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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fascinating! Thank you for such great details!
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