Aviv Poland Journey: Day 1 (Yad Vashem)

The holocaust is a time in human history which simultaneously repulses and intrigues people from all walks of life, especially young Jews due to its intrinsic role in the formation of their personal and family heritage and history. I feel as though in some way my Jewish education, both formal and informal, has led up to the next week or so in which I will visit the sites of some of the worst atrocities ever committed and consolidated hours and hours of learning about the Second World War and the genocide which it encompasses. Due to its importance on an emotional level to both myself and the entire group, I have decided to make a concerted effort to blog my thoughts and feelings each and every day of this journey through Prague and Poland.

Today was the first day of the journey as we departed Kibbutz Galon and arrived at Jerusalem’s holocaust museum, Yad Vashem. This was my first visit to the massive compound, which we were informed stretches over 2 square miles,  which placed me in the minority with many other Aviv participants having visited this incredible museum previously. A few things struck me about this place which I had already heard so much about; firstly, the sheer size of the complex which I personally felt was a symbol for the humongous importance of the remembrance of these events to both the Jewish population as well as all of mankind.

We were introduced to our Scottish/Welsh tour guide Jonathan who acted as our walking holocaust encyclopaedia, possessing a hugely impressive memory which allowed him to simply recite huge chunks of German writing on command. Jonathan, who had already been a tour guide at yad vashem for 6 years, guided us through the valley of the communities which included the name of each and every European community which was destroyed during the Second World War, the number of names was astounding. We were given the opportunity to find the name of a community which held special importance to ourselves or our families.

Next we headed to the hall of questions in which we were given the opportunity to examine some of the deep questions surrounding the actions of the Nazis, such as “where was god during the holocaust?” and “how did people become mass-murderers” accompanied by expert or controversial opinions on the subject. This bred great discussion and led to deeper thought.

Our next major stop was the new Yad Vashem museum which chronicled holocaust history between 1939 and 1945 and allowed us to learn the history behind the events accompanied by testimonies, letters and other important artefacts. Jonathan manoeuvred and guided us through the museum until we reached the final room, which contained the names of roughly 4.5 million Jews who perished in the holocaust accompanied by the pictures of many. It was simply harrowing to see the unbelievable amount of people who lost their lives depicted in such an understandably large quantity. We were briefed about the following week and then headed to our accommodation at Bayit Vagan opposite Yad Vashem, we are to return to the museum in the morning.

Today posed several questions to myself, from both historical and emotional perspectives. Firstly, where does religion fit into our commemoration of such important historical events? Can we really include g-d in any discussions surrounding the cause and transpiration of the holocaust? Surely, there must be a separation between religion and academics but at the same time, a rabbi said something in one of the exhibits which really got to me; how come we take the good and don’t say therefore g-d exists? But rather, we see the bad in the world and take it as evidence that g-d does not exist? Food for thought.

Jake

Aviv Days 24 + 25

Shabbats on Aviv provide a chance for some much needed relaxation, facilitated by our amended wakeup time which was this week set at a mouth-watering 1PM. Not all took their opportunity for additional sleep, with most awake only slightly later than usual whilst Harry ‘could sleep on a bed of nails’ Rosen managed to grab more shut eye in one night than some have had cumulatively for the entire trip! All those who made the tiring 5 minute trek to the dining room discovered that breakfast was surprisingly nice, consisting of actual challah, shakshuka and cereal amongst other edible items. Following breakfast was lunch which was yet again comprised of chicken in various shapes, accompanied by sides, which on this occasion were corn and some less than scrumptious potatoes. Chill time followed as gradually people headed off to the Wi-Fi area near our rooms to Skype those who they miss most, close family and friends. Our next program of the day was a Judaic themed one, in which we were split into groups, handed a summarised torah portion, a genre and a sect of Judaism and assigned the task of acting out the portion, in a manner owing largely too our genre and sect. The portion shared by all was the story of Jacob’s marriages to Leia and Rachel, his years of work in the field followed by his dream and arrival in Canaan. Some genres included science fiction, rom-com and soap opera, whilst sects included modern orthodoxy, ultra orthodoxy and Reconstructionist to name but a few. Performances were… entertaining… to say the least.

Next up was havdallah, a short service was conducted by Oded and Jared Engelman, in which the traditional candle and odours made their appearances as we bid farewell to Shabbat for another week. Dinner was next and yet again indiscriminate slabs of meat and sides were served, with vegie patties provided for our vegetarians. Our after-dinner program was run by the Media Committee consisting of Millie, Sarah, Bec and myself. The program featured an ‘Aviv Quiz’ in which participants were split into pre-determined groups and asked to answer questions on the goings-on of our first three and a bit weeks of Aviv. Questions were humorous... if I do say so myself. Smiles dictated me to believe that the program was a success. Chill time and bed time soon ensued, with all aware of the impending birthday of one Grant Goldman which would fall on day 25.

As Grant awoke on Sunday morning he was greeted with ‘happy birthdays’ from all directions, mitigated only by the fact that he was forced to wake at the earlier than desired time of 8AM. We headed off to Nahariya, our nearest somewhat major city, looking for a spot of non-Kibbutz fun and to complete our necessary shopping and personal upkeep. We were rather disappointed… after some were ripped off by pushy Israeli cab drivers, the Nahariyan sign which read “a resort for fun-lovers” gravely misled us. Basically put, there was nothing to do in Nahariya bar sit in coffee shops, purchase products and fill our stomachs. However, some of the girls manage to occupy themselves as the beautician as after just three weeks they could not bear to go any longer without a wax. As most completed their shopping there was nothing to do other than take a seat at a coffee shop, eat as much as our budgets dictated we could and waste time until it was time to depart. We did so gradually, returning to the kibbutz just in time for lunch which was skipped by most owing to the large meals eaten in town largely thanks to the availability of food which was actual edible, which has been few and far between as of late.

Next on the agenda was Ulpan, we learned about times and the days of the week, in a rather conversational method. Following Ulpan was dinner: beef patties, bread, runny tomato sauce and salad were the best of a bad bunch. There was a buzz at our various tables as most discussed what they were to wear to Grant’s secret 18^th birthday party which was to be conducted that night, subtlety was encouraged. As the boys preoccupied Grant, the girls set up the party, complete with costumes and drinks. As Grant entered, his look of surprise brought happiness to all as we completed a short program including various discussions in ‘speed dating’ style before getting into the party or as the Israelis like to say ‘mesiba.’ Drinks flowed and games were played until the night came to an end, as all departed back to our rooms, ready for chilling followed by bed. Grant’s birthday was celebrated by all, and each and every one of us are grateful we got to spend his 18^th with him!

Another couple of awesome days down, 125 days to look forward to!

Jake