The March of the Living
By Max Pescovitz & Matt Steinberg
The contrast between visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau yesterday and today was drastic.
Yesterday, the bus was silent on the way to Auschwitz. There was a certain sense of dread yet anticipation that enveloped the group. Normally people share great conversations and are cracking jokes or singing songs with each other, but that day everyone knew there was something coming that we couldn't get passed until we got there.
Today, the bus ride to Auschwitz was positive. The sense of dread from yesterday was better understood, and an acceptance of the past allowed for a spirit of unity and excitement, which was strange considering we were again headed to the "largest Jewish cemetery" in the world.
Everyone was excited to join up with all the other delegations from around the world, totaling upwards of 12,000 Jews, all marching together in unity and celebration of life between these centers of death. We met some old friends who had moved across the country, and some friends of friends back home, showing the close ties present in the Jewish Community. The stark contrast between the history of hopelessness and the current sense of hope and freedom was truly uplifting.
Standing on the dirt streets of Auschwitz, we waited for the march to start. When the shofar blew, all the thousands marched from under the sign at the front of Auschwitz across 3 kilometers to the entrance of Birkenau, which yesterday stood ominously tall, but today was overpowered by the sheer number of people flooding its gates. Seeing a sea of blue jackets flowing through the streets of Poland and down the railroad tracks of Birkenau was a once in a lifetime experience.
The ceremony was led by Topol, the star of the film "Fiddler on the Roof." But what was really special about the ceremony this year, at the end of the march, was that some liberators of holocaust survivors were up on the stage participating in the ceremony. We all said Kaddish for those who were lost during the Shoa and ended the ceremony by singing "Hatikvah." At the end of everything, Topol announced that the grandchild of Rabbi Lau (Chief Rabbi of Tel-Aviv-Yafo) had just been born, and at that moment the sun came out. It sounds corny, but it literally happened like that. It was incredible and unforgettable.
Looking forward to Shabbat tomorrow.
Max and Matt
May your emotions and new determination to end bigotry and hatred, and to keep the memory of those lost alive never fade.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following you in Eretz Israel.
Love to Peppi, she's terrific.
Shabbat Shalom, Katie Karmel