Reflections on Warsaw

Calling from the hotel in Warsaw on Monday night are the following students:

Sarah Schneider: “We had a nice day today. We had a long wait in the Newark airport at first so we were pretty tired but when we got to Warsaw it was pretty neat. We went first to a cemetery and learned about the people who were buried there and what they did for a living. We also saw a mass grave and some of us lit candles to memorialize those who died and were buried there.

“We also went to a church where there is a statue of Pope John Paul II and we learned about what he did during his years in Poland and helping Jews suffering through the Holocaust. We also saw the only remaining synagogue in Warsaw, the Nozyk Synagogue, and then we saw one of the only remaining buildings still standing of the Warsaw Ghetto.”

Yuliya Azirbayeva: “After the long tiring plane ride and waiting at the airport everything was really interesting in Poland. All the places we saw like the Cemetery and the wall of the ghetto were really interesting. I would not say it was fun but it was really deep and intense. At the end of the day we had dinner together and now we are having some fun in the hotel.”

Daniel Makutonin: “What really struck me was the cemetery we went to and the unmarked graves of 80,000 people and so many children. I am really looking forward to the rest of the week and the end of the trip because I LOVE ISRAEL!”

Joanna Kaisar: “Today was great! We visited the biggest Jewish cemetery in Eastern Europe. It was really interesting to see the tombstones and learn about the people by interpreting the symbols and reading about who they were. We saw the Wall of the Jewish Ghetto and we talked about how small the ghetto was and how many people had been contained in such a small area. It was really cool to see the only synagogue still remaining in Warsaw. Poland is actually beautiful and I really like it.”

For more information about the Nozyk Synagogue Visit: http://www.scrapbookpages.com/poland/WarsawGhetto/WarsawGhetto06.html

For more information about the Warsaw Ghetto, Visit: http://www1.yadvashem.org/exhibitions/warsaw_ghetto/home_warsaw.html

Have a Great Day!

Barb