Today was my last day in Poland. We visited Krakow and
Casmierz. We saw sites such as the Jewish cemetery at Galicia, a synagogue, and
the Market Square of Krakow, and the Wawel Castle. Everything was so beautiful and truly
inspired a deeper sense of appreciation for both the Catholic and Jewish
cultures. I was quite pleased while visiting the Cathedral in Krakow: I was
blessed to have the opportunity to kiss the relic of Blessed John Paul II, which
contained his blood and also, I got to
visit Our Lord as He was exposed in Eucharistic Adoration. Praying before Our
Lord for even just a few minutes became emotional for me: I had so much to tell
Him yet very little time, so I decided to just say “I love you”. We had to move
on with the visit, however, I wish that I could have stayed longer and prayed
more.
Seeing all of the images of the
Polish royalty within the cathedral was also quite beautiful. I truly have
underestimated the richness of the Polish culture until this visit. The art and
the people are extraordinary and so full of history. I am glad that I was able
to finally connect with my heritage through ways that are more valuable than
simply having preconceived ideas:
through actually physically visiting places such as those visited today, and earlier in the week, such as the
Jagellonian University. Additionally: I was able to try authentic Pierogi on
Thursday night when I came to the CDIM, as well as eating the Polish cakes in Wadowice.
Prior to this trip, I never knew
that there was such a large Jewish community in Poland until all of the
lectures as well as through reading “The Holocaust Kingdom” by Alexander Donat.
I find it interesting now that as our guides and others have been telling us,
there are virtually no Jews left in Poland, a small amount if any. I want to
further question why Jewish individuals do not wish to stay in Poland and
figure out if it is simply that they want to forget the past or if it is due to
other factors. It makes a lot of sense: who would want to be in a land where
their ancestors were oppressed? However, I can also see the other side to this
situation as well: the fact that there is so much Jewish culture embedded into
the history of Poland would suggest that more of its inhabitants would be
likely to want to come back or stay in the country. These are complicated
questions whose answers deserve sensitivity and understanding in their
reception by others. This experience has
truly inspired a deeper sense of compassion within me; I want to continue to
treat fellow humans with respect even if I do not agree with them.
I feel
at peace while leaving the airport to go home tonight: I am ready to go home
and reflect on all of our experiences and discussions and now connect them to
real life. I know that I have a personal responsibility to do all that I can to
make the world a better place as a result of experiencing this trip. I want to
take the knowledge that I have learned about the Holocaust and do all that I am
able to do in order to attempt to prevent these types of events from ever
occurring again. Now, I just have to figure out my best route to take in order
to do this. Please pray that I am open to the following prayer in this and all
aspects of my life: “Lord, let me know thy will, and grant me the grace to
desire it”.
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