LOSS AND RENEWAL IN POLAND - Krakow, Poland Jul 2016

LOSS AND RENEWAL IN POLAND

Krakow, Poland  July  2016

Remnants of Jewish presence

This leg of our trip didn't start off auspiciously, to say the least. After Simone arrived, the three of us went off for a celebratory dinner only to return to our apartment and find our electronics had been stolen--Eileen's tablet, Mike's phone, and Simone's iPad and computer. 

The cops came and dusted for fingerprints and had us fill out lengthy forms for the stolen merchandise we knew we would never see again. 

Our suspicions were that the loss could somehow be tied to the men who loitered in front of the apartment all day, making sure everything was "safe." Coincidentally, they had left their shift when the robbery occurred.

The lie: "Arbeit Macht Frei"

The one-way trip

And then the next day we went to Auschwitz and Birkenau and everything in life was put in proper perspective. The former camps were clearly tourist draws, filled with curious people from countries around the world. 

Everyone was required to have a tour guide; it was truly impressive how the guides told the story honestly and sensitively, without tending toward the maudlin.

While it felt strange sharing our private sorrow with so many, there was some consolation in the hope that the more people understand what happened during the Holocaust, the less chance it will happen again.

What was left behind

Or at least that is what we told ourselves. From viewing the gas chambers to the trains that brought our ancestors to their end, this was a day of unremitting pain. Peering behind the glass, we felt like interlopers to unthinkable acts, viewing the personal belongings left behind, the evil behind the signs planted throughout the camps talking about how many human beings had been exterminated from different countries, "outsider" ethnic groups.

And then there was the room filled with nothing but human hair--the only place where we were not permitted to take photos.

Saving Jewish lives

There was an underlying feeling of sadness as we visited Krakow and made our way through the rest of Eastern Europe, our voyage referred to with dark humor as the "Trail of the Vanishing Jews." 

And then there were none

True, in Krakow there was a growing Jewish Community Center, assisted with funds donated by Prince Charles. and a few remaining synagogues. But the "Jewish Quarter," was currently a lively bar and restaurant scene--and no Jews to be found, except us, of course.

In fact, next to the Schindler Museum, there was a large plaza with empty chairs, a chilling testament to the once vibrant community that was once home to some 80,000 Jews.

We did see some uplifting sights in Krakow: the 13th century Main Square, one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe; and beautiful cathedrals and parks, with the next generation of Polish children playing freely.

But hope remains

Stark memories

We were left with a duality of visions when we exited Krakow. There was the history of the ghettos and camps, viewed in the starkest terms or black and white.

Then there was the restored synagogue, mainly a tourist attraction and remembrance of what once was. 

But we also left with the hope of what,
G-d willing, may live again someday.