Sorry about the delay

Here is another guest blog On our last day in Poland we visited Majdanek, .  The camp is the most intact of all the sites we have encountered, rumored to be capable of being fully operational within  48 hours.  As you can imagine, the camp seemed all the more frightening with its dormant horrors, but not to Max "The Man" Glauben. Standing in the chemical and rust stained gas chamber, Rabbi Tannenbaum told our class about the horror Max's family and too many others experienced. We were reduced to tears and muffled sobs, while Max stood unphased, stronger than the foundation beneath us. Throughout our time in Poland, Max Glauben's spirit and strength has been the equally puzzling antithesis to the Holocaust. Despite losing his mother and brother at the camp at age 13, Max returns year after year to share his story and ensure we never forget with the purest of optimism and pride. Everyday Max provides us with a deeper understanding of the horrific Shoah, allows us to prod his steel faith with questions, and still find the energy to serenade us into a sweet and hopeful slumber in spite the camp scenery plaguing our thoughts.  While I appreciate all that he does I have to admit his cheery attitude has prompted me to have some competitive staring contests with the ceiling at night. "How can a survivor be so happy and faithful after all that?" I wondered.  After seeing the massive cremated ash pit of Majdanek, the survivors shared thoughts to conclude the Poland portion of our trip. Max remarked that the large pit of ashes we wept over earlier represented more than lost lives, but the loss of Jewish culture and values. Who knows how many great rabbis, screenwriters, cooks, or sincere human beings were snuffed out before they could add to this world? Max doesn't just want us to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, but make up for that which was taken from us with strong Jewish pride- something he has more than enough to share. All those times Max stood seemingly unmoved' it was because he was that powerful force propelling Jewish pride and perseverance into our all-too near future. While I am thankful for all of our accompanying survivors, Max's words finally gave me a hint of where his never-waning smile originates and the put the MOTL's purpose in an inspiring and profound light. Max may not know my name like the rest of our group, but I know  my class would agree that his name and influence will never be forgotten, as it will be the one responsible for my graduating class' burning passion for Judaism. Reid Cohen We are now in Israel, maybe we will get another guest blogger tonight