Thursays to Tiyul to Latrun, Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, AND Tel Aviv!

Thursday's tiyul was a fun and packed day full of all different kinds of activities. We started the day off at Latrun, a base used by Arabs and Jews during the War of Independence. As we sat and drank tea and coffee flawlessly made by Marina and Sarah, we learned of how the IDF issued five attacks on Latrun in attempts to take it for our own land, but we lost every time. This was during the first stage of the war, when the Arabs had the upper hand and had control of all of the mountains around Jerusalem, as well as the major battle front: the road to Jerusalem. As we sat and took notes, we learned about Operation Yehushua Bennun, the operation dedicated to taking over Latrun. We discussed the brutaliy of these lost attempts to gain power over the base, and how the Jordanian Legion beat us there, making it so when the Jews arrived, we found ourselves under heavy fire. We also learned about Hadassah Lampel, a Jew smuggled to Israel from Siberia, who unfortunately died in the second Latrun attack. Along with Hadassah Lampel, we discussed David (or Micky) Marcus, an American who fought as a commander in the IDF on the Jerusalem front. He paved the goat path from Jerusalem down to Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, Micky Marcus was killed in an accident in which one of our own shot him, not realizing who it was. He's considered a huge hero for all that he did for Israel. From where we were taking notes, we had a nice view of the road to Jerusalem. As we watched a motorcycle drive by and disappear, we imagined what it was like 1947, with convoys driving down that road instead of motorcycles. We then walked around and got to see the monument that looks like a silver platter, symbolizing that Israel was not handed to us on a silver platter. As well as the monument, we all had a ton of fun playing on all of the tanks and taking tons of cool pictures (Which I wish I could put up, but my phone broke!)

At Machon Ayalon, we were all surprised at the big secret that the Kibbutz held during the war. The underground bullet producing factory was cool to explore and see as we learned about all they did for the country. Through the workers' tremendous war effort, they were able to provide ammo for the soldiers fighting to make sure that they didn't run out. I think that it's amazing that if it wasn't for them, Israel may not have won the war. Ordinary young people were keeping such a large secret and doing an immensely brave thing for the sake of the war. They were risking their own lives by keeping the secret from the world, and literally the people walking right above them. They were also working with explosive material while making the bullets, and were even able to test out the guns while making ammunition without anyone finding out. There was so much going on underneath everyone's noses, and through great effort, their hard work paid off and their ammunition was well used by the members of the IDF to help win the war that would ensure our country's independence.

The establishment of the state was a huge step for the people of Israel. When we arrived in Tel Aviv, we went to Independence Hall to learn all about how Ben Gurion gathered so many important poeple to hurredly announce the establishment of the state before shabbat starting. The day the British left Israel, he secretly sent out invitations to this event, although word got out and soon Rothschild street was packed with people waiting to hear the news about their home. This was so rushed that the invites didn't even say the word Israel on them yet because they hadn't agreed on a name for the state yet. By the beginning of shabbat on May 14th, 1948, Israel was declared an independent state by Ben Gurion, and war soon followed. All of the chalutzim and the Yeshivot could finally proudly call themselves successful and a part of the state of Israel.

I think we all had a ton of fun doing the Start Up Hunt! I know that I learned a ton of new things about start ups in Tel Aviv and how they work. Splitting up in to groups and competing against each other was so fun because it was good motivation and teamwork, but at the same time exploring the city and learning so much! I know a lot of us got some good food and all contributed to the groups effort into the competition. I learned how many Russians there really are in Tel Aviv when the first person my group was Russian. Erin also learned how to make a frozen yogurt, and we all thanked the nice man behind the bar for giving us free popsicles. We learned of some cool spots like a hidden modern library in a building, and that ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! (shoutout to whoever got that because it took us a while) I think we all realized how hard it was to hit  a ball back and forth on paddles ten consecutive times as well. Thursday's tiyul was full of surprises, realizations, and tons of new knowledge. What are your guys' opinions on the bullet factory? Would you have participated? Also, would you have the chutzpah to create a Start Up in Tel Aviv, and if so what would your start up do? What did you guys interpret the silver platter monument to show? **PS Mazel Tov to Purple Team for winning the race!!**

Love, Sarah

Forces of Resistance and the White Papers

On Wednesday, EIE went to prison. No, we didn't break the law (at least not all of us ;) ). On this tiyul, we learned about the various resistance agencies that came in retaliation of the British Mandate.

The Museum of the Underground Prisoners was the central prison during the British Mandate. Here, various people were held in the cells here. Whoever the British deemed a "criminal" was sentenced here with various punishments. Arabs and Jews alike were imprisoned. Many of the Jews that were imprisoned were members of resistance forces like Haganah, Etzel, or Lechi, or Jews that disobeyed the White Papers. The White Papers were a set of restrictions against Aliyah to Palestine and against settlements in certain places (like east of the Jordan River). Those living in Palestine under the British Mandate were caught in a continuous cycle: Aliyah --> riots --> commissions --> White Papers. This cycle happened multiple times, and didn't end essentially until the British left in May 1948. As you can imagine, the Jews were unhappy with this.

In order to stand up for themselves, Jews started underground resistance forces. The first force (and the inspiration for the current IDF) was HaHaganah. Haganah means defense. HaHaganah was the mainstream defense force that began in the beginning. The people in HaHaganah made many efforts to try and resist the Brits. Two main acts that they helped out with were Aliyah Bet and Midnight Settlements. Aliyah Bet was secret Aliyah. Jews would be brought in by boat, and members of Palestine already would sneak onto the boats (before the Brits could check) and switch clothes with the new arrivals. They would also teach the new arrivals how to say "I am a Jew from the land of Israel" in Hebrew, so that the British didn't realize they were new. Midnight Settlements were another act of resistance. Midnight Settlements were when Jews would build a tower and a wall overnight in all the areas that they wanted land. The British could not destroy settlements that had a tower and at least one wall. 

HaHaganah was focused primarily on defense, while other Jews believed we needed to also be on the offensive. This group of Jews broke of as Etzel. They were a more offensive version of HaHaganah. They were also known as The Orginization, as they were focused on being proactive. 

One other group of Jews believed that the two resistance forces before them weren't doing enough. They broke off to form Lechi, the most extreme of the three groups. During World War 2, the British fought against the Germans in Europe. Because of this, David Ben Gurion (the leader of HaHaganah at the time) stated that the Jews should not take violent measures against the British while they are fighting for us in Europe. We should continue Aliyah Bet and building Midnight Settlements, however. Lechi and some members of Etzel strongly disagreed with this, and decided to continue violent resistance.

I personally connect with HaHaganah the most, because I think that focusing on  defense was the smartest move for the Jews at the time. We were outnumbered by Arabs, and the British were also very prominent and in control at the time.

I think the museum portrayed the struggle of the Jewish people by showing the hardships that we had to go through. Any member of a resistance force that was caught was imprisoned in extremely uncomfortable situations. They were forced to work for the British, and had harsh punishment at times. The Jews resorted to digging a hole into the sewage system to sneak out in order to join the war that was raging and to feel useful.

Questions!!!!

1.) Which of the three resistance forces did you relate to most? Why?

2.) Did you agree with David Ben Gurion's statement regarding the method of resistance during World War 2? Why or why not?

Poems from Poland

Hey guys, in case any of you guys wanted to read any of the poems I wrote throughout the trip (although I shared most of them during class meetings), here they are :)

Day 1: Warsaw
(The memorial walk. we learned about Crovczek who refused to leave his children, even though he could have survived)

my children, let us dance
let us dance and sing
and laugh like there is no tomorrow

like no one is watching
like no one can hear us
like the whole world will laugh along with us

for tomorrow we must learn the new steps
of a dance we've never been taught

and tomorrow we must hum a new tune
one we've never heard

and even tomorrow our laughter must not cease
though we will set out on a journey unknown

so today, my children, let us dance
let us dance and sing
and laugh like there is no tomorrow

Day 2: Tykocin
(driving along the path that those who were driven out traveled on)

kol od baleva penimam
what is going on? where are they taking us?
nefesh yehudi homiah
I am forced into an overcrowded car. I see my neighbour sprinting behind the car that drives down a never-ending road, her two children held tightly in her arms
ufatei mizrach kadimah
I'm scared. I'm sure we've only been driving a few minutes but time seems to move on a different scale.
akin letsion tsofiyah
I hear a loud bang. the kids in my car cower in corners. their parents unsuccessfully try not to look afraid. my neighbour is no longer running behind the car. In fact, she is not moving. Her children do not stir either. Mom tells me to look away.
od lo avida tikvateinu
We are instructed to leave the car. we begin to talk down a winding path through the forest, cold and afraid.
hatikva bat shnot al payim
we are forced to sing. they laugh at us. "you jews have no hope," they mock.
leyihot am chofshi beartseinu
We arrive in front of 3 large pits. Several of our friends and family are already naked and lined up along the edge. Every few seconds, a large bang, and another body disappears into the pits. "Run," dad tells me.
beeretz tzion v'yerushalayim

Day 5: Auschwitz
(I actually wrote this one before we left but ill include it here)

I swear I saw a butterfly
I must be mistaken
because something so pure
does not belong
near a history so black

maybe it is a sign
a soul
a soul we were sure we had lost
but maybe the jubilant path, the musical flutter means
"here we still are,
here I still am
our prayers still resonate
we will continue to soar!"

it is ironic
such beauty and such darkness
juxtaposed to create such horror

but in the shadows
somewhere between the gas chambers and "Arbeit Macht Frei,"
I swore I saw a butterfly

(this one was at Birkenau)

Let us remember
Let us remember the man who lost his faith;
The boy who told himself one day he would reunite with his family
as his family went up in smoke;
The woman whose baby was torn from her arms;
Those who lost all desire to live,
or any hope of living,
or any memory or what it means to be alive.

But let us also recognise
Let us recognise the birds' nests in the trees,
Symbols of the continuation of life;
the woman that survived;
The man that gave his life to save another;
let us recognise that even at Auschwitz, seasons change;
even at Auschwitz, the sun rises
and sets;
and people will come back for generations
to remember
and to recognise;
so let us remember the horror
and never forget
that we lost 6 million battles
but won the war.

Poland Day 1: Warsaw

On our first day in Poland, we experienced the hope that Jews had both before and during the War. In the Warsaw cemetery, we had the opportunity to learn about many different types of Jews, many of whom worked towards their utopian dreams. Ludwig Zamehof created his language "Esperanta," in hopes of uniting peoples through common language. Bundists like Marek Edelman strove to create a socialist society in Poland. Still others were Zionists, wishing for a Jewish state or cultural center in Israel. Some people, like Esther Kamenska and Y. L. Peretz added to Yiddish culture through plays and stories.

While thousands of people were given proper, if not lavish, burials within the Warsaw cemetery, we also saw a huge kever achim from the time of the Warsaw Ghetto. Many people died from starvation, as hunger was rampant during the years of the ghetto. Their families did not have the money or resources to bury them as they would have in pre-war times.

After seeing the cemetery and celebrating the lives of the pre-war Jews, we were able to drive to see the last standing piece of the ghetto wall. To see the tall, imposing, chunk of bricks was powerful for many in our class. Seeing the wall, a symbol of all the restrictions put upon Jews during these years, now surrounded by people living everyday lives, evoked many emotions and questions.



After our visit to the remains of the ghetto wall, we began our ghetto memorial walk. We stopped at important parts of the ghetto and at monuments erected in honor of ghetto figures. One of our first stops was at the infamous umschlagplatz, where Jews were gathered and stuffed onto trains for deportation. The story of Januscz Korchak, a man in charge of an orphanage who stayed with his children even when he had the opportunity to escape, was particularly powerful. Many Warsaw stories show a shocking amount of hope, even in the darkest of times. Korchak's story was no different. He was able to give the children under his care a true and happy childhood, even under such severe conditions. On the day he and his orphanage had to report to the umschlagplatz, he led them singing. Another surprising story of resistance and maintaining the sanctity of life, or iberleben, was the Warsaw uprising. Leaders like Mordecai Anielwitz were able to lead the ghetto youth and resist the Germans and, for longer than was expected, succeed.

We ended our day at the monument in front of the Polin Museum. This monument reflected the duality of Jewish existence in Warsaw and today; on one side we saw the afflicted, and on the other side, we saw a strong group of people. During the war, the Jews of Warsaw were definitely oppressed, but they were able to maintain strength and resist their death sentence. Today, Israel gives the Jewish people the opportunity to be strong, but anti-semitism is still a worldwide issue.

**Questions:
How do you feel the monument in front of the Polin Museum reflects the past and current situation of the Jews? Do you feel it is an accurate depiction at all?
Which half of the day held more significance for you personally?

Poland Pilgrimage: Auschwitz

We walked through a familiar gate.We had seen many pictures of what "the gates of Hell" looked like. This gate was the entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau. We walked down the haunting tracks to the place where people got picked- for life or death, unsure of what was worst. We went to the very back of the camp to the remains of gas chambers, that were gone and blown up in an attempted to destroy the evidence of what evil can do. We then went to a place called the Sauna, where if you were selected to life you would go. You would lose your clothes, "shower" in water that was boiling or freezing with out any cleanser, lose your name and get a number, and lose your hair. Most importantly they wanted to remove the identity of these people. We saw the place where a few items survived from the Canada, a place where the Nazis kept the personal belongings of the prisoners for a profit. What item seen left from the explosion shocked you the most?
We then had a chilling ceremony and got to leave what seemed like a quiet hell on earth. What isnt told about this spot is in reality how large it is, and how pretty the trees are in the fall, or what is really there.

After lunch we went to Auschwitz 1, and this place was different. Auschwitz 1 is not that big, along with everything was in buildings, and was set up much more like a museum than Birkenau. We walked the gates that say "work will set you free", which was a lie. Here prisoners would work in tight spaces and struggle for another day for survival.

Pots and pans from the prisoners 

Prosthetic legs, crutches, and more for the handicapped

 We got to see archives from the items taken from the prisoners including shoes,glasses, talit, combs, prosthetic legs and crutches, home utensils, hair ( and some of the hair was preserved still in the braids of the girls with a ribbon ), clothing,luggage, and so many more items.

A small fraction of the shoes

 We went into an building that had Jewish life in Poland before and after the war. One of the main items is a book of names of all the people who died from the Nazis. Was there any name that was important to you or stood out?
We finished our day at a surviving synagogue while singing and dancing in the place that thrived in the past.
What part of our day was most meaningful to you? What do you plan on doing after seeing Auschwitz, how do you plan to use the artifacts you saw?

Poland Day 4
      We began our day in Kazmierc named after the humble kasmier. it was here where jews had lived since the 12th century. There we went to see 4 synagogues. The first one we went to was named the "Alt" or just the old synagogue. We could not go into the mens section because of construction but it we could still admire the beauty of the section from a distance. During this time we also learned about the shamash (helper) of the synagogue. His duties included waking people up for services, alerting us if there is danger, and providing us with new news everyday. Another fun person we learned about was the chief rabbi. I had no clue that the rabbi had the power to excommunicate/ jail any jew under his jurisdiction. After the Alt we saw the synagogue built after the old synagogue and cleverly named the new synagogue. The name was later changed to the רמא named after the רמא. רמא was a very important man who created what is known as the shulhan aruch which was very similar to the maimonade's guide to the perplexed. though this would have more interpretations from the eyes of רמא. This later created competition between the two and people would argue between which one was correct. The shulhan aruch follows the pattern of judaism in history example being judaism expands and compresses over time. Are these compressions beneficial for Judaism or does this hurt our ability to further interpret jewish law because they are set in stone?
      After Kazmierc we went to the krakow ghetto. We began our journey in silence over the bridge and then to the chair memorial. There we learned about many righteous gentiles and their actions that helped the jews to survive. One man by the name of kaddosh tadeusz pankiewicz stuck out to me. He was pharmacist who had his shop on the outskirts of the ghetto. unlike some of the other ghettos the krakow one lived in a very german area. Pankiewicz would sell drugs to the jews for health and the germans allowed it because they did not want sickness to leak out from the ghetto walls. By selling drugs to the jews they could be healthy and continue their lives in any way they could. Do you think Pankiewicz sold drugs to the Jews out of the goodness of his heart or do you think he did it for self gain. We later took a small walk to Shindler's factory. Dsaul then gave us a brief history lesson about the jews of Denmark and how so many of them were saved by the Danish government. I left with more respect for Denmark and overall I thought it was a great way to end the day.     

מסע לפולין :Shabbat

We began our 6th day in Poland at the Lodz Ghetto. As we toured the city of Lodz, we were thrown back into the past, as we saw the outline of the former ghetto, so carefully traced by Polish children. Scott allowed us a glimpse into what life in the ghetto was really like, as told by his grandfather. We learned about the leadership dilemmas of Chaim Rumkowski, who was forced to make difficult decisions in the face of impending doom.

Police station that was used for torture.

Rumkowski's is but one of many stories. His struggle? "Cutting off limbs to save the body". It was Rumkowski's difficult task to somehow fulfill the Nazi demand for Jewish bodies while trying to save as many  people as he could. In order to keep his factories running, which he believed were the only things standing in between the Jews of Lodz and extermination, he offered the Nazis only the sick, elderly, and very young children. In the end, Rumkowski's actions managed to save about a third of the Jews in Lodz, but he himself met his end at the hands of the Nazis. Whether or not he was regarded as a hero, or even remotely successful, was and is a major topic of controversy. Did Rumkowski really try to achieve survival, or did he simply delay the inevitable and assist the German war machine? With that dilemma in mind, we left the ghetto to prepare for Shabbat at Beit Warszawa.


Shabbat in Poland. Shabbat, which is supposed to be a time of celebration and joy, placed right at the end of our very emotionally trying week. In spite of the tragedy we had learned about the past week, I think we managed to make Shabbat a beautiful and joyous experience, made all the better by the fact that we got to enjoy it with the members of Beit Warszawa, who are learning how to be Jewish, and who are bringing a Jewish presence back to Warsaw. Our time singing and dancing after Kabbalat Shabbat services should go to show how happiness and life can rise out of the ashes of the Shoah, in spite of the Shoah. Did you draw meaning from our time at Beit Warszawa? Did you feel that it was a good experience to add to our Masa?

After T'fillah on Saturday morning, we went to the Polin Museum to learn primarily about Jewish life in Poland before the Shoah. We were left on our own to explore the museum and learn for ourselves the stories of how a Jewish presence grew in Poland. We saw the rise of Jewish merchants in Polanya, which translates to "here lies God". And it seemed that God was with the Jewish people as their economic status grew and they led lives of comfort in Paradisus. We also learned about the eventual decline of a Jewish presence in Poland following a rapid development of Jewish and Hebrew culture. The events of the Shoah seem more bitter in light of the developing movements towards modernity in the Jewish world at this time, as well as the flourishing Hebrew and Yiddish culture in the form of theatre and newspapers.

We concluded our Masa with Havdallah at the Rappaport Statue and final discussions at Chabad. We reviewed (or attempted to review) notable examples of traditions before the Holocaust, and people whose behaviors we would like to emulate. Our responses during that discussion were a bit all across the board, so I would like to leave you with one last question: What is the importance of going to Poland as Jews, and does joint focus on life prior to the Shoah and focus on the events of the Shoah make either less important or noteworthy?

Poland - Tykocin

On the second day we were in Poland, we went to the Tykocin Shtettel where we learned about the traditions of the people that lived there as well as their proud heritage before they were taken by the Nazis.  As we walked around the Shtettel we learned stories about the importance of prayer and Torah study to the Jews that lived there.  One story we learned about was how an old man always read through the entire Sidur when he prayed.  The Besht came through the Shtettel and taught the old man what to do when he prayed but the Besht then realized that the old man wasn’t doing anything wrong and learned that there were multiple ways to connect with God.  There were other stories that we heard where simple Jews were reciting parts of the Mishnah that they learned in the Beit Kenesset while they worked to become more knowledgeable Jews.  This showed the devotion that everyone in the Shtettel had to Judaism as well as the tradition of trying to be more knowledgeable Jews.

After exploring the Shtettel while learning about the Jewish stories, traditions, and proud heritage, we had lunch and then went into the synagogue that was built in 1642 which had parts of prayers and Hebrew writings on the walls.  Then, we brought life and t’filah back into the old synagogue that was full of singing, excitement, and dancing.  Right after our t’filah, we were told to silently get on the bus where we were dropped off near the woods.  As we walked quietly into the woods, following in the sad footsteps of the Jews of Tykocin, we felt the emotions of the Jews that were full of life and then confused and scared in an instant.  We then got to a clearing where we saw three pits with roses, candles, and Israeli flags.  We were at the spot where the Jews were forced to march into the forest by the Nazis and were shot into the three pits.  After, we had a ceremony in memory of the Tykocin Jews and walked out of the woods which was the thing that the Tykocin Jews weren’t able to do.

Even though the fate of the Tykocin Jews is very sad, they were also very proud of their heritage and traditions.  What traditions are important to you?  What would you want future generations to remember you for?

מסע לפולין Day 3: Lublin (לובלין)

  מסע לפולין Day 3: Lublin (לובלין)

We began the third day of our Poland Pilgrimage (מסע) in the old town of Lublin. We walked through the beautiful city looking for signs of Jewish life, Christian life, and anything we found weird or interesting. Seeing as the old town of Lublin was full of Jewish life before the Shoah, I expected to see a lot more remnants than actually existed. It is no secret that the area is now extremely Christian (excluding the obvious LARGE church that can be seen throughout the whole place). The city itself is beautiful and full of color, even in the cold rain. The castle overlooking the space is also beautifully built and doesn’t feel too overbearing to see. 

After walking around the city and enjoying ourselves in learning, we headed to a nearby hotel that was once a large Yeshiva. Yeshivat Chachamei Lublin was once a grand Yeshiva that introduced many new ideas, one of which still exists today. This Yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Me’ir Shapiro (מאיר שפירה). When the school was inaugurated, Shapiro invited many non-Jews to come and see this great place that he had built and to invite them to see what the Jews could be capable of, and what they could bring to the society. Unlike many Yeshivas at the time, Yeshivat Chachamei Lublin was focused on Jewish studies AND interpersonal relations. This was quite new, and made the students of this Yeshiva to be great scholars in various subjects. The Yeshiva was elite, as well. Students were required to memorize 200 pages of Talmud (front and back) in order to be accepted. To go along with this elite mindset, Shapiro introduced the idea of a Daf Yomi (דף יומי). The Daf Yomi is a when one page of Talmud is studied each day. The idea of studying one page of Talmud daily (front and back) is to bring the Messiah and to bring the Jewish people together all over the world. Everyone that takes part in this practice starts on the same page and reads one page in order every single day. The entire cycle takes about seven and a half years, and is then repeated. This keeps all of the Jewish people united and encourages Jewish learning in everyone. 

 

We ended our day in Lublin at the Nazi death camp Maidanek. I’m not really sure how to put into words what I saw here. My mind and body were quite numb (admittedly my body was more numb from cold and my mind from the site). Maidanek was different from other Nazi death camps during the Holocaust. It was originally used as a POW concentration camp for non-Jews of different ethnicities. Once the war got worse, Jews started being taken there to work. After some time of it being a concentration camp, Maidanek was transformed into a death camp. In order to give us some hint of an understanding of what Jews went through when arriving at Maidanek, Ariella made our first stop inside the camp the gas chambers. We then moved on to walking through the various buildings along the main road. Those buildings were mainly used to house the belongings of those who passed through Maidanek. For example, one of the buildings housed over 10,000 individual shoes that belonged to the victims that came through the camp. I think that the hardest thing for me to grasp was the fact that this was a reality. Those shoes belonged to real living people at one point. To me, the whole camp just looked like a museum, not the real actual camp. I felt like I was walking in a bubble of sorts, seeing but not really seeing everything. If I was an artist in any way, I could easily draw you a picture of every single thing I saw, but then I was walking without being able to focus or see. Throughout our tour, Ariella read us passages from a story a survivor of Maidanek had written. This to me didn’t make the experience any more real. It was hard for me to believe that this was a true story. We continued through the camp hearing stories and seeing a horrible face of destruction of our people. At the very end of the camp, before we saw the crematorium, we passed a statue. This statue was built by Jewish prisoners and was a column with eagles on the top. Each day, the Jews were forced to pass this statue and bow down to it. In order to help them continue, the builders took some ash of those who were killed and placed them in the bottom of the statue without the Germans knowing. This way, when they were forced to bow down to the German symbol, they knew they were bowing down toward their people, and gave them a hope and motivation to survive in honor of the people that perished. At the very back of the camp sits the camp crematorium. In this building thousands of people, Jews and non-Jews, were cremated. The building sickened me. It was the first time during our time in the camp that I felt anything other than numbness. I felt physically sick and nauseous. The worst part to me, the sickest thing I could have ever imagined, was the fact that there was a bath tub in a small room off of the room with the burners. In this room, Nazi officers would take a bath next too burning bodies just to get the hot water. It was just ridiculous to me. The ending of our day was the hardest for me. We finished at the memorial that the Russians built at the very end of Maidanek. This memorial consists of the ashes of thousands of people and a little bit of dirt. This pile…. really can’t be put into words, I don’t think. The enormity of it and the sickness that accompanies it is just too much. I hadn’t had any emotion throughout the camp until that memorial. Right before our (beautifully done, thank you everyone that participated) ceremony, the dam broke. I hadn’t made any connection that it really was real until that moment and that was it. It doesn’t help that if needed, Maidanek could be up and running as a fully functional death/concentration camp within 24 hours. All in all, I’m very grateful that I had this opportunity to see evidence of all that I’ve been learning for years. 

What was the most interesting part about the old town of Lublin to you?

Would you ever consider taking up Daf Yomi? Why or why not?

What did you feel during Maidanek? Are you glad you had the opportunity to see?

Gadna: A Taste of the IDF

This past week was highly anticipated by most of us on EIE. We had the eye-opening opportunity to get a very mall taste of what it is like to be serving in the IDF or צה"ל. The first thing that we did coming of the bus was line up. In no time, we had put our bags in our tents an received the uniforms that we would be wearing for the next couple of days. Personally, I was terrified mostly because I had no idea what our new mifakdot were saying. They quickly laid down he rules for the week and told how to stand at attention, or akshev. Throughout the week would stood like this very often while waiting or orders. The first lesson we had was about how to use a gun. We go to a building with classrooms inside in a method we would be using all week: running in ten and twenty second increments. After the time ran out we weren't allowed to move. Eventually we got to the classroom and the "Samelet", a higher commander than our mifakdot, talked to us about the responsibility of using and possessing a gun. After this we learned ore specifically about how to shoot the gun and what the different parts were called. We also learned the different commands that we would be using at the shooting range.
After our first exhausting day in Gadna, we had some free time to shower and relax before being in bed. After ten o'clock we could not talk or use our phones, only sleep.
After an early rise the next day, we continued learning more about what it was like to be in the IDF. We exercised and reviewed the gun commands. After lunch it was finally time to go to the gun range! Some of our group was nervous to shoot the guns, including me, but it turned out to not be very scary at all, and was a lot easier than I expected.
Over the next day our responsibilities as a group grew significantly. This was most relevant when two of the three groups had lunch kitchen duty. The lunch hour was busy and involved much running around for me, cleaning up each table before ore people came to eat lunch. Some of us worked in the kitchen and some served the food. After lunch, I don't think any of us were expecting to still be cleaning four or five hours later. After cleaning the floors, tables, and every single dish and utensil used during lunch, we finally finished. Luckily, we got a nice break after that.
Over the course of Gadna, we learned so much about Israel's national army, its units, its ranks, and the soldiers' responsibilities. As we were leaving it was really nice to talk to our mifakdot like people. It was nice to see my mifakedet smile without holding a clipboard in front of her face, which she had done whenever she had laughed during the week. I'm really glad that we had this awesome experience in Gadna.

טיול חלוצים Chalutzim

So, on Tuesday we travelled to Kfar Tavor and the Kinneret to learn about the Chalutzim coming to Eretz Yisrael. The Chalutzim were the pioneers who came to cultivate and work the land of Israel in order to later settle it as a nation.  There were two main waves of Aliyah which ranged from 1881-1903 and 1904-1914.

              The Aliyah Rishona was the first wave of Once to Israel (60,000), in itself there were two types of Chalutzim in this movement. The “Yeshuv Yeshan” and the “Yeshuv Chadash”. The old seat were the Jews who came to the four holy cities to study Torah, they had a rather poor lifestyle because they lived off of a fund send from other countries and didn’t work. They were the über religious Jews thoroughly devout in their studies there. Whereas the new seat weren’t necessarily religious nor did they focus on it. They wanted a new life in which they’d work and make a connection with the land (Labour Zionism). They worked as a community in Moshavs however unlike the second Aliyah, they worked for their own profit. A “Productive Jewish Society” was the start of a new revolution for these pioneers.            Despite how promising this idea was, there were still many challenges at hand for the Chalutzim. First of all the land that they bought was much less than appealing than promised, often times it was actually swampland which wasn’t 

farm-able in addition there was also disease present there. One major problem was their financial cr which made them reliant on Baron Rothschild despite their desired independence. He even sent clerks over and ran everything from afar to not lose any further money much to the protest of the Chalutzim. Other than that, the Jews had problems with the local (Arab) neighbors and the Turkish governmen

            The second Aliyah criticized the first because of two main things; lack of independence and outsourcing labour. That being said we can tell clear differences between the two. The second Aliyah was first of all more successful than the first but also this time there were a good number of determined, young, labour capable people (3,000 out of 33,000). There were three main causes for the second Aliyah which were the Kishinev pogroms, failed socialist revolution in Russian, and the Uganda proposal. Yosef Vitkin wrote an outcry to appeal to the young Jews to come and make Aliyah after the failed Socialist revolution. The second wave of Chalutzim wanted to rebuild and cultivate the land, they were also quite into having a socialist situation so they made small communities (or groups) with their friends called kibbutzim. They believed everything should be communal and that Hebrew should be the spoken language for the new nation.

            I thought that for the people to move to a completely different country and to risk so much was quite brave and I admire how they were able to do so. I think they could’ve done better in some aspects but given their situation I think they handled everything more than okay and pretty well actually. I think that what the Chalutzim did and envisioned was admirable and I give props to them for what they created however past that I don’t have much to say.

            The cemetery of Kinneret to me presents the memories and experiences from k’vutza Kinneret and that envelops both the hopes and despairs of the Chalutzim there. For instance the grave for Lotus was signifying a despair at the loss of the first child of the kibbutz. On the other hand it shows the inspiring and hope providing tales of some certain individuals like Rachel for example. I believe that the cemetery signifies both sides of this equally and that these, like two sides of a coin these memories make up and show the character of Kinneret.

            So, after a long day of learning and travel, what do you think you’d have done in the position of the Chalutzim? And which form of Zionist do you most agree with in terms of the Chalutzim? -Seth Crandus   

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Musem and Memorial

Yad Vashem

This morning EIE had the amazing opportunity to visit Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem, literally meaning "Hand and Name" is a Holocaust museum and monument honoring both the people who were killed in the Holocaust and the people who did their part to help save a Jew from the horrors of the Nazis. Their mission is to commemorate, research, and educate people about the Holocaust. We were introduced to our tour guide, Tamara, who gave each one of us a headset to listen to her throughout the day. Before going in to the main museum we started our tour next to a tree with a plaque reading "Irena Sendler". Tamara told us Irena's story. Irena was a non-Jew living in Warsaw during the time of the Warsaw ghetto. Being a nurse, she got clearance to go in and out of the ghetto. Each day she would bring the Jews supplies that they needed, and when the "liquidating" of the ghetto began, she smuggled out children to get them to a safer place. She kept a record of each child she saved and even when she was arrested and tortured, she never once gave up a name. Irena Sendler is referred to as a righteous gentile. There are over 25 thousand other people like Irena, who risked the lives of themselves and their families to save others.
After learning about Irena Sendler, we entered the main building. The first thing we saw was a huge triangular screen playing real footage of Jews in their everyday life before the Holocaust. This was to create the context to show all that we lost during the Holocaust. Tamara showed us that the entire main part of the museum was in the shape of a triangle. There are multiple possible reasons why the museum was built this way. The triangle could represent half of the Star of David, showing that we lost half of out Jewish population. The triangle is also seen as a strong building structure, representing the resilience and hope that we had after the war. Tamara also pointed out that the walls were significantly narrowed towards the middle of the museum and that the middle was lower than the rest of the museum, representing where the lowest point of the Holocaust was located in the museum.
We began walking through the museum and Tamara spoke to us starting at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed by a German Jew. She spoke about the crumbling economy and morale of Germany. She walked through the museum, explaining the rise of Adolf Hitler to power, and the beginning of anti-Semitism. We saw propaganda posters showing how evil the Jews were seen.
We then walked into a small set up of an average Jewish home in Germany before the Holocaust. It had a menorah and some religion- related literature, but apart from that, it wasn't very different than any other house you could have seen back then. After this, we learned about how other countries including America, coldly turned the other cheek to the terrible thing being done to the Jews and other undesirables in the eyes of the Nazis. We walked through an exhibit on the different ghettos including the Lodz ghetto where Tamara told us the story of her father-in-law's experience in the ghetto. As we walked on the images displayed in the exhibits got increasingly more disturbing This elevated the most when we were in the exhibit on the concentration work and death camps.
Personally, it was extremely difficult to hold in the tears while passing under the replica of he sign that was up over the entrance of Auschwitz camp. It read "Arbeit Macht Frei." This translates to "Work will set you free." As we passed more and more difficult images, it became extremely difficult for me and some of my classmates to look at the footage of the death camps. As we exited the last of the exhibits, we came to the large triangular window, sometimes referred to as "the light at the end o the tunnel".
After leaving the main building, we wet to the Children's Memorial. In the Memorial there were five candles surrounded by many mirrors. As we walked through we could hear a list of children's names being read. It looked as if there were an infinite number of candles in the dark room. In my opinion this was on of the most meaningful exhibits in the museum. After we left, Tamara spoke to us about carrying the legacy of everyone that was killed in the Holocaust was our duty. This trip was extremely meaningful and the Museum was an amazing monument for all that was lost in the Holocaust. This trip gave me an even stronger desire to learn more about the Holocaust, and the people who died and the ones who lived through it.
Questions:
What part of the trip was the most meaningful to you? Why?
If you are comfortable with it, please share any personal family stories about something we learned about today.
Our tour guide emphasized the importance of how the museum was built. Do you agree with the set-up method? To you, what did the way the museum was built and organized mean to you?
How did you feel about going through the museum with a tour guide? Do you think it would have been more or less meaningful to go through without one?
Lana Kolchinsky

Tel Aviv/Yaffo Tiyul

אתמול אנחנו הלכנו לתל אביב
(just kidding I'm only in כיתה ב׳. But my sad attempt at speaking Hebrew is relevant to this תיול!!)
Yesterday we drove to Tel Aviv and Yaffa to follow the path of the cultural zionists from the 20th century. Tel Aviv started out as an ancient port that served as a gateway to the holy land; it even served as such before the times of David). This port is where people would pass
through as they made Aliyah to Israel. We started off our day in יפו, the area in which many Jews would settle as they came through תל אביב. Unfortunately, this area still lacked hygiene and Jewish culture, so in 1906, a group of Jews doubt the lands until they come upon sand dunes and decide to establish an ער עברית (a Hebrew city) filled with a בית כנסת, בית ספר, museums, restaurants, music, and newspapers. Their goal is to create a culturally Jewish city.
Led by ארוד העם, the cultural Zionist movement  seemed to create a Jewish cultural center because they feared that in exile, the Jewish people left the עם aspect of the triangle.
Meanwhile, coming back to my attempt at a coherent Hebrew sentence, Eliezer Ben Yehuda, fearing that the Jews had lost identity and nationality, he travels to Jerusalem to further develop the Jewish language. In fact, not only did he want to develop the language, but he made a pact to live and only speak the language. Eventually he goes far enough to develop the first מילון, the first dictionary. For the words that did not exist in the Hebrew texts that already existed, the Torah for example, Ben Yehuda worked for a logical way to name the words. גלידה (I hope you all know what this means), for example, came from the Aramaic word for cold, and the word for water bottle came from the sound that water makes when you pour it out. Though people thought he was crazy, who knows whether Hebrew would still be around if not for him.
Though Eliezer and Arad did not work together, they both had the common goal of Jewish nationality by going back to the land and the language.
Sixty-six families began the cultural Zionist Aliyah to Israel. They had a raffle to decide which plots of land each family would recieve. As we saw in our simulation of this event, some were thrilled with their location while some were entirely less happy. Furthermore, there were ups and downs to each location.
The major institutions of this neighborhood originally consisting of two streets were the גימנסיה הרצליה (a non-religious high school that, while taught in Hebrew, did not teach Hebrew as a language) and the first kiosk that sold coffee and still does today!
Towards the middle of the day, we got to visit the Evans wife to learn about Soluto, the hi-tech startup company she works at. Though the company is clearly very modern, Ariella still managed to draw the stretched connection between this and Ben Yehuda only speaking Hebrew and his movement in the early 20th century. We got a tour and all left with the dream of one day getting to work at a place like this that allows dogs at works, prefers bean bags to desk chairs, and offers a variety of employee benefits. We also got excited about the somewhat ironic street crossing between Arad-Haam street and Hertzel street because of the conflict between the views of the two men; Arad-Haam a strong cultural Zionist and Hertzel being a strong political Zionist.
Throughout the day we had a series of simulations to demonstrate life in the עד עברית. We tried to go about 15 minutes with only talking in pure עברית (I definitely had trouble with this) and then interviewed random citizens about תל אביב today. Some of us found that even people today still consider Hebrew such an important language because of the language of their ancestors and because it is more than just a language, but a nation and a belief as well. It was thrilling to discover that to most, Hebrew is still so important and even more so meaningful. Those that decided to switch to עברית made such a sacrifice because it was considered an old dead language that the Jewish people led by Ben Yehuda managed to revive. For me personally, I loved being able to make the connection between Tel Aviv as it was founded and the people that inhabit it now. It was truly a culturally fulfilling and beautiful Tiyul.
At the end of the day, Ariella tried to show us a song about the little friendly competition between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Check the song by Sarah's cousin here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNwJFLkoX80

Some questions to make you חושב :
1.) Is Tel Aviv today the fulfillment of the Zionist dream? why or why not?
2.) Is Hebrew to you just a language? why or why not?