Today’s trip to the Museum at Harmeze was extremely
thought-provoking and emotional. When I stepped inside and looked at the
exhibits in all of their details, my stomach dropped. Seeing the drawings of
individuals was quite disturbing as they were depicted as being so thin and
frail, with strong emphasis on their bones and their malnourished bodies.
Seeing St. Maximilian Kolbe depicted as a prisoner in his frailty also really
touched me. Some of the other artwork was extremely provocative to the point
where I began to feel really sick while being around it. But, I definitely
enjoyed the exhibit and it reminded me of the fragile nature of human beings.
It deepened my sense of compassion as well for others in general through seeing
images of Christ also depicted as a prisoner.
I liked
Professor Donnarumma’s lecture about Auschwitz and the Theater. I never knew
how involved the Jews were in theater productions within the camps until this
discussion. However, I thought it was extremely cruel that theater was used as
a means for Nazi propaganda: when the individuals were being filmed in order to
make the concentration camps look more appealing or “fun” , it really bothered
me. This is one of the many elements of cruelty that I especially cannot
understand regarding the Nazis. It really makes my skin crawl how people were
treated during this time. It is something that I truly cannot wrap my mind
around. I cannot imagine in any way how human beings could be so driven to
murder and torture mass amounts of people.
Additionally,
I enjoyed the class lecture and discussion today regarding the topic of
religious dialogue between Christians and Jews presented by Dr. Elena
Precario-Foley. This session definitely inspired some thoughts regarding how to
best stay in line with my own theological beliefs regarding Catholicism vs.
Judaism. I honestly want to learn more about how to clearly develop my dialogue
with others in ways which is respectful of Judaism, but also one that does not
force me to refute my beliefs as Catholic.
It is
my last night at the CDIM. I am glad to be going home. I miss everyone back
home and I miss life in America. I feel that this experience has been quite
unique and has taught me a great deal of information regarding my Polish
heritage. I am highly interested in deepening my culture and learning more
about others as well. I hope to return to Poland one day and possibly be
helpful in bringing Polish students to America for exchange. I have definitely
experienced various feelings during this trip: both positive and negative.
Positive in the respect that I have grown as a person and additionally, have
learned a great deal about the Polish culture, the Jewish culture, and also
about their relationships with one another in both their faith but in their
relationships with one another through their personal lives as well. A primary
example of this would be the relationship that Pope John Paul II and Isaac
Kluger maintained as Catholic and Jew: they had complete respect for one
another even though they were of different faiths. I was definitely inspired by
this story and hope to show the same respect for other people even if I fundamentally
disagree with their religious beliefs.
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