Toronto -Warsaw flight:
I don't ever recall feeling this way - a combination of excitement and anxiety. I shouldn't feel the excitement of going on a trip to a far away destination nor should I feel the anticipation of going on vacation. What we are doing is important, significant, meaningful, perhaps life changing. Yet I do feel excitement. Perhaps it is the excitement of the unknown or the youthful spirit of the students. I have no idea what to expect. I feel anxious and unprepared despite my months of preparation and years of holocaust education. I only hope that I will be able to support the students on their journey as I too navigate my own. The students are so bright, so compassionate and so eager to learn.
They inspire me.
Rabbi Poupko leads dav ending at the back of the plane. Sidney, Ernest and Teddy are by his side. I can hear the familiar chanting and my heart fills with warmth and anticipation. One more hour before the journey truly begins. Some of the students are nervous while others seem oblivious to what awaits. Me too...
Bus ride from Warsaw airport to Lodz cemetery:
Spring has arrived much earlier here in Poland. The air is warm, the sky is blue, the grass is green and the trees are all blossoming - happy weather. Somehow the beautiful weather does not feel fitting for our journey in Poland.
We meet our Israeli educator, Ronen, and our Polish guide, Arthur. Ronen speaks about a "successful trip" explaining that the success of our journey is dependent upon each and every one of us. There is no right or wrong way to react and no judgements to be made. Each person must undergo a personal journey, an individual journey, a successful journey.
Lodz Cemetary:
Rabbi Poupko refers to Lodz Cemetary as a happy Cemetary - Jews from Lodz, one of the largest Jewish communities in Poland, lived full and active lives. They were productive, creative, intellectual, spiritual and cultural. They were buried in the Lodz Cemetary with elaborate tomb stones and monuments. There are no mass graves or nameless graves. This Cemetary celebrates the vibrancy of the Jewish community.
The Cemetery is sad and lonely because it is not maintained. The graves are not cared for nor are they visited. Occasionally you can spot flowers or rocks on a tomb stone. There are no Jews left in Lodz to pay their respects to loved ones.
The kids are amazing.
They soak up the stories Rabbi Poupko tells and the testimonies our survivors recount. They ask questions and they listened so attentively. I have a feeling we will all be learning much from our students. They already understand the significance of the first steps of their journey.
Lodz ghetto:
We all walk the 10 minute walk from the ghetto walls to the train station in silence. We pile into the cattle car again in complete silence. This was the last place the Jews of Lodz saw before being sent to their death at Chelmno or Auschwitz. No words are necessary. The silence was unbearably loud.
Off to the hotel in Warsaw after a long and meaningful 2 days.
Monica Mendel Bensoussan
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