3/8 Afternoon and Night

After the emotional morning at Majdanek the day did not get any easier. We were told that things had to go from bad to worse on this day so, I got back on the bus and tried to prepare myself for the next leg of the journey. The next stop was Ishpitza. This is not a camp. It was an open field in the 1940s and it still looks the same today. Ishpitza (spelling?) was a stopping point on the way from Warsaw to Treblinka. We were read a first hand account by Martin Gilbert of a scene that took place here. Gilbert was a reporter and he wanted to gather evidence to present to intelligence agencies in the US and UK. He disguised himself as a soldier and was escorted through this "camp" and this is what he had to report: The jews had not eaten for 7 days...it had been a 4 day commute from Warsaw and they had been in this field for 3 days. It was fall in Poland so there were intermittent showers and most of the Jews were not under an overhang. When the trains arrived the German general shouted over the mass for them to board. Then he fired 3 shots randomly into the crowd. The prisoners began to move toward the train and were simultaneously shot at from the front as well as from the back by Nazi soldiers. Chaos ensued. Because the crowd was forced on, the trains were packed with nearly 200 people when they were meant to hold less than 60. The last trying to get on climbed on the heads of passengers in order to avoid being shot by the Nazis. Then the doors were closed and locked. On the floor of the trains was a white powder..quicklime. This substance, when it comes into contact with moisture, burns flesh. So the trains pulled out of the station and after four days of driving they stopped in a new field, not Treblinka. Every single person on those trains died, they were burned alive. Those who did not get on the train were shot in the field.

Ok so like I said things are only going to continue getting worse...

Next stop Belzec. Death camp. What this means is that there was no work force, no cabins, no surviving. 600,000,000 Jews died at Belzer. 2 survived. 1 died in the last year of the war and 1 died after the first day of testifying, so little is known about the camp. What I was greeted with was a pile of stones and a pathway that resembles the vietnam memorial in that it starts off short,,ankle height and by the end of the path the wall is well over your head. The camp is only 800 by 400 meters so no one was ever there for long periods of time. Trains carried people from all over Poland to this camp. There is a story about a Jew who was in charge of cutting the hair of the prisoners before they went to the gas chambers. A train arrived from his home town. He recognized some of the women who were having their hair cut. Then he saw his wife. There was nothing the man could do and he could not talk to her without being killed. So he did what he could. He took longer than normal to cut her hair, tried to be affectionate by touching her neck while he worked and whispered in her ear "stay to the right in the chamber". The reporter who got the information from this man was surprised by this last fact. He asked: why would you say that? how would that help? The hair cutter broke down crying and did not want to speak, but after being pressured he replied: "I could not save her, I just wanted to give her hope."

End of sad portion of the day. Yes, it was a lot to deal with. It is disturbing and horrifying and I am still trying to figure out how this could happen or why but there seem to be no good answers for these questions. This trip has provided me with a lot to think about.

But the day was not all bad. Yes, the bad was terrible but there was some pleasantness:
We headed back on the bus and went off to the grve of a famous hasidic jew. At this grave prayers are supposed to be better heard and the anniversary of his death was yesterday so hasidic jews from all over the world flocked to the grave yesterday (estimated 10,000). So, we went today to avoid traffic. There were still a few stragglers so we werent able to sing and dance and celebrate in the room like we had intended to. So, we walked to a nearby temple and had a celebration there. We sang and danced and toasted "lehayim" because I have learned that is what is customary for more religious jews. It is actually a nice statement "lehayim". I thought it mean "to life" but "im" is plural. So, it is said "to lives, because my life without your life is no life at all". An interesting sentiment that I feel is relevant to this weeks adventure.

After this long day we headed to the next hotel. Tomorrow will be just as busy though there will be fewer upsetting stops along the way. The group has definitely bonded over the past few days and these emotional experiences have brought us even closer. I can't say that I am loving my time here but I appreciate the impact that it is having on my life and outlook. I will never complain about being cold if we go skiing and I am so thankful for my family and for the fact that I was born in 1990 and not 1930.