The second day started early, it was always going to be interesting, busy and impactful, much like the previous day, but I was not prepared for it to be so inspiring and emotionally draining.
First came a tour of the Warsaw Jewish cemetery, which is thought to hold nearly a quarter of a million people, with some gravestones stacked seven deep. Overgrown foliage and tipped tombstones littered the ground in parts, but there is a calmness as these Jews had a name and a place to rest. We delved into the past by living stories of the people buried here. This included Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, the founder of Esperanto (the universal auxiliary language), the founders of yiddish theatre in Poland, including Shloyme Rappoport (known as S An-sky) the author of the renowned yiddish play the Dybbuk and numerous Rebbes as well as Rebbetzin Kurzer’s family.
On our long drive south to Krakow, we watched the 2002 Roman Polanski film ‘The Pianist’ – a harrowing film, set in the Warsaw ghetto, telling the story of composer, pianist and holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman. It was a worthy use of time during the lengthy drive.
We learned about the Holocaust by bullets, and visited the village of Wolbrum where an entire community was murdered.
We entered a calm, beautifully dappled forest of pine and birch trees and the path wound its way gently downwards before a sudden sharp turn to the left and a steeper incline led to the memorial of three mass graves. The ground of the three memorials was uneven underfoot, from the layers of decomposed corpses beneath. An entire community lay here, murdered by bullets, layers upon layers, families wiped out. Were all Poles complicit in their murder and the other 1.5 million Jews killed in Poland?
From the moment I took the sharp turn down through the wood to the mass graves, up until I returned to our coach, I had a massive physical reaction. Shivers running all over my body, prickles down my spine and an overwhelming uneasiness of unfilled spirits and lives.
Wildflowers sprung on the uneven ground.
Kaddish was recited, a candle lit.
Krakow beckoned. A stunningly beautiful city full of original architecture, so unlike the bombed out and rebuilt Warsaw. The Nazi regime chose not to bomb this city as they wanted to settle there later, or so they thought. We were led around Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter full of buzzing cafes to visit the Remah Synagogue, from the mid-16th century, where horses were kept during WW2, the Jewish cemetery where many renowned Jews have been buried including Isaac Landau, Natan Spira and Eliezer Aszkenazy. Minchah was davened, followed by a visit to the richly decorated and restored Tempel Synagogue which featured unique marble and stained glass windows, floral motifs in an oriental style along with colourful and golden columns and balustrades.
Finally we saw the Old Stara Synagogue, with an empty facade but underground section where we continued delving into the life of Hannah and heard a heart breaking story of the Ulma family, murdered for hiding Jews.
Our intrepid leaders allowed us one opportunity to enjoy a break (only once in the three days!), with late afternoon drinks in the beautiful Szeroka square.
Next onto the Krakow JCC, run by the charismatic Jonathan Ornstein who along with volunteers, welcomed us for a delicious dinner into his non-profit organisation. Their primary focus is in rebuilding Jewish life in Krakow, through numerous cultural events from weekly Friday night dinners, to weddings, genealogical research and fund raising, all supported by King Charles III.
The volunteers who hosted us were passionate individuals who were both knowledgeable and open to learning and rekindling Polish Jewry.
A late night gathering of stalwarts decompressed the day over a chosen tipple of vodka and/or beer just next to the umschlagplatz of the Krakow ghetto.
An uncompromising, hard hitting, varied day which will be re-lived in my memory and the memories of the group.
