Day 6

Kelly Herson blog

I am so, so lucky and fortunate to be on this trip. Every day, every moment I am learning so much about Judaism, history, as well as myself. I feel unbelievably proud of my Judaism. This morning, we were at a synagogue in Tykocin that was left deserted 70 years ago. The synagogue was trashed by the Nazis and left to decay. However, today the beautiful walls of the Shul were full of life. We danced and sang Am Yisroel Chai and Hatikvah. I couldn't help but feel so incredibly proud of my Judaism. Also, I didn't realize how much my personal spirituality would be affected by this trip. This trip has reinforced how important it is to be strong in my Jewish faith and pass it onto my children. Too many of our ancestors have died just for their religion. Even in the darkest of times, they held onto their faith. The faith of the survivors here with us is stronger than ever. If these people, these men and women, who have seen the darkest side of humanity can hold onto their faith, shouldn't I be able to? 

The afternoon was spent at the Tikocyn forest and then Treblinka. Though everything was covered in thick feet of snow, the pits where the people of Tikocyn were shot were gated in. The gates bore Israeli flags, memorial candles, stones, and notes. We heard the stories of how the people lined up row by row and were shot into the pits that had been previously dug. Why did no one run away? Why didn't anyone true to escape their formidable fate? A young mother, holding her baby boy tried to run. She tried to save herself. The einzatzgruppen quickly caught her, hit the infant against a tree, threw the innocent, limo body into the pit, and shot the mother. No one tried to run after that. I cannot possibly imagine the thoughts going through the Jews' minds as they waited for their inevitable fate. 

Next stop: Trebkinka. Treblinka was a death camp. Everything had been burnt to the ground. Today, though the camp could not be seen, I could feel the evil that took place in the frigid, biting air. The memorial that remains is a graveyard of 17,000 sharp, jagged rocks of many different shapes and sizes. These rocks represent 17,000 Jewish communities that were taken to Treblinka. The camp was sheathed in multiple feet of snow and the wind howled with the echoes of our ancestor's cries. Before leaving, we davened Mincha at the entrance of gas chambers. I could feel our words of prayer going up to heaven, almost to whisper to the 750,000 Jews that perished where we stood, "You are not forgotten about. Your death was not meaningless." We said a final Mourner's Kaddish. Saying the same words that my ancestors have said so many times before me was incredibly powerful. 

I am so lucky. The Jewish people living in Europe could never have foreseen what was to happen. They thought, we are safe, we are living in the 20th century in civilized countries, how bad can our lives get? They couldn't have known. They simply couldn't. But now, we do. And we MUST do everything we can to assure that it will never happen again. People don't always like talking about hard or sad things. But with that mentality, it is inevitable to forget. Another Holocaust can happen so easily again if we let it and we must understand that, We must talk. We can't simply put up a barrier to the past (whether it be historical or personal) and continue on. That is the easy thing to do. Through education and awareness, it IS possible to ensure a bright future. Today, as a Jew, I stand stronger than ever. The Nazis didn't win and I am a testament to that. I am the future. Am Yisrael Chai.