Day 4 Journal: Krakow, Plashov and driving to Lublin

19 May 2011: Krakow, Plashov Concentration Camp, drive to Lublin

Memorial in/for the Krakow ghetto

Today was a day to reflect, place myself in the time and place, and be grateful.

We spent the morning in Krakow, and it was another beautiful, sunny day, which I struggled with. How am I to get the full effect, picture these places within their historical context? How were they pre-war? During? How have they changed? I'm finding it hard as I have read so many novels, texts, articles, and seen so many pictures - first and second-hand accounts. This city is beautiful, and looks nothing like what I've seen before.

Today's events started with visiting several synagogues; big, small, old, new, fancy, plain. I am so thankful to be able to travel with so many people of the Jewish faith. It is not only rounding out my experience as I understand the traditions and commemorations, but I am interested in this. We also visited several Jewish cemeteries; beautiful places full of faith, tradition, and love.

But through this, there is still hate. While entering one of the Synagogue's today, we noticed a swastika painted on the door, a fresh coat of paint trying to cover it. We were silent. No one drew attention to it. No one needed to say it: that was a slap in the face to the program, to our mission, to our passion for humanity, and love; no matter the difference, race, gender...I wept, here. The people we're commemorating, honoring; what did this mean to them? How could things progress so far in the world, yet so little? I couldn't believe this. I'll never understand, but I'll fight.

From here, we visited the Krakow ghetto: the place where so many were rescued by Schindler. I loved the memorial here - fitting, but abstract. Abstract as Hitler's views and plans were. I was, however, surprised at the size of the ghetto. A short bus tour to show us Schindler's Factory and several bits of original ghetto wall really laid things out and allowed us to get the full picture.

Soviet Monument at Plashov

From here, we visited Plashov Concentration Camp, located just on the outskirts of Krakow. This camp is the camp re-created and represented in Schindler's List, the camp where Amon Goethe had his home, held Helen Rosenzweig (his servant, represented in Schindler's List), and the camp where dogs were first (or most commonly? Sorry this isn't accurate info) used to "hunt" humans.

A single monument now stands on the site of this camp, which is now a park. This monument, towering over the area, reminded me a bit of the Vimy Memorial, but also of Easter Island or Stonehenge. Such an abstract, beautiful, stone, large, haunting, and over-riding monument. I can't imagine that this site was once so ugly.

I can't go in to the details surrounding this monument, this site, and the stories we heard here. The memories are still too fresh and painful, and these blogs are becoming difficult to write. The monument was beautiful, and gave me goosebumps as I approached, seeing it's magnitude. It's a go-to place for sure. 


At Plashov, Pinchas told us part of his story, as well as a heart-warming story of love, friendship and hope that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. This is the epitome of what we're doing: providing that little bit of hope in a scary, ugly, broken world. Through Pinchas' story, he has provided us with this. And through telling his story, I hope to provide others with this.

Pinchas, speaking.

In short, the remainder of the day involved a long drive to the town of Lublin, where Majdanek is located, and an early bed, after standing in the hallway to access wireless and do a blogpost, which you can find here.

Before bed, we had a ceremony by the first and second generation survivors on the trip: students with parents and grandparents who went through the Holocaust. I plan on doing a whole blog, or series of several, on the ceremonies throughout the trip at a later date.

Again, I leave with you several articles; things to think about, and hopefully to spark your own action:

"Srebrencia: Worst European atrocity since WWII", a CNN.com article.

"New Book: Vatican helped Nazis escape", a Ynetnews article.

"Love is something if you give it away, you'll end up getting more" - kindergarten song, as sung to us by Faigie Libman.