I am so incredibly lucky to have had the ability to travel to Poland...
My Holocaust education in the past was a bit confusing, for lack of a better word. In one way I knew a lot. I am a Jew, how could I not know the history of my people?
In school while talking about the second world war, I always knew more about the Holocaust than the other students. Despite this, the knowledge I had, was just a small piece of the knowledge that I have now. I am so incredibly lucky to have had the ability to travel to Poland, because most Jews will never get that opportunity. In Poland, I was able to learn about the history of Jews living in Poland before, during, and after the Holocaust. Learning about the destruction of a once thriving community, but also the growth of a new one, gave me a new perspective on just how much damage the Holocaust did. I was also able to witness the remains of the things that before, I had only learned about in class. For instance, I knew about the brutal ways in which Jews had been killed by the Nazis, but being in the forest in Tiktin it all felt so much more real. I was at the place where their lives had been taken.
I think that it was also incredibly important that we were able to see the growing Jewish population that exists now in Poland. Meeting those who live Jewish lives in a place with a history like Poland, showed me how the Jewish people will always find a way out of dark times.
In school while talking about the second world war, I always knew more about the Holocaust than the other students. Despite this, the knowledge I had, was just a small piece of the knowledge that I have now. I am so incredibly lucky to have had the ability to travel to Poland, because most Jews will never get that opportunity. In Poland, I was able to learn about the history of Jews living in Poland before, during, and after the Holocaust. Learning about the destruction of a once thriving community, but also the growth of a new one, gave me a new perspective on just how much damage the Holocaust did. I was also able to witness the remains of the things that before, I had only learned about in class. For instance, I knew about the brutal ways in which Jews had been killed by the Nazis, but being in the forest in Tiktin it all felt so much more real. I was at the place where their lives had been taken.
I think that it was also incredibly important that we were able to see the growing Jewish population that exists now in Poland. Meeting those who live Jewish lives in a place with a history like Poland, showed me how the Jewish people will always find a way out of dark times.