Saturday, March 16, 2013

Ann Zelenka- My Last Day With The Iona Group


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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