Read what students from Amit Rehovot wrote on the trip to Poland
Read what these 4 11th graders doing Bagrut this year wrote:
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My family went through the Holocaust and I feel it’s important for us to visit . In addition I think it’s important for the young generation to know their history and hopefully then they can prevent something like this from happening again. I also felt that it is important to show these polish people that “ Am Israel Chai” By coming there we show that our generations have continued and prospered. Our school tried to prepare us for what we would see on our trip to Poland. As much as we had thought that we were ready for it ,we couldn’t ever be ready for what we were about to see. I had family in Hungary- My grandma’s parents came from Lithuania. I’m going to speak about 2 things that made a big impression on me. The first is the Memorial Room in Auschwitz 1. We lit candles and each brought names of their family. Each one called out their names and said a few words about the people. This visit changed the atmosphere of the trip. It really hit us, walking in this place between shoes, eyeglasses, suitcases --- hair and then speaking about our dead family. All these people were our brothers. The second was Birkenau The barracks were destroyed and all that can be seen are chimneys. There had been hundreds of them. Before this we saw the railroad - this railroad went right to the gas chambers. Here the people were selected. Those who would be going to work camps and those who would die. Peoples’ identity was taken away from them. They were stripped of anything personal, for example jewelry, they might have taken with them. Numbers were tattooed on their arms, hair was shaven. All were given uniforms. There we had a ceremony We saw a display of pictures – of 3,000 people. Each one of them had a life… a family who loved them. That was a very difficult day for us. When we returned to our hotel in the evening we were struck by the fact that we were the lucky ones. We were free. We felt alive. Our Jewish family hadn’t been able to escape from this – They had to bear it day - in day out. Thank G-d we had just one tiny taste of what they went through and felt so thankful that we were not part of it and were free after all. Our reaction that evening was such a mixed one. We all laughed and cried at the same time. When I think about it I have never laughed and cried so much all in one week.
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In my family, we talk about the Holocaust a lot. They feel it is important to know what happened for the generations to come. My grandparents were in Auschwitz- Birkenau. I felt I had to go to Poland , because my grandparents gave us a strong connection. My mother’s parents didn’t want to talk about it. They wanted to protect their children . Now that I’ve been, I think it is very important for the future generations to see where it happened to know and to understand what happened there. The 10th grade pupils are now deciding whether or not to go and I have told them that it is a must. That is the only way we can make sure that something like this will not happen again. Only “Jews” can prevent their own people from going to the slaughter. We have to be on our guard always . We even see it today, how very quickly the anti-semites of this world will take every advantage, in order to get rid of Jews. On Shabbat we walked in the streets of Warsaw. It was amazing to see where Jews were murdered and tortured and the place was bombed. Now what one sees is the beauty of nature. Everything is so green, there are beautiful trees, birds children are happy.---It’s hard to believe that these terrible things happened there. The only reminder are a few memorials to the different groups that were killed there. After the trip. The trip doesn’t end when you go home. When I came back home my parents were very anxious to hear our experiences and see the pictures. While I was sleeping my mother had already had the photos developed . My grandmother was a little frightened to see all those familiar sights, but all in all , it brought us closer together, speaking about it and discussing everything. When I got home one day, I went to have a shower and just out of the blue I thought of the places we had visited and started to cry. My mom was terribly worried and thought I had fallen ,but I told her I just had to be left alone to cry . At school the group has a special bond and we often discuss our experiences. Also we have a very close relationship with the 2 teachers that were with us .Out teacher told us that this had been her 2nd time and she said that it hadn’t been easier the this time. This was an experience of a lifetime and I am very thankful for it. It was very expensive to go , but I’m sure that my family feels that it was an important investment. |
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I decided to go to Poland because I think that it is very important. Explain a little why. My grandparents didn’t really speak about the Holocaust as my Grandmother didn’t want to upset my Grandpa. However after my trip my Grandpa spoke to me about his experiences. He had been in Vienna and from Germany he came to Israel. He then went to the States. My Grandma managed to get out just as the war started and my Grandparents met in the States. I had heard bits and pieces of what happened to my family and after I came back all the pieces fell into place after having spoken and discussed my trip with my Grandpa.. This trip changed my aspect about life. In Mydanic we went from room to room and saw what happened to each person from their arrival until they died. The last thing you see there is a mountain of ashes – you look at it and it becomes something real and you feel very close to the people who suffered there. You see glasses, suitcases, but it really hits you to see this mountain – these were people. (describe a little). That for me was the most powerful thing. It was the best kept camp. Everything is still there. It’s important to preserve this so that many future generations can see this. The whole jurney changed my aspect on life. We live here – have a routine and we don’t appreciate our right to study , to see our parents. Two people told us these amazing stories about how they survived. It makes you really greatful for what you have. I believe that this is something a person keeps for life, always remembering however difficult things seem to be, there are many who suffered much more. People take tiny little problems and don’t solve them. Here people in the Holocaust had ,each minute they were there, to make life threatening decisions- (give an example like a father having to leave a child because he hopes that the child will have a better chance to survive.) One of the ways they survived, was to try and make their lives as normal as possible, by putting on little shows . When they were together they were strong. That was the most important thing for them. Coming back to Israel from a trip like that makes you realize that there will never really be a place for Jews other than Israel. This really was impressed upon me. We have to fight to keep this land and the Jews in the Diaspora have to know that without Israel for the Jews , their lives will be in great danger. |
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Hemen was the first death camp that was built in 1941. There the Germans were just beginning their systematic killing of Jews. The Jews were taken to a church and then put in a truck .The exhaust pipe was put into the closed truck and they were immediately poisoned to death. There they buried them in mass graves. We walked through a field in a forest and saw tombstones belonging to whole communities. I would like to talk about my difficulty in believing that there were so many people that were killed there. What you see is greenery all around you. This greenery gives a serenity in the air and it’s just so impossible to imagine that such horrendous things happened in such a beautiful place. There was a special smell in the air - a chill in the air. Even after seeing all these things it is still hard to imagine that it actually happened. There are some people who say that one should not go to Poland , others say we should. Perhaps the experience would effect a person negatively . In my personal experience I think it was very important ,as having gone to the places where my grandparents had been and survived changed our relationship completely. I now feel a special bond with my grandparents. Before, they weren’t prepared to talk about their experiences. Now seeing my pictures and knowing I was there, gives them a feeling that they also want to discuss was we saw with me. The group I went with. We were friends before .We went through very difficult experiences together - everyone opened their hearts to one another and this brought us closer together. Like one big family. What I have learned from this trip is if there is anybody here who has been through this or knows anyone else, they should please tell their story, first to their children and then to the archives of the Yad Vashem It’s very important for the future generations. |