Our day in Krakow was completely contrasting to the
one which proceeded it, with a greater focus placed on the positive stories
from the war as well as talk of modern day Polish Jewry. We began with a late
wakeup on account of Shabbat and were then led on a tour of the Krakow’s old Jewish
quarter which is goes by the name of Kazimierz.
We visited numerous old synagogues such as the aptly named ‘old synagogue,’ the
Isaak synagogue and the Tempel Synagogue which was created to cater to the area’s
growing reform community. Our visits were accompanied by many an old parable
told by our theatrical tour guide Mark. Our lunch stop was at the Jewish
Community Centre of Krakow where we heard a tale from a lady who is recognised
as a righteous amongst the nations by Yad Vashem for her family’s saving of
Jews during the war. Her tale was fascinating, and was followed by an address
from the centre’s director who talked about his thoughts on the Jewish plight
in Europe and specifically Poland, sparking a heated debate about the necessity
of security in the modern Jewish world as well as the growing anti-Semitism in
Europe. After this long discussion we finally ate, at roughly 3 o’clock. We then
visited the square in which the Jews of Krakow were rounded up and sent to
Auschwitz and other camps, at which we were joined by a Polish man from the
area who had eavesdropped upon our tour, whose story was unbelievable. He was a
22 year old Pole who had found out just three years earlier of his Jewish
heritage and was now attending classes at the JCC and exploring his heritage.
Following this we were allowed free time in Krakow’s main square.
In the
morning we departed Krakow for Lublin and specifically Majdanek. As we arrived
at the camp in which roughly 75,000 people were brutally murdered by the Nazis
we were appalled to find out that houses and apartment blocks stood just metres
from the camp. How can someone live so close to such a terrible place? Imagine
telling your children about what the time tens of thousands of people were murdered
practically in your backyard, it’s just horrific. The camp was daunting from the word go, we
entered through the main security gate and were immediately surrounded by
barbed wire and the first building we entered was the first which prisoners too
would enter, to be disinfected, bathed and shaved. This building connected onto
the one in which selection and gassing took place. It was a shockingly terrible
sight, and for myself personally it was too much to bear as we entered the
selection room and the sign informed me that it was known as the ‘Rosengarten’
room, from then on this was all that went through my head for the rest of the
camp; it was personal, I couldn’t bear to be in any way linked to such a
horrific process. As we continued through the camp, which some say is so well
kept that it could be functioning in just 24 hours, the horrific scenes piled
up and were too much for many, including myself. We entered barracks which had
been transformed into museums and informed of the history of the camp and its
inhabitants and operators.
A room which
featured the shoes of tens of thousands of those who perished at the camp was
an unbelievably powerful image which reinforced the individuality of the
victims whilst displaying the shockingly enormous amount of people who were
murdered. Throughout our tour Mark read us testimonies and poems which gave an insight
into life at Majdanek which seems as though it was a worth fate than death. We
next entered a barracks which was filled to the brims with tough wooden beds, and
all I could think was that this was where people lived. But was this really
living?
We gradually
made our way to the camp’s crematorium which is located at the far end of its
boundaries and carries a haunting chimney which would apparently spurt black
smoke daily, the ash of the camp’s victims. The crematorium was another place
in which I simply could not comprehend where I was, on the very ground on which
I stood thousands of people’s bodies
passed through and were burnt with malice a forethought by a group of people
who quite simply should be considered untermenschen (Sub-human) themselves due
to their actions. How could this have happened to our people? How could this
have happened to any people? Has humanity advanced or is there potential for
this to happen again in our lifetime? These are simply questions to which no
one has the answer.
As we exited
the crematorium, we were greeted by a small rose garden which looked nothing
the least bit sinister until we were informed that they were repeatedly
fertilised with human ash during the camp’s lifespan. It just got worse. From
one place of mass death to another. We moved to some reasonably large pits in
the grass quite near the crematorium, we were informed that in these very pits
18,000 people were shot to their deaths over a 2 day period by the SS for
absolutely no reason. I was horrified and quite simply could do nothing other
than stare into the pits praying and hoping that this never ever happens again
and that these people died quickly and weren’t in pain. We soon headed up to
the huge kippah-like monument which towered over the pits, it looked a memorial
like any other and saw its contents; a gigantic pile of human ash. On first
glance all I could do was fall to my knees, this ash used to be people, with individual
lives, stories, families and friends and now all that remains of them is a
pile. They had their lives snatched from them for no reason. We conducted a
short ceremony at the memorial, lit candles and then departed this place of undoubted
evil not in great spirits. We rounded out the day with time spent in an old cemetery
and in Lublin’s yeshiva, needless to say, we weren’t in the mood.
Being at
Majdanek is without doubt the most emotionally difficult thing that I have ever
done, and I can’t help but think how the prisoners felt there. A few thoughts
occupied my mind for the entirety of the time I was in the camp. Firstly, if
humans can live so close to a concentration camp and go about their daily lives
normally then there is no reason that there cannot be another holocaust. It is
a scary thought but if one can live in such close proximity to a place where so
many were brutally murdered then there is no reason they cannot become
normalised to such pain and suffering. Secondly, I am profoundly proud to be
Jewish. We are a people like no other and this trip has made me so unbelievably
grateful when I put on my kippah or sing a Jewish song, our heritage is
something special and seeing the lowest point in our history first hand has
allowed me to realise just how much I treasure it. Finally, Majdanek and
Auschwitz as well as all holocaust sights must continue to be visited by all
future generations of Jews and is extraordinarily important to Jewish
continuity. Visiting holocaust sites forces us to remember and relive these moments
felt by our ancestors and keeps us connected to our heritage, something which
is necessary to instil Jewish values into future generations.
Jake
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