Jewish District/Schindler's Factory

"For some, war leaves no choice; for others, it makes choosing a must. A small gesture can yield irreversible consequences. It can either save a life or ruin it." (Unknown)

Friday was ian interesting day because not only did we gain information, but we saw evidence of the above quote in several places. We took a walking tour through the Jewish district, which was about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying. It was a rainy day so we made sure we had our umbrellas with us. The tour was private, so it was just the three of us with our guide. We were able to learn more about the Jewish culture in Krakow before, during, and after WWII.

Jewish District
We learned about someone new, who was important to the effort of stopping the Holocaust of Polish Jews. His name was Jan Karski. A statue dedicated to him is located next to the synagogue in the Jewish District of Krakow. He is definitely someone who we will research more about!

Synagogue

There was a dress code to enter the synagogue - no shorts or sleeveless tops. Thankfully, we read up on the tour beforehand and there was mention of that so we were prepared! Also, men had to wear a yarmulke. It was interesting to see that there was a separation of men and women inside the synagogue. Men sat in the front, while the women were in the back behind a screen. The attention to the artistic detail on the walls and ceiling was amazing. The architecture of the building was interesting - it seemed like a small space, but it was packed with details.

Cemetery
As we walked outside the door of the synagogue, we approached the cemetery. This was a particularly moving area. We had a strong sense of sadness as we looked out over the small, but packed cemetery. This was an extremely old cemetery holding graves of Jews, but these were not people who died during the war. The sadness came from looking out and seeing the cemetery in disarray. Some headstones were facing the synagogue, and some were facing the opposite way toward the old entrance. We learned that during WWII, the cemetery was destroyed by Nazis. Headstones were knocked over and broken, trash was thrown over the graves, it was just utter destruction and total lack of respect. After the war, the Jewish community tried to put it back together, but they had to make some changes. They were able to set up some headstones, but it was like piecing together a puzzle. Headstones were now set up in different directions because the entrance had to be changed. (Tradition says headstones should be facing the entrance). You may notice stones placed on top and around different headstones, and we learned that this is a Jewish tradition. Today, stones are placed on headstones as a way to pay respect.

Some headstones were just a total loss, so a beautiful wall was constructed of the pieces of headstones that were found.

The Empty Chairs

The rain was really coming down now. Luckily we had umbrellas but we felt bad for our guide who didn't have one. We followed him to what we thought was a place of refuge from the storm. As we stood there drying off, the silence began to be awkward. The guide wasn't speaking, he seemed to be waiting for something. Then we finally took note of our surroundings, and noticed we were next to a small town square that was empty, except for several dozen chairs, all facing the same direction. It dawned on us that we were looking at a Holocaust memorial which we had seen in pictures but didn't know was located in Poland. We had mixed emotions - we were pleasantly surprised to get to see this memorial, but it was also a very moving memorial, particularly in the pouring rain, evoking strong emotions in each of us. We asked our guide for some information about it. He told us it was called "The Empty Chairs"  and there were exactly 65 chairs to represent the 65,000 Jews from Krakow that died during the Holocaust. There are many stories about why chairs were used to create this memorial, but our guide believes that chairs were the only item the Jews were allowed to bring with them to the ghetto. The Square they were in was the same Square the Jews stood in while being relocated. When the rain finally let up we were able to walk amongst the chairs, silently saying we were sorry.

Schindler's Factory

Here is where we took leave of our guide. He has been a great guide who has helped us learn about the Jews as a people, not just as victims. The Schindler Museum is located in what was once Oskar Schindler's factory, through which he saved over 1,200 Jews by not only employing them but by saying they were vital to the success of his factory, and bribing Nazi officials. This was an excellent museum because it not only covered Schindler's efforts and the plight of the Jews but it showed the rise of Germany's  power and the progression of  WWII leading up to and including The Hocaust. 

What made this museum so moving were the firsthand accounts of individuals affected by the Holocaust. Walking through room after room and reading these testimonies gave voice to the millions of victims. 

Our students often ask "Why didn't they just escape?" Or "why didn't they just take the armbands or Jewish stars off?" 

The final room we visited was called "Room of Choices" and was created by an artist named Michal Urban. This exhibit left us speechless. We are now inspired to have our students create a similar project.

Ghetto
After visiting the factory, we did not want our tour to end! Our guide had explained earlier that there was an original section of the ghetto wall still erect. Of course we wanted to see that, so off went went in the direction he pointed!
For those who don't know, the ghetto was a place where Jews were confined to live in deplorable conditions.  In Krakow a wall about 12 feet high was literally built around 3 blocks to contain them. The area it surrounded already housed about 3,000 people, but once the Nazis created the ghetto, it became the home to about 17,000 Jews! Below is a short testimony from a prisoner inside the ghetto in Krakow.

To get to the original section of the wall, it was a quick walk from Schindler's Factory, but since we were alone it was still a bit nerve wracking wondering if we were going the right way. As we rounded a corner, still wondering if we were going in the right direction, we saw what we were looking for. We were able to see replicas of the wall inside Schindler's Factory. However, it's one thing to see replicas, but it's an entirely different experience to see the actual pieces that Jews saw, touched, and probably hated. It was only about 30 feet in length, but it was powerful. We could see how it was constructed to resemble tombstones, and even though we already knew that, it still gave us a sickening feeling to know that the Nazi's designed it purposely to look that way. It was crazy to see that today the wall was placed right between businesses and homes. This is a piece of history and should be preserved! But in a way it was good to see that life went on around the wall, as if taking the power away from the Nazis.

The plaque below was on the was and reads " Here they lived suffered, and died at the hands of the German torturers. From here they began their final journey to the death camp.

Pharmacy
For all the horror we hear and learn about, we can't forget about the people who risked their lives to help. Tadeusz Pankiewicz is one such person. Despite not being Jewish, he decided to keep his pharmacy within the ghetto walls to help the Jewish community. He delivered messages back and forth and often gave out free medicine to the sick. His pharmacy was a place for the resistance to meet and hide Jews. The pharmacy museum was set up to be interactive. You could open cabinets and drawers to see pictures and read testimonials of Jews. There were old telephones you could pick up and hear the voice of someone giving their account of what was going on. You could even open bottles and smell the medicines that were once part of the pharmacy. Of course, it wasn't real medicine, but we were interested in figuring out the scents (mouthwash, cinnamon). He is one person we plan to add to our lessons. Learning about people like Tadeusz reminds us that no matter how bad things are, you always have a choice, which can make huge differences in the lives of others.

Birkenau

This stop was part 2 to our Auschwitz visit. We are a little behind on blogging this day because there was so much to reflect on. How do we begin to describe our experience?

The camp is huge, and we only visited the two main areas: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II. This post is about Auschwitz II, better known as Birkenau. We followed the tour group through the camp, but decided to break away at times, just like we did at Auschwitz I. We were actually frustrated during the museum tour because we felt like it was so rushed and we couldn't stop and process. It was important to us to get the experience we wanted out of this trip, and being a part of a tour group made it difficult to stop when we wanted. But we also understood because people were there for their own reason. 

Birkenau was a death camp, and when we walked up to the iconic entrance, it was much more typical of what you would think a concentration camp looks like. 

Train Tracks

As we stood on the train tracks that brought 1.3 million innocent people into the camp, knowing we were there to visit and could leave whenever we wanted, we were left with a sickening, guilty feeling. This was the site where over a million people were murdered. Just stop and let that sink in for a minute. 

**As we sit here writing the blog on the 8.5 hour train ride to Prague, it stopped due to construction and we were told we had to get off and take a bus, which will take us to our next train stop. We just followed blindly and put total trust in the people around us. We can't help but make a connection to the Jews who were told they were being relocated to a better place. There were no other options for them - and there are no other options for us at this point either! We followed a mother with her young daughter because she spoke broken English and was willing to help us. But that's what the Jews did - they looked to their neighbors and family to see what everyone was doing. Wouldn't you follow and trust what your friends and family were doing?**

Walking Down the Main Road

As far as we could see there were fences with barbed wire, old barracks and remnants of barracks - in every direction. The pictures we took cannot capture the enormity of this death camp. This camp was built entirely by prisoners, so the amount of labor that must have taken is extraordinary.

Cattle Car

We followed the road down past all the barracks, and came upon a cattle car still left on the tracks. This was an original car used to transport approximately 70-100 people. Staring at the car we saw there were no windows and we thought about the amount of people shoved in, standing room only, babies and children crying, if you have to use the bathroom you just had to go where you were...for us, we could almost feel the claustrophobia and it was enough to make our breath hitch. 

Gas Chambers
Continuing down the road, we reached the far side of the camp where the gas chambers were held, and the railroad tracks ended here. We saw the ruins of 2 out of 4 gas chambers located in Birkenau. 

As if the Nazi's knew they were doing terrible things, they blew up the gas chambers when it was finally discovered what was actually happening to people at these camps. Up until that point, everything they did was covered up and lies were told to make it seem like everything was fine. Prisoners were lead to these locations under the guise of taking a shower. We had tears in our eyes when our guide explained that the entrance to the gas chambers was beautifully landscaped to make it seem more inviting. The Nazi's even went so far as installing fake shower heads and giving numbers to each person. These numbers were assigned to a hook so they could hang their clothes - and get them back after the "shower". These lies Nazi's told were some of the reasons they were so successful in the mass murder. 


Ash Pond
Walking around the site, we discovered something shocking we didn't know about. There was a pond next to the chambers where they would just dump the ashes of the cremated bodies. Next to the pond, there was a plaque that read, "To the memory of the men, women, and children who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. Here lie their ashes. May their souls Rest In Peace." 

Knowing all we know about the Holocaust already, it was surprising to us that the things the Nazi's did could still shock us. We felt so heartbroken at the total lack of respect for the dead. 

Barracks
Think about what you know and have read about the sleeping quarters of the prisoners. This is nothing compared to seeing them in person, touching them, all in their original state.  The hair on our necks and arms stood on end as we fought back the tears. Dirt floors, wooden planks stacked 3 high, and at least 7 people crowding into one bunk. We got chills again just writing this! It was very hot and stuffy for us, and we were three healthy woman. We stayed inside the barracks and waited for people to leave so we could have our moment. After the crowded museum tour, we wanted our own time to process the feelings we were having. We wanted to connect and feel, and it was hard to do that among a large tour group. In fact, after the tour ended, we chose to stay and went back into the camp. This is when we saw the bathrooms. At the risk of being repetitive, we must reiterate how shocked we were that human life could be treated so poorly. 

Washrooms and Toilets
How many of you would feel comfortable going to the bathroom here?

Now, how many of you would feel comfortable sharing a hole with another person? Don't forget - you're on a schedule so if you don't go when it's your time, you are out of luck. We felt angry, and like it was another disgusting display of how the Nazi's degraded prisoners. 

Memorial
One bright spot in the midst of sadness was a memorial situated between two of the gas chambers. It helped to be able to pay tribute and apologize. It's such a small thing, and it doesn't make up for the atrocities done to the Jews. But this memorial was more of a warning to humanity to never let this happen again. 

Kanada 
This section was not actually part of the tour, or in the camp. It was in the vicinity of the camp and we were able to go there because our driver, Artur, was attentive to our conversations in the car, knew what we were there for, and offered to take us. He explained that this section was thought to have been part of Kanada, but it couldn't be confirmed or denied. So here we are, blindly following a stranger because he was being nice to us and was well educated in the Holocaust. We put our trust in someone we didn't know...don't think it didn't go through our minds that we shouldn't be going off the beaten path! Thankfully it all worked out and we got to have an experience that we weren't expected. 

You may be wondering, "What is Kanada?"  This was the place where all the prisoners belongings were taken and sorted. It was basically a warehouse. Nazi's kept the valuables, gave things away to German families, and also used it to help pay for war efforts. Prisoners worked at this location and very rarely made it out alive. Think about it - if they were able to leave, they could tell people what was actually going on. Prisoners were told they would get their belongings back. Little did they know they would be murdered, and their precious belongings would be used to benefit their enemy. On the other hand, there was an advantage to working there. If they were brave enough they could steal items and use it to trade for more food or clothes. One story we share with our students is about a woman named Kitty. She worked at Kanada, so seeing the possible actual site really brought her story alive for us. As you can see, it's in complete ruins. No preservation efforts were made. 

In addition to seeing Kanada, right next to the site was where the train tracks split. To the left was Birkenau, and to the right was Auschwitz I.

If you look closely, you can see that the track ends. We were told that the townspeople who finally got their properties back ripped up the track. You can also see another original cattle car that was used to transport prisoners. 

Throughout this tour, there was often a sense of guilt when our guide would say, "Let's stop in the shade, it's much too hot", or "Sit in the grass to rest while we wait for the rest of the group". The prisoners here could not escape the elements and there was not a single blade of grass in all of Birkenau, and if there was, the prisoners would eat it out of hunger. We visited for a few hours, and then got in an air conditioned car and drove away. But over a million innocent people never got the chance to leave. Seeing this place of nightmares, a place that we have only read about or seen in pictures and videos, affected us in ways that are difficult to explain.

Auschwitz I

Thursday we went to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It's hard to begin this post because it's hard to put our experiences into words. Our first impression was surprising. Auschwitz I was more of a museum and it was full of tourists. We were part of a large group that moved fairly quickly, so when we broke off and had moments to ourselves, it became more real. We were able to process the information we were given and envision the space as it once was. When we began our journey we did not have any expectations, but one thing we wanted to bring back and share were our feelings and connections. Being able to break away from our group was one of the best things we did.

AUSCHWITZ MUSEUM
We began our tour walking through the famous gates that say "Arbeit Macht Frei", which means "work sets you free" (see picture below). This was just more lies fed to the prisoners to keep them under control. So many things were set up in the camps to keep the illusion that all will be okay.

As we explored the camp we learned that each building, called a Block, had a number and a purpose. The blocks that were open to the public were set up like a museum containing artifacts and photographs that we could read about to learn more.

Block 11
One Block that was particularly moving was Block 11. It contained several underground cells that were used to punish prisoners who committed an "offense". As we walked down the stairs to the dungeon a feeling of dread came over us. There were no windows or light coming through. We don't recall how many of these cells were down there - at least 7 or 8 that we saw. Cell 18 was used starve prisoners to death. Cell 20 was called the suffocation cell. There were also four standing cells in which 4 men were forced to stand in a cell 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 foot area all night long, after working an 11 hour day. This is insane to us! We were walking all day, feeling tired and sore, and these people endured so much torture day after day for months. We had no right to complain about our tired feet or the heat. There is no way to comprehend how they were able to survive and find hope. We were heartbroken as we walked through looking into each cell. When you leave Block 11, there was a courtyard set up with a shooting wall.

As horrific as this is, the windows along the courtyard were boarded up so other prisoners could not see what was going on. This was another way the Nazi's maintained control and instilled fear.

Blocks 19, 20, and 21 were set up as the hospital. We left wondering why they would even bother having a hospital in such a place. Then a feeling of shock overtook us as we walked by a gate with another open courtyard. Dead bodies were once left there to wait for transport to the crematorium, while new patients were waiting to be seen.

Gas Chamber
Before entering, we hesitated to prepare ourselves for the emotions we knew would come.

We took a deep breath and stepped through. It was quiet. No one spoke. People had tears in their eyes. It was so surreal and it's difficult to put into words how we were feeling. But this was not a crowded area, no one lingered. We had a feeling of urgency to leave - we felt like we wanted to get out quickly.

Arrival

After many hours traveling, we have arrived at Krakow, Poland! We have been awake now for more than 30 hours, but there's so much to see and do already. Krakow is beautiful and our hotel is very "old world". Things are very different here from the street signs, to the architecture, to the food. We love culture and differences so being here is a dream! Our hotel is right in the heart of the town square - anything we need is a quick walk. During one of our walks, we stumbled upon an art museum displaying drawings from prisoners at Auschwitz. We really wanted to find things we didn't know about, and this art gallery was the first in what we hope will be many other discoveries. It's 6:30 pm in Poland right now (12:30 pm in Connecticut), and we just finished our first authentic Polish meal. This will end our day today, as it will be an early night so we can begin to adjust to the time difference and be ready to go for the rest of our trip. Pictures to come!