesach. This was a nice kibbutz, but it instantly reeked of the cow poo! This kibbutz was a dairy-producing one, selling their product to food producers such as Strauss. This is another thing I love about Israel: multinational food companies buy their supplies locally, generally from Kibbutzim. It is so nice to know that our land supports and sustains us, especially in delicious Milky (an Israeli pudding delicacy) and Tnuva cheese.Â
We were guided around by Rachel, someone who made Aliyah from New York. She discussed the privatization of the kibbutz a number of years ago: it is no longer an official kibbutz, but rather just a little community. Itâs a shame how so many kibbutzim are privatizing, and abandoning the socioeconomic values of the Kibbutz movement.
Anyway, we had a very relaxing Yom Tov, and then it was on to Shabbat. Shabbat was the usual: services, an oneg (fun singing and dancing), and other fun activities. But, Nina, one of our Madrichot (counsellors), held an optional seminar for those who were thinking about the army or making Aliyah. She made Aliyah through Garin Tzabar, which enlists you straight into the army after high school, essentially making you âon-parâ with other Israeli teens. We discussed the various different things one can do in the army, and how/when/where to make Aliyah.
Saturday morning, we had shul as normal, and then lunch. Saturday afternoon, we played the hat game. The madrichim told us to place our hats on the floor, take a step forward for each thing we want to do, and a step backwards for each action (correlating to the thing we want to do) in which we have been shy about doing so far. It was really interesting to see what we've done so far on TRY, and what we still have to accomplish socially. Group bonding is one of the key things on try, and it helped to really unite our group. With over half of TRY having passed already, we evaluate and look ahead to the remainder of the program.
We did Havdalah, and then made pizza! We could finally eat chametz (leavened bread) again. We made pita-pizzas, and they were delicious! Then, we went to sleep.
Sunday morning was another ICC Tiyul. A key spot was the Kinneret cemetery: This is where the heroes of the second Aliyah are buried, poets, pioneers, etc. It is inspiring to hear their stories and how they relate to our own lives. These people came to a desolate, empty land with hope and inspired the resettlement of our people in our homeland.
We went to Kiryat Shmona and Tel Chai. These were the main cities of the 2nd Aliyah, immigrants from Eastern Europe which had socialist, non-religious motives. They were focused on the Tanach, not the Talmud. From this aliyah came people such as Ben-Gurion, and other Zionist heroes. This was also the era of Aliyah Bet, âillegalâ immigration in the eyes of the British. It was awesome to experience the struggles, pleasures and lifestyles of those in the 2nd Aliyah.
At Tel Chai, Betsalel took us to a parking lot. No, this was not some famous site or monument. But, this was an extremely important place in modern Israeli history. In the middle of the Second Lebanon War, on August 6, 2006, 12 Tsahal officers doing Miluim/reserve duty were killed on the spot by a Hezbollah rocket. That morning, they were awaiting orders to enter Southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah terror. As they were preparing their morning coffee, twelve of the twenty-something people waiting were struck by a rocket from Hezbollah. These were reserve officers, meaning they were called up to duty from civilian life, men in their 20s and 30s. They had families, wives, friends and jobs. All martyred in their desire to protect their country from terror, perishing Al-Kiddush Hashem. Whatâs more, my ICC teacher Betsalel served during this war. On August 6th, he was sitting at his command post on the border near Metula. He gets a call from a commander, and hears of the terrible accident. As he arrived on the scene of the tragedy, there was chaos, ambulances everywhere. Betsalel specifically remembers the pot of coffee, still steaming. A symbolism for the duty of the Miluim, the pot of coffee is always ready when the soldiers arrive for duty, ready to defend their country.
In class, we talked about the Second Aliyah and their desire to not be the âsubmissive Jewish stereotypeâ, rather that âitâs okay to die for your countryâ. -Joseph Trumpeldor, a leader in the Jewish Defense (the successor to the Shomer, a project of the 2nd Aliyah to protect the land, also known as âthe grandfather of the IDFâ).
These miluim went up to defend, and they were unfortunately killed. The 2nd Aliyah heroes were introducing the new kind of Jew, one who would stand up and embrace Torat Avodah, the concept of working the land and embracing Eretz Israel and cultural Judaism. These were âthe new Jewsâ, kibbutzim, Tel Aviv and all.
In the afternoon, we went back to the Chava. An amazing time in Hanaton, spending the last few days of Chag back with TRY. Back to school (for the first time in three weeks!) again tomorrow.
After an incredibly meaningful Poland trip, it was time for Pesach. The last time I was in Israel for Pesach was in 2012... so long ago. And boy, has my perspective changed since then. Iâve matured a lifetime, and seen so much more during my time on TRY. After the seders, my parents came for a week to visit me! I got to show off what Iâd learned over the past two months.
But first (even before the seder, donât worry, itâs all coming!)Â we had the preparations with TRY. After some quick school check-ins to make sure we werenât too far behind, a bunch of people left on Thursday night early to go to their Pesach destinations. As well, there were a lot of parents who came! Everyone was really nice.
After everyone left, we did Bdikat Chametz. This tradition, sort of like a scavenger hunt for Chametz, is typically done the night before the seder to rid the house of the last bits of Chametz. In case you were wondering, Chametz (××׼) in Hebrew means âleavened breadâ. When the Jews were finally allowed out of slavery in Egypt by Pharaoh as a result of the 10 plagues, they needed to get out of there fast. So quickly, they didnât even have time to let their bread finish rising. The homemakers were forced to bake a quick bread for the road, which wasnât leavened. This tradition carried on into a law in the Torah, preventing the consumption of anything leavened on Pesach to remember the hurry in leaving Egypt before Pharaoh changed his mind. So, matzah and all related foods became commonplace for Passover-time. For TRYâs Bdikat Chametz, the twenty or so who still remained on the Chava Thursday night split up into teams, searching for hidden pieces of tortilla. My team lost, but hey, it was still fun! You canât really lose during Bdikat Chametz, youâre having too much fun to âloseâ!
My roommates had already left, so it was just me in my room. All the guys who remained had a chill session in the Moadon (lounge), before going to sleep.
Early the next morning, I left for Haifa with my friend from Toronto, Tali. We were going to the Epsteinâs house, of whom Taly (a different one), their daughter, stayed at our house as part of her Shnat Sherut program. We had an awesome Egged bus ride (seriously, this thing is amazing. get all the way to Haifa in an hour and a half for âŞ44 (about CA$14), plus comfortable seats, phone chargers and free wifi. awesome). After our arrival in Haifa, we were met by Shachar and Moty, Talyâs brother and dad, respectively. Theyâre such nice people, I had met them exactly a year ago when they visited Toronto for Pesach.
We relaxed a little bit, took a much-needed nap, and then had the Seder. Moty lead, it was a little quick, but still really fun to be an an Israeli seder. I kept trying to chime in with my tunes from Toronto, and after a little teaching, everyone caught on. At the seder, it was me, Tali, Taly (one from Toronto, one from Haifa), Shai (Talyâs brother, age 11), Shachar (Talyâs other brother, age 22), Moty, Motyâs sister, and Mirela. Mirela made some really great vegetarian food! All in all, an awesome evening.
The next day, after a long sleep in (until 10:30AM, yes, yes, really unlike me), we went out to Nesher park. Here, there was a bunch of suspension bridges and hiking trails. It was so nice outside, and the scenery of the Carmel region was beautiful. We returned home for an amazing lunch. Saturday Motzei Shabbat (after Shabbat), we went to the mall. Tali wanted to go, and I needed a few things as well.
Sunday morning, my parents arrived from Toronto! It was so nice to see them after being away for so long. There was heavy traffic on Highway 6, so it took them a little while to get to the Epstein home in Haifa. They arrived around lunchtime, everyone was overjoyed to see each other. After yet another amazing lunch, mom was pooped so she took a nap. Dad, Taly, Tali, Moty and I decided to make a quick trip to Kiryat Tivon, a small village about half an hour outside Haifa. Here, we were going to visit Alon, the Shinshin who we hosted four years ago. The last time we saw him was in 2010! It was really fun to reunite again, this time in his hometown of Kiryat Tivon. We visited Beit Shearim, a major geographical site and excavation from the time of the early Talmud. Itâs even the grave of Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Nasi, who codified the Talmud (book of oral Jewish law). After learning so much about him both at CHAT in Jewish History class, and on ICC with TRY, I finally got to see his grave! Tali was picked up by her host for the rest of Pesach, who lives in Yokenam (a small city just south of Haifa).
Following our walk to Beit Shearim, we went to Alonâs house for coffee and (kosher for passover!) cake. Thatâs another interesting thing about being in Israel for Pesach: you sometimes donât even realize itâs Passover, the food is so good. I went for coffee at Aroma many times during Pesach, and the âbreadâ actually tasted like bread! I was almost about to ask if their Heksher (kosher certificate) was fake :)
After meeting and talking with Alonâs parents for a bit, Taly (Epstein), Alon and I decided to go to a movie. Alon drove us in his van to a mall in the suburbs of Haifa. After a quick dinner, we had the chance to see âKingsmenâ in the theatre. It was great! Itâs about a secret spy unit in the British military, and a troubled teenâs struggle to get in. I highly recommend it, great movie to watch.
By the time the movie was over, it was around 1AM, so it was time to get some rest before our big day the next morning. Alon drove Taly and I back to her apartment.
Monday morning, we all woke up to drive down to Caesarea, mid-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the Mediterranean Sea. Caesarea is an ancient Roman city, recently redone by archeological excavations. Us and the Epsteins toured the site, and had lunch afterwards.Â
After lunch, the Epsteins returned to Haifa. Later, we met up with my TRY friend Shira, who we were taking down to Tel Aviv with us. This afternoon, I was set to meet up with a bunch of TRY people on the beach. We saw Rebecca, Noam, Carly, Shira, Sarah, Emma and Nadav. It was awesome to see them! We had a great day on the beach, and then Carly, Noam, Emma and we went for dinner with our parents. After, the parents hung out in the hotel, while the four of us hung out on the beach. It was really cool to meet their parents, and have an awesome evening in Tel Aviv. We even went for Kosher LePesach ice cream sandwiches; they were amazing! We checked into our hotel, the Dhiagliev Live Art Boutique on Rothschild.
It was difficult to find a kosher restaurant in Tel Aviv! I love how Israel is a free country, and people can practice what they want, but the lack of Kosher options is a tough reality in the modern city of Tel Aviv.
Tuesday morning, we woke up and drove to Jaffa, all ready to rent bikes. But, the bike shop we had researched was closed! So, we simply grabbed bikes from the kiosks along the water. We rode along the beach, all the way up to the Tel Aviv port and back. Really fun! Following this, we returned the bikes, got back in the car, and drove to the next part of our trip: Jerusalem.
After a long traffic jam on the 1, we headed straight for Mamilla adjacent to the Old City. Here, we had a great lunch at CafĂŠ Rimon. We then walked around the Old City, visiting sites such as the Kotel, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the winding passageways of the Arab markets. It was great to be there once again, although this time with my parents! Following the Old City, we walked over to the Machane Yehuda market, aka the Shuk. You never really get bored of the Shuk, the sights, sounds and smells activating your every sense.
By dinnertime, we were really tired. Dad and I picked up dinner from a cafe near our hotel on Ben Yehuda (our hotel, the Shammai Suites on Ben Yehuda, was amazing! Great location too.), and went to bed early.
The next morning, Wednesday, we got up at 5:45AM to drive over to Sataf, a nice hiking area just west of Jerusalem in an area called Ein Kerem. It was supposed to be 32Ë C that day! Good thing we got up early enough to skip the heat. We returned to our hotel to cool off, and then I walked over to Yafo Street. Here, I was to meet my CHAT Jewish History teacher, Mrs. Silver. She was on a trip with her husband, and we really wanted to see each other! Jake, my madrich, was with them too, just by coincidence (they know each other from Camp Ramah). It was really great, and then I returned to my hotel for a quick shower.
In the afternoon, we went to our cousin Richardâs house in the Greek Colony. I had been there once for Host Shabbat before, theyâre really nice! We had some snacks and fresh juices, and talked about where Iâd been over the previous two months. Following this, we went out for dinner with my friend Yona and her dad, and my other friend Ariel to a restaurant in the King David area called 1868. This was one of our favourite places when we were in Israel for Pesach in 2012, it was still really good!
The next morning, my parents drove me back to the Chava. TRY was off to Kibbutz Hanaton up north, more on that in the next post! My parents finished off their trip in Israel with two more nights in Tel Aviv.
We all had the time of our lives, and it was so nice to see them! But, I was glad to be back with TRY. Now itâs off to Hanaton and a tour of Northern Israel, studying the first and second Aliyot in ICC.
*this is a long one! please plan out at least half an hour to read. also: you have been warned, this is a very emotional journal. please take care in reading it. i apologize for any repetitions, there are some points which occurred more than once over the course of the trip. enjoy.*
Poland. Where do you even start with this one? For hundrends of years, the centre of global Jewish life. Poland started as a safe land to go after the expulsions from Spain and other southern European countries in the 15th century, and from the Chmielnicki Massacres that rocked Western Russia targeting Jews. The country of Poland served as a safe haven for Jews, where they could have full rights. In 1933, 10% of Poland was Jewish, or about 3 million. What occurred over the next few years is catastrophic beyond measure, where the forces of evil severely persecuted tens of millions just because of their ethnicity. This was the Shoah.
And we will go...
I arrived back in Israel on Monday from Adamâs Bar Mitzvah. How great it was to be back in Israel. As the plane touches down, I think exactly one week into the future: what will it be like to land at Ben Gurion, after experiencing Poland? I put the thought in the back of my mind. Currently, I am so excited to rejoin my friends on TRY after having a great time in Toronto.
Tuesday: todayâs the day! In the afternoon, we meet in the big classroom to hear a survivor. Rina walks in, a petite yet peppy, slight but cheerful lady. She must have been in her early eighties. Her story was captivating: known as the child of many mothers, she relied on others to take care of her during her early childhood. With her biological mother being pulled away from her with the German invasion, her custody moved between many mothers. Her hometown was Piotrkow, Poland. After the long years of the war and numerous ghettos and concentration camps, she was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. What saved her life was a life-saving lie: she dressed up like a boy, so she could be put to work instead of to death. After the war, she was sent to Sweden, and then to then-Palestine. She moved to the USA with her family, and then made Aliyah again later on. Refusing to talk about her experience, her husband suggested she go on a trip to Poland in 1987. The memories came back to life, and she began to share her story.
I found it so powerful to hear a survivor. Itâs truly amazing how she was able to speak about it after so many years, and the terrible, indescribable horror. Yet, the telling of stories and memoirs is critical to the memory of the Shoah. In a few short years, there wonât be any more survivors around to tell their stories. I am part of the last generation of teens to hear survivors as part of a Poland Masa (journey). I will make it my goal to tell Rinaâs story, and to never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Rinaâs full story can be found here: http://www.aish.com/ho/p/92299129.html.
Late Tuesday night, we were awoken by the Madrichim. We didnât know what to feel... we were nervous, but ready to digest the challenge ahead. We left for Ben Gurion Airport, armed with a ziplock bag of Israeli soil.
... and we will arrive (Wednesday)
We arrived in Warsaw, and were picked up by our Polish staff. Along with Betsalel and Alexandra, we had Polish staff to deal with logistics and making sure everything went alright. They were really nice and helpful; it was great to have them!
Driving down the roads from the airport to the centre of Warsaw, you notice the cold blandness of the scenery. Poland was greatly reconstructed after WWII, and again after the fall of Communism in 1989. The result is a modern country, with everything appearing strikingly new. It seemed a little out of place and discomforting.
Our first stop was the Opochowa cemetery. After a quick Shacharit, we split up into ICC classes. The Opochowa cemetery contains graves from pre-Holocaust days. What was really interesting: these people had graves. In itâs heyday (pre-Holocaust, early 1900s), the dead were visited by their descendants. The Holocaust wiped out these descendants, and the cemetery was left to rot. Only this time, those who died from 1939-1945 didnât even get a cemetery. They were gassed, shredded, stripped, shot, burned and buried. No markers, no dignity. People who died before the Shoah died with dignity. The Holocaust stripped the dead of their dignity.
This was a particularly challenging moment: realizing the human right of being remembered was taken away; there were no gravestones, nothing to remember the six million who died.
We did something really meaningful before leaving: we picked a grave, many of them derelict. We said Kaddish for them, even with no one having said Kaddish for them since their descendants were wiped out in the Holocaust. I found a lady named Malka bat Maveh Yitzchak, who died in 1828, well before the Holocaust. Her descendants are likely gone. I said Kaddish for her, I kept alive her memory.
Wednesday afternoon: We visited the Warsaw Ghetto. This was particularly interesting, relating to what I discussed earlier about Poland being creepily-modern and new. There was very little left of the ghetto: now covered with modern streets and apartment buildings. Our first stop was the Polin museum, describing the history of the Jews in Poland from the beginning in the 14th/15th centuries until today. It was powerful to learn about the rise and fall, good and bad of a resilient community. We also had the chance to learn about post-Holocaust Jewish life in Poland, visiting one of the very few synagogues still operating. We had the chance to hear the Rabbi speak and do Maariv Tefilah.
This was a great thing about the TRY Poland trip: we focused on the Jewish life both before and after the Holocaust, doing things such as prayer in synagogues, most of which are now derelict or turned into museums. We were the first ones to revitalize them since the martyrdom of their congregations.
After the Polin museum, we walked The Ghetto Heroes Trail, going through all the significant sites in the former ghetto. Our first stop was Mila 18: The Jewish Resistance memorial. It is a common myth that the Jews went like sheep into the cattle cars and to concentration camps. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising proves this wrong: at Mila 18, people planned for weeks to rise up against the Nazis. Armed with just one gun and other cheap, guerrilla objects, the Jews in the ghetto put up a difficult fight in 1943, after hearing the ghetto was to be liquidated and everyone sent to death camps. Ultimately, it was crushed on Tisha BâAv, a day with terrible connotation in Jewish history (both Temples were destroyed). The fact that they put up a fight to resist is a testament to the Jewish people: we never gave up after so much persecution. The memorial was exceedingly powerful. I placed a handful of Israeli soil on the memorial, as tribute to their bravery and respect for the Jewish people.
The Ghetto Heroes Trail ends with the Umshlagplatz. This was the âtrain stationâ where thousands would be loaded into cattle cars and shipped off to death camps, generally those from Warsaw would go directly to Treblinka. There would be 7000-8000 people in one train, crammed in with no light, toilets, food or drink for a full-day journey. Upon arrival at Treblinka, you would be gassed and dead within the hour.
Currently, there is a memorial shaped like a cattle car at the former location of the Umshlagplatz. On it, there are a bunch of names. However, only a handful of names were listed. I think this is extremely powerful, because the number of people who were sent to their deaths here is uncountable. You canât really get a grip of how many people went through here. But, there were a few names. One struck me: Abba.
Abba. The first name to be listed on the memorial. While not an actual name, this represents all fathers, specifically my own. Someone happy, successful, and someone who I look up to. There were many Avot (plural of Abba) in the Shoah, each heroes to their children. The Nazi forces of evil wiped âAbbaâ out of the lives of his children, reducing his dignity and maiming his heroism. I chose âAbbaâ to remember all the Avot who perished as martyrs for our people, deserving the first spot on the list of names on the Umshlagplatz.
Thursday: Our first death camps
Thursday morning, we woke up and travelled northeast to the Galicia region of Poland. Here, there were countless shtetls where Jews lived. We visited a town called Tykocin, studying the Jewish life there before the Holocaust. Jews and Christians, roughly 50-50 population wise, got along here. They respected one another, and Jewish life could thrive. With the arrival of the Nazis, this completely changed. After studying the life (and praying in the former synagogue, now a museum), it was time to study the death.
In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, officially starting World War II. Before the war, Hitler and Soviet Russia signed a pact: The Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact. With the start of the war, Poland quickly fell to both Nazi and Soviet forces on two fronts. As a result, the country was divided into three parts: sovereign Germany, sovereign Russia, and the generalgouvernment, a German territory under military rule.
Nazism had a central focus on ridding Europe of all non-Arians (white, Christian German descendants). Just beyond the border of the generalgouvernment lied millions of Jews, waiting for Hitler in Western Russia and Soviet Poland. So, Germany invaded Russia in 1941; this was called Operation Barbarossa. While the operation largely failed, troops called the Einstatzgruppen followed the regular German forces. The Einstatzgruppen was created to specifically kill Jews: this was known as the âBullet Holocaustâ, claiming 1.5 million from 1941-1943.Â
So, in 1941, German forces had occupied the Russian section of Poland as well. Tykocin lied safely on the Russian side before 1941, and Jewish life continued to thrive. However: on one fateful day in August 1941, the Einstatzgruppen ordered all Jews to trek to the nearby Lupochowa Forest. Here, they stripped and dug pits.
Naked. Everyone naked. Their dignity stripped. Merciless, like ants, in the face of the all-powerful German soldier. This was a tragedy.
We walked into the forest, down a long dirt road about 30 minutes from the town. Surrounded by trees, I thought to myself: what have these trees witnessed? The murder of innocents, just because they were Jewish. The wish to make Europe a white-only âperfectâ Arian region, with no trace of disabled children (the disabled were killed in the Holocaust as well, Hitler didnât want âimperfectionâ in his Reich). How terrible it was. How terrible it must have been to experience this discrimination.
Just because. Just because they were Jewish. The thriving town of Tykocin, brought here in droves and murdered in graves they dug themselves. The 2000 Jewish residents, dignity stripped, standing naked before the Angel of Death. In front of their kids, parents, friends, teachers, standing in front of the SS.
There is no word to describe the hate, destruction and awfulness of Nazism, the forces of evil. Everyone murdered was unique, special. Selected just by their blood lineage: just because they were Jewish.
I will never forget what happened here. Never again.
After the failure of Operation Barbarossa, Germany knew it wasnât going to win. So, Nazis implemented The Final Solution. If they couldnât win the war, at least they could accomplish one goal: the slaughter of Jews.
Later on that day, we had lunch at a nearby highway rest stop. It was eerily quiet. Everyone was still processing what they saw.
Treblinka: Killing them one by one with bullets was too expensive, and too personal for the SS to shoot someone they were making eye contact with. The goal: kill as many Jews as possible. How could they make the least personal, cheapest, quickest, most dehumanizing solution to eradicate Europe of âpestsâ? Gas. In 1942, Adolf Eichmann is put in charge of the Final Solution: the solution is to create six death camps, fulfilling the mass genocide of Jews in gas chambers.
The very concept of a gas chamber is strikingly painful. The most basic human right is stripped away from you: the right to breathe. I canât even imagine what suffocation would be like, death without air.
Poland was the location selected to host all six camps: after all, it was where the most Jews lived, by far. In 1941, Chelmno was built as the âpilot-projectâ camp. In 1942, Treblinka, Belzech and Sobibor were constructed with the goal of killing all Jews in Poland. By 1943, the camps closed. Their job was done.
In Treblinka alone, 1.7 million Jews were killed. Trains here arrived every day: nearly 8000 people, tired from the hours-long journey crammed into cattle cars.
âNot even for a million can you get a return ticket.â -Yehuda Poliker, in ××× ×ת×× × ×ר×××× ×§×
Worst of all: the death camps ran on deception and lies. Upon arrival, the Jews had no idea they were being murdered in a few minutes. The Nazi machine tricked them into thinking they were moving to a new camp, with better conditions. The train stations were designed well: this gave the illusion that the camp would be new, nice and modern. They were separated by gender (in order to avoid the suspicion of death) and told to give all their belongings, valuables and clothes, in exchange for a âreceipt to claim them laterâ. Then, they needed to be âdisinfected to prevent the spread of disease between campsâ. These were the showers: either scalding hot or freezing cold, with no towels. The Jews would sit around, shiver and/or tend to their burns in the cold, until everyone was showered. Then, they would be told to enter the âwaiting roomâ to get reclothed and supposedly âsent somewhere elseâ. This was the gas chamber. It was locked, and then pellets of Zyklon-B were dropped. In 20 minutes, everyone had been trampled or suffocated to death. Finally, the bodies were burned into nothing but a handful of ash.
When the war ended in 1945, the Nazis destroyed all evidence. Currently, all that stands at the camp is the memorial: rocks symbolizing each town. It was difficult to imagine what went on there, but we said Kaddish and had a moment of reflection.
We made our way to Lublin for the evening, had reflection groups (these were essential, and they also helped to lighten the mood) and went to sleep. Another day in Poland. At this point, I really wanted to go back to Israel: our land. But, it was my friends and madrichim who kept my spirit going as we did different activities to change the subject and get the concept of the Shoah off our minds.
Friday, Daf Yomi and Majdanek:
On Friday morning, we awoke early and started our day at the former Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin, now a museum In itâs relatively short heyday, it was the Harvard of Judaic study. Thousands would apply to get into this unique institution, which had ridiculously intensive days! 6AM-11PM of constant Torah study. This was also the place where Daf Yomi (the international daily Talmud study, which has cycles where everyone studies the same page together) was invented. And guess what? We actually got to study Daf Yomi here! This was really magical: reviving a place which had seen itâs community destroyed. We were the ones reviving it. After a quick Tefilah, we packed up and headed to our concentration camp for the day: Majdanek. Going in, I knew this one was going to be tough. As well, myself and a few friends had been preparing a Tekes (presentation) on the camp and its stories, to be presented at the end of touring and personal reflection time. I braced myself and went in with an open mind, arms around my TRY brethren.
We arrived at the camp. I was immediately stricken by the visual features of the location. Right in the middle of Lublin, there was a busy street running parallel. Did these people not notice the horrors going on here? This was concerning. Nobody stood up for the injustice.
We walked around the camp. I was nearly in tears. Another especially scary thing about Majdanek was that the Germans didnât have time to destroy the evidence before Soviet troops liberated the prisoners. The result: eeriness, and a strikingly built camp which was in perfect condition. The scary thing: in a matter of hours, this camp could be up and running again, martyring who knows who.
It is difficult to describe the touring of the camp, but I wrote a reflection on the bus ride to our next overnight and Shabbat destination, Krakow. The emotions were moving in swelling pain.
Shoes, hair, clothes. Here at Majdanek lies piles upon piles of these items, shipped here from many of the concentration camps created and operated by the forces of evil to martyr and persecute innocents, just because of who they were. After Himmler (the person in charge of implementing Eichmannâs Final Solution) is put in charge, he establishes a complex in the centre of the city of Lublin. Here, nearly a quarter of a million prisoners are kept in forced labour barracks, constantly working. They were chosen just because they were Jews, inferior in the eyes of the Germans.
Surrounded by electrified barbed wire, guard towers and treated like dogs. And if terrible living conditions and forced labour wasnât enough, a large section of Majdanek consisted of gas chambers. EIGHTY THOUSAND Jews were blatantly murdered here, right in the middle of Lublin. To be gassed to death is to take away the most basic human right: the right to breathe. Thousands at Majdanek, and MILLIONS more had their very last right stripped from them, inhumanely suffocated to death.
As I sit writing this, there is an Israeli flag on my back. I have the freedom to educate people about the horrors of the Shoah. I CAN leave the barbed wire gates of this hell-on-earth. The Hope of Two Thousand Years never reached these people, only a mere three years from the Land of Milk and Honey. These few years represent a lifetime of difference. These people died innocently at the hands of evil. Gassed, overworked, beaten.
The pit of ash at Majdanek was particularly difficult to see. Dehumanized, treated like animals. After all that was discussed above, they were burned in the crematorium and shovelled into the ash pit. One human could make about a fist-sized clump of grey ash. Whatâs even more difficult: the pit of ash is still standing there today. These are the ashes of my ancestors, the ashes of my people. However, the most concerning faction brings severe discomfort to my body and soul: this camp was left fully intact. If it got into the wrong hands, it could be up and running again in 24 hours. What do you do in 24 hours? It seems like the days go by like minutes. Imagine if the killing machine, Majdanek was restarted in this amount of time. We must ensure it is never to be put in place again. Never. Never again.
We got back on the bus, in an eerie silence. The three hour bus ride felt like three years. I couldnât sleep. I wasnât hungry for lunch. I couldnât think straight. The emotion was too strong. By the time we arrived in Krakow, some of it had subsided. It was now time to get ready for Shabbat, showering and getting into fancy clothes.
Shabbat, and the life of Krakow:
At last, it was time for Shabbat! Over Shabbat, we were to focus on the life of Poland, not the death. We went to two operating shuls, full mainly with tourists doing stuff like we are, but also the locals. How great it was to be able to see a revival of Jewish life in Poland! We ate our meals at the first Bnei Akiva school for girls. It was stuff like this that made us really understand what went on in Poland before the Shoah. In a way, it was sort of like what the United States is to Judaism now: a thriving community, yet still away from their original homeland, yearning for Jerusalem. To close off Shabbat, we did Havdalah in the public square in what once was the Jewish quarter of Krakow. Saturday night, we hung out in the hotel and reminisced over the great Shabbat, a happy time during a not-so-happy trip. Additionally, we prepared ourselves for what was to come tomorrow: Zbylitowska Gora, also known as âThe Childrenâs Forestâ. I didnât know what to expect, it was difficult to imagine the atrocities, just from the name. We went to sleep, still happy from Shababt, but silently preparing ourselves for the day to come.
Sunday: Zbylitowska Gora, Tarnow and Schindlerâs Factory
Sunday morning, we arose early and drove about an hour to Tarnow. Like many towns in Poland, Tarnow had a thriving Jewish community. In honour of mourning the loss of life here, we visited and did Shacharit (morning tefillah) at the remains of the old Tarnow Shul. Currently, all that stands is the bimah, surrounded by memorial plaques. Doing tefillah here, much like many of the other places in Poland, was truly an experience to never forget. Reviving the Jewish culture here after the destruction is so gratifying, it even spread to non-Jews. As we were praying, a man in a kippa approaches us. Nearly in tears, he is so excited that Jews were returning to his hometown of Tarnow to pray. Later, we find out he is not Jewish, but feels incredibly obligated to restore Judaism in Poland. After all, he says it played such a huge role in Polish culture, it was atrocious for the Polish-Jewish culture to disappear in the Holocaust.
This was him discovering his Polish roots: learning about the Judaism that took place here. Immediately after seeing us, he made plans to put up the first mezuzah in Tarnow since before the Shoah. If this isnât amazing, I donât know what is.Â
Following Tefliah, we drove quite a bit to reach Zbylitowska Gora (oy, thatâs a tongue twister). As the bus pulled into the area, one would hardly know it was a place where murderous acts took place. Beautiful homes sat upon a quiet, suburban street, a forest in the background.
Betsalel mentioned âHere is Zbylitowska Gora. It is now 11AM, we will be here for an hour. We will be leaving  at noonâ. The staff didnât do this just at this death site, but all of them. At each site, they would give us specific details about when we were arriving and leaving. This was one of the most powerful things TRY did that distinguished itself from other Poland trips; it told us how lucky we were to be able to enter and leave at our free will. The victims of the Holocaust did not know when they were going to be moved, when they were going to leave, or even where they were.
Anyway, we got off the bus and began trekking down the suburban road, with very nice homes, kids playing in the streets and dogs barking. What would it feel like to live on the site of a mass murder today? The thought of it gives me shivers, seeing the residents carry on with their lives as if nothing happened.
We entered the forest, there was a large monument. The approach to the execution site was strikingly familiar, visually akin to the entrance to Cedarvale Park, close to my house in Toronto. This swelled emotions into my head: what if this was me in June of 1942, but in my own hometown? Thoughts like this happened many times throughout the trip.
Here we were: Zbylitowska Gora. At this site, thousands of children were brought in by the truckload and shot mercilessly into pits, possibly dug by their parents. Finally, the parents were shot with their children. The horrors of this death site are nearly unspeakable. I tear up just writing this, wanting to delete this file and run away. The bond between a parent and a child is unbreakable, and for the parent to dig his/her own, and possibly their childâs grave? This is truly unspeakable. Betsalel, a father of five, cried. There is nothing he loves more than his children. This is the humiliating, awful horror of the Holocaust.
Babies. Out of anyone to kill, the forces of evil had to choose the youngest, most vulnerable members of society. In this spot alone, over 800 babies were brought in by dump trucks and shot. Why dump trucks? Were they nothing but dirt? To the Nazis, they were. These babies could have changed the world, but their lives were cut short by the forces of evil. We shall never know their possible contributions. So small, so innocent. Treated as dirt, tortured and shot. The chance for so much potential, gone.
As Yanoush Korczak would say, children are the leaders of today. (He too perished in the Shoah, wanting to die with the children he took care of, staying with them right up until the gas chambers at Treblinka. He didnât have to go through the gas chambers, he was so well-respected in the community. But, supporting his children was his brave choice. A memorial commemorating his bravery stands at Treblinka II today. He is a true hero in Jewish History.)
The Shoah cut so many lives short, eradicating so much potential from the world.
The fact that babies were killed is a testament to the Naziâs incessant hatred toward Jews. They were innocents, so were six million others. Babies: innocent, harmless. Not to the Nazis. Any Jew was a pest, hatred beyond measure. Evil stops at no one.
There was another Tekes (presentation) here, and they handed out pages with profiles of the children killed. Following the Tekes, we returned to the bus and began our return to Krakow.
A silent, hour-long bus ride later, we arrived at Oskar Schindlerâs Factory in the industrial area of Krakow. Oskar Schindler, a successful non-Jewish business man, started WWII as part of the Nazi party. He liked their policy on restoring Germanyâs economy, and uniting Europe under a strong force. However, as soon as the Final Solution was implemented, he was fuming at the murder of innocents, just because they were Jewish. So, he devised a plan to save Jews by hiring them and hiding them in his factory. In doing so, he was saving thousands from the doors of the gas chamber. At the end of the war, he was upset that he couldnât have saved more. In reality, he and other gentiles completed the biggest mitzvah of all: Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of a life. But, not just one life: Those saved by Schindler and their descendants now number ten thousand. This number is only set to grow. It is the bravery of righteous gentiles that saved thousands during the Shoah. It was incredibly meaningful to be at his factory, the location where he saved so many out of his own kindness. We owe him and so many others our dearest respect for standing up for our people.
We finished off the evening with dinner, and then a tour of the Old City of Krakow. We retired to bed early, as tomorrow would be a doozy: Auschwitz and Birkenau, where 1.5 million were slaughtered.
Monday: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau
We were woken up at 5:45AM, bags packed and ready to leave. This would be our last day in Poland, and boy, was I longing to return to Israel. I was near my breaking point of hearing death and destruction, but TRYâs focus on life kept me moving through difficult times.
The first thing on the schedule was Tefilah at the Tempel synagogue an early-Reform Judaism synagogue. It is currently a museum, not used for prayer. Much like the other synagogues we visited, we were there to revive it, to show that we are still here 70 years later to keep the victimsâ memory alive. The tunes of our Tefilah, and the sound of the Torah reading was powerful, especially on our last day in this land.
Following Tefilah, we left for Osweicm, about two hours from Krakow. Here, there was once a thriving Jewish community, like much of Poland.
Osweicm is known as Auschwitz in German. In 1940, all Polish residents were evicted. The town was turned into the flagship Nazi labour and death factory. Three camps were established, Auschwitz I, II and III. Nazi officials lived in the centre of town, and the camps flanked the outskirts.
In the morning, we visited Auschwitz I. Now a museum, it studies the entire Shoah, but with a specific focus on Auschwitz. This camp was for labour. Originally built for Soviet prisoners of war, Jews would be sent here starting in early 1941. In this camp, Jews lived in tiny barracks and worked all day for a small ration of food. Slave labour was tough here, especially separated from family and friends. Our museum guide wasnât very good; she discussed it like it was just another museum, not the concentration slave-centre of the Jewish people. We saw the barracks, the labour centres and the store rooms for all clothes, shoes and hair. The Nazis would sell goods stolen from Jews to continue funding the war effort, the effort to capture and kill even more Jews. We also learned about Auschwitz III here, where Jews would produce chemicals to further the war. This was the slick, efficient Nazi war machine.
After a quick lunch, we drove the short distance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the name of which will haunt the Jewish soul for generations to come. We entered through the gate. This was ridiculously scary, seeing the quintessential arch above the train tracks. My shoes collided against the metal rails of the track. Millions of people took a one way trip on these tracks, sent to their death.
Towards the end of WWII, the Nazi goal was to just kill as many Jews as possible. So, the use of Auschwitz II-Birkenau was kicked into high gear. With the recent occupation of Hungary, Germany now had millions of Jews at their disposal. Examples of Hungarian Jews who survived Auschwitz were Elie Wiesel, a famous author and inspiring man.
As we entered the all-too-familiar train shed, grey clouds shot over and rain started to pour. In seconds, we were all drenched. As uncomfortable as it was, it helped us to walk a mile in a prisonerâs shoes. However, this was no where near the crumbling pain of Auschwitz, all we had was a microscopic sliver of the pain endured.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau was a camp specifically built for death, designed to kill as many as possible and quickly. There were five large gas chambers here, and 90% of the people arriving on trains were killed within an hour of arrival. Zyklon B, a toxic pesticide, was used hourly in each chamber to kill the nearly five thousand in each âshiftâ. Pesticides. The forces of evil treated us like pests, and wanted us gone before the end of the war.
As I sat in the pouring rain, my face red, I began to bawl. Harder than Iâve ever cried in my life, the tears came pouring out. I felt angry, sad, and confused. Standing in gas chambers, standing at the end of the railway tracks. This was the end for 1.5 million Jews who were killed at Birkenau alone.
âAs the rain pouredâ:
How many? How many has this entry gate seen, about to be sent to their deaths in the gas chambers only a few feet ahead. Or, those who endured the horror of staying here. If you were âluckyâ, you would stay in the barracks and become enslaved, another cycle on the harrowing concept of Jewish life under Nazi Germany. The entire concept of Auschwitz II-Birkenau was to design a death machine, to polish the world from Jews for good. This was the evil, baseless hatred which lead to murder, the prioritization of one race over another.
And the rain started to pour. As we left the camp barracks, rain droplets fell from the sky. We edged our way to the end of the tracks. This was the end of the line. So many never got past the end of the tracks. The train stopped, and so did life. Those rails. The rails that carried 1.5 million to their death, just because they were Jewish.
This was the final death camp we visited, where the most were slaughtered. These people, six million in total, never had the chance to bloom. Lives cut short. Auschwitz II-Birkenau remains in the eyes and hearts of Jews, where so many of our people fell to the forces of evil.
Od Yehudi Lo Tipol. The Jewish people will not fall again. As I left, more tears ran out of my eyes than ever before. I was walking out of this hell on earth. They couldnât.
Conclusion and Return:
Following the horrors of visiting Auschwitz II-Birkenau, we visited the old town of Osweicm, specifically their synagogue. Weâve visited many synagogues like this before, but this time was a reflection over what we just saw. We were also asked to bring an object close to our hearts. I brought my Talit bag, knit for me by my grandmother. We share a very special bond, and the Talit is a large part of my Jewish identity, so this was important. The purpose of this activity was to symbolize that through all the tough times, we still had objects which were important to us, objects that kept us going and kept our faith.
After the Osweicm synagogue, we drove to the Krakow airport. Here, we were too excited to return to Israel than anything else. Our flight was at 11:00PM, and we boarded with excitement in our eyes, to return to our homeland.
I slept on the plane. After all, the six days of dealing with death, destruction and previous life drained us of our energy. The good news is: I woke up just as the plane touched down at Ben Gurion airport. I was in tears, we were back in our homeland.
Immediately after our arrival, we visited the Tayellet, a lookout overlooking the entire . Here, we did Shacharit. The experience was magical, unlike anything Iâd ever done before.
Final reflection (summary of the journal):
This Poland Masa (meaning journey, not just a trip) was the most difficult, interesting, and educational embarkment Iâve done in my life. The way Ramah did the trip was exceedingly well-planned. Our ICC teachers, Betsalel and Alexandra were particularly involved in coordinating the trip. One interesting thing they did: Betsalel would say as we pulled into each camp: it is now x time, we will be staying here for approximately 2 hours, and will be leaving at x time. This showed that we knew when we were leaving, unlike the victims of the Shoah of whom didn't know when they were going to leave, if they were going to leave alive at all. This was really powerful to understand the uncertainty the victims faced. It was little things like this that really added to the experience and helped us get the most from our experience.
Unlike other trips, such as the March of the Living, TRY focused on the history of Jewish life in Poland, seen as we visited sites such as Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin, numerous shtetls and the Osweiçm (Auschwitz) Synagogue, what once was a country that was 10% Jewish. We also focused on whatâs happening in cities now, seen as we visited the Krakow JCC. The country is full of people returning to their Jewish roots today, an essential part of Polish Jewry. There were also non-Jews who wanted to rediscover the Jewish history of Poland. To them, Jewish history is Polish history. For example, as we davened Shacharit at the remnants of a synagogue in Tarnow, a man wearing a kippa approached us. He was nearly in tears of joy that we were there to revitalize a site which sat dormant for 70 years. As well, he was about to put up a mezuzah in the town. Again, the first one in 70 years. No Jews lived in this town, but he wanted to instill pieces of Jewish history; which, for him, play an incredibly large part in Polish history.
Another thing TRY did well was the revitalization of once-great Jewish sites. Tefilah every day was in one of many old synagogues, most of which are now museums or derelict. It was unreal to be able to breathe new life into these once-vibrant institutions. Additionally, we studied Daf Yomi at Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin, the very place where Daf Yomi was invented! Stuff like this connects to the central message of ICC: visiting the places you learn about and bringing them to life.
As we left what once was, our airplane leaving Krakow took us into the future. To where was I flying? None other than Ben Gurion Airport, in the heart of Israel. Yes, this is the Jewish State. After 2000 years, numerous exiles and martyrs, we are finally home. This is the land where Jews defend Jews. Where Jews succeed. Israel is flourishing while Hitler and Nazism rots in the deepest point of hell.
8 million Jews in the flourishing, lively, prosperous State of Israel.
This is the ultimate fuck-you to Hitler. The forces of evil failed.
As Matisyahu writes: âThe gas tried to choke, but it couldnât choke me.â
Immediately after we returned from the airport, we drove to the Tayelet overlooking the entire city of Jerusalem. Suddenly, Jerusalem was not something only to be dreamed about and prayed for. We are here, our time is now. Eretz Zagat Chalav UâDvash: this truly is the milk and honey.
There were 6 million who perished and many more who were enslaved and forced. I write this immediately after my Pesach Seder, which I enjoyed with the Epsteins, close friends of ours in Haifa. This is an Israeli family, living the land as free Jews returned from exile. Pesach symbolizes the move from persecution and slavery to freedom, and the miracle of being exiled from Egypt. The return to Israel from Europe happened with the end of the Shoah. G-d brought us out of the destruction in 1945, and into the promised land in 1948. This is a true miracle of modern times.
As I come home from Poland, I stay true to the mantra recited by Jews for thousands of years:
Remember the past.
Live for the present.
Plan for the future.
We need to remember the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust and not let it be forgotten.
We need to live in our land, continue to practice Judaism and enjoy the beautiful circumstances given to us in the 21st century.
We need to make sure nobody is persecuted just because of who they are, what religion they practice or how they were born. Never again will a tragedy like the Holocaust take place. Never again.
On Thursday morning, I left the Chava for the airport. I was going to my brotherâs Bar Mitzvah in Toronto! While I was sad to leave TRY for four days, I was excited to see everyone back in Canada.
I arrived in Toronto Thursday evening, and took a taxi to my house. My parents and grandparents greeted me at the door. It was great to see them! The questions about TRY came flooding in. They were all so happy to see that I was having the best time in Israel. I saw some of my friends from CHAT that evening. It was also great to catch up with them!
Friday morning, I got a haircut and made some final preparations for the Bar Mitzvah. In the afternoon, we took photos. The photographers were Israeli, it was really cool to be able to use my new-and-improved Hebrew with them!
Friday evening we went to services at Holy Blossom, my familyâs shul. It was really interesting to see how I viewed the service after changing religious perspectives in Israel. Whether or not thatâs a bad thing is a different discussion! I have some interesting points, not really suitable for this blog, that Iâd be glad to share if you sent me a private message.
Saturday morning, Adam read from the Torah. It was awesome to see him up there chanting like a champ! We were all really proud of him.
Later in the day, there was a luncheon and a party. Lots of fun at both.
By Sunday, it was the day to return! We had an âout of townersâ brunch in the morning, and then it was off to the airport. 12 hours later, I landed back in the Holy Land, and drove to the Chava. It was great to be back, and the short jaunt to Toronto was great!
On March 17, Israel went to the polls to elect members of the Knesset. The previous government failed after Yesh Atid, a major centrist party, dropped out of the coalition. This was the first time there was an election during a TRY semester, so of course we planned something special!
Jonathan, our academic director, made a spin on âHumans of New Yorkâ, a popular Facebook page. The goal of the page is to provide insight into the lives of New Yorkers, generally through posting pictures of them and writing quotes from conversation between them and the photographer.
So, we decided to create âHumans of New Yorkâ! After being split up into groups, we went around and spoke to people on the street on election day. My group of two friends and I went around and spoke to the most interesting, inspiring and amazing people. Iâll be updating this post with the final project once itâs done! We even met (and interviewed!) a celebrity: Yehuda Glick, a man who was shot after trying to pray on the Temple Mount (the holiest site in Judaism).
In the evening, we had a mock election, complete with campaigns, posters and speeches. I was part of Yisrael Beiteinu! After this, we watched the real election polls.
Did the results surprise me? Sort of. I like the Likudâs policies of nationalism and security, but definitely donât like Bibiâs attitude towards international relations, especially with the USA. My party of choice was Kulanu, under the leadership of Moshe Kahlon. He had plans to lower the cost of living, yet still keep Israel and Jerusalem united and secure, not giving away land to Palestinians.
Over all, we learned a lot about the Israeli public and the electoral system. It was an awesome learning experience, and âHumans of Jerusalemâ was really fun!
Attention: I havenât been able to post for a while, so the following posts will be slightly behind! Donât worry, I still made notes about what I did, so everything is still accurate. Sorry :)
On Wednesday, the parent trip arrived. Only a few parents came, about 6 couples. It was really interesting to see the parents of my friends, most of them look alike! My parents didnât come though, theyâre coming during Passover.
We left on Thursday morning for the North of Israel. This was the first visit to the north for TRY! But, our first stop was Beit Hatvutzot Museum in Tel Aviv. This museum studies the diaspora of the Jewish people. It was so interesting to learn about the history of our people. It caused me to think about the miracle of the State of Israel. After 2000 years in exile, we now have domain over our land! We have returned to Zion.
Following the museum, we went up to a youth village called Hodayot, southeast of Haifa. It was similar to the Chava, but in a rural area instead. Not the nicest, but definitely an experience. We got to speak to the international students staying on that campus.
The next day we started by visiting a Druze village called Dalyat Ha-Karmel. We heard an Israeli-Druze man from that village. It was so inspiring to hear him speak! What really amazed me was the Druze cultureâs passion for Israel and Israel as a Jewish Nation-State. They join the army and are incredibly patriotic to their country. The Druze are an essential part of Israel and deserve to live beside us as brothers and sisters in keeping Israel democratic, safe and secure.
Afterwards, it was finally time to go to Tzfat! The last time I was in Tzfat was during my first trip to Israel, in 2012.
Let me tell you: Anything can happen in Tzfat. Seriously, read on below.
 When youâre 3 years older, you really look at it through a different lens. I loved the mystical side of the city. We visited the gallery of Avraham, an oleh (someone who made Aliyah) from Detroit.
He was high on life.
Literally, he was the happiest person Iâve even seen. Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, is a complex, magical world. He got into it at the age of 17, and was hooked. Even the Rambam says one shouldnât learn it until they are age 40 and have learned the entire Torah and Talmud. It takes a lot to study Kabbalah! Anyway, Avrahamâs art was really cool, and he told us his life journey and aliyah to Israel and the study of Kabbalah.
After our enlightening experience with Avraham, we had free time in the Old City of Tzfat! Hereâs a ridiculous thing, that only happens in Tzfat: My friend Noam and I are walking around, and suddenly we get approached by a nice man. He was concerned we didnât have a place for Shabbat, and offered us a nice dinner and a place to stay. He even offered us booze and marijuana. As much as we would have liked to have the only-in-Tzfat experience (minus the illegal stuff), TRY would never let us. So, we thanked him and continued on. What an experience! As well, we had lots of fun bargaining and kibitzing with the shop owners. Stuff like this: only in Tzfat.
As the afternoon came to evening, it was time to prepare for Shabbat! We checked into our hotel and got all dressed up. That evening, I went to a small Yeshiva-like Ashkenazi shul; it couldnât have been much bigger than a bedroom. But, there had to be over 100 people in there. The sweat, stench, and RUACH (spirit) was overpowering, it was amazing. Again, only in Tzfat. Saturday morning, we went to a major historical sight, the Yitzchak synagogue. A Sephardi shul, it was one of the first in Tzfat. It was really interesting to see how different sects of Judaism practice Shabbos ritual! All in all, an awesome tefilah (prayer) experience.
After a nice lunch in the hotel, Betsalel lead our ICC class in a guided meditation. We learned about mysticism and the Kabbalah, and how we can become more spiritual as people. The meditation was really cool, especially coming from Betsalel. Following this, we had Seuda Shlishit (a meal in between lunch and dinner, traditionally on Shabbat) and more singing. Finally, we did Havdalah overlooking the mountainous hills of Tzfat. It was really beautiful. Following this, we packed up and drove back down to Jerusalem.
The experience in Tzfat and the North was really one of my highlights of TRY so far. The mysticism, spirituality and bonding that took place was really nice. Again, thereâs not much time to post, so I apologize for being behind on this. More to come next week with elections, and a quick jaunt to Toronto for my brotherâs Bar Mitzvah!
I stood where baseless hatred lead to dehumanization, torture, slavery and murder just because of race. As I stood at Auschwitz II - Birkenau, I mourned for those who couldn't walk out of the camp like I did, those who were gassed, shot and enslaved in hell on earth. Never again. #ע××׊ר×××× #××ע×× (at Oswiecim (Auschwitz))
Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit Ein Hemed to learn about the Crusades. In the early middle ages, Islam spread quickly to many parts of the eastern world.
The Christian Crusaders would like to pick fights with them; a major battleground was in Israel. Ein Hemed was where one of these battles took place. We got to dress up like crusaders, and learn about history where it actually happened! (Well, this is essentially ICC in a nutshell). After the learning was done, we played capture the flag in a nearby grassy area to symbolize the battles! The teams were my ICC class (Betsalelâs class) vs Alexandraâs class. My class won, in case you were wondering :p
Following this and a picnic lunch, we got back on the bus and drove out to an Israel-Arab village just outside of Jerusalem. It looked really nice, but had very different architectural styles than majority-Jewish towns or large cities. After driving around a bit, we stopped in front of their mosque. Recently renovated, it looked beautiful! Our guide, Jessica met us there. She moved to Israel from the UK a number of years ago, after converting to Islam. After outfitting the girls with headscarves, we went in. It was really cool to see the girls from TRY in hijabs!
The men entered through a different entrance, making sure to step in with our right foot first⌠Itâs interesting how Muslim culture prioritizes entry into a mosque with stepping in on a specific foot; this is designed to get oneâs mind free from previous thoughts and enter into praying mode "on the right footâ. Jessica spoke to us for a bit, and then the Imam (religious/community leader) came in to speak with us. He didnât speak English or Hebrew well, so Jessica translated the Arabic. We asked many questions, ranging from the beginnings of Islam to the extremism going on in certain parts of the world.
paraphrased from translation: âExtremists arenât real Muslims. Muslims take care of one another, believe in peace and have respect for other cultures. Itâs a shame the actions of a minute percentage occupy nearly all the media coverage on Islam.â -Imam
At the beginning of the day, the Madrichim and ICC teachers made mention of a surprise evening activity! We were trying to guess it for the entire day. That evening, Betsalel and Alexandra invited their respective ICC classes for dinner! It was really nice of them to invite us into their houses. As Iâm in Betsalelâs class, I went to his house near Gush Etzion and Ramat Rachel, a suburb of Jerusalem. There, we met his five boys and wife, Shoshana. They were all so nice! After talking and having fun over pizza, we got to ask Betsalel anything we wanted. It was really fun! He has a lemon tree in his backyard; because it was Shmita year (every 7th year, one must not harvest their tree, instead leaving the produce for guests and anyone who wants), we were allowed to take a lemon! After we got back to the Chava, I made lemonade with the fresh lemon. It was delicious!
All in all, an amazing day learning about Islam and the Crusaders, finishing off with dinner at Betsalelâs house.
After the wonderful Purim celebrations, we had another Host Shabbat to spend with friends or family. I decided to visit the Epstein family in Haifa. Last spring, we hosted Taly, a 19 year-old doing a year of service in Toronto before the army. We developed a great friendship and stayed in touch after she left our house, so of course I would be ecstatic to visit her, this time in Israel.
Following the Purim brunch at the Chava, myself and two other friends going to the Haifa area got into a taxi bound for the Central Bus Station. I took an Egged bus, direct from Jerusalem to Haifa. The ride wasnât long, only about two hours, and the bus was comfortable. After arriving in Haifa, Taly and her parents met me at the bus station. It was so nice to see them!
We drove back to their house, and hung out for a bit. That evening, we had Shabbat Dinner, and then went to the Bahaâi Gardens. Theyâre really nice to see at night! After walking around for a bit, we returned to her house and went to sleep. Boy, was that sleep fantastic! I slept until 9:30AM :)
After breakfast, Taly and I met up with some other shinshinim (overseas volunteers) from last year, Maayan and Orian. It was really great to see them! We walked on the beach and bought really great hummus. In the afternoon, I went back to the apartment, rested and took a shower. Taly, her family and I chatted for a bit more. That evening, I got back on the bus bound for Jerusalem.
All in all, it was a great Shabbat spent up in Haifa. On to the week ahead!
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