March
16, 2014
Hello,
my name is Kelly McGovern and I am a junior at Iona College studying Social
Work. The main purpose for this blog is for me to share my experiences and
feelings about my journey.
I
decided to come on this trip to learn more about the Shoah, more commonly known
as the Holocaust. I want to learn more by visiting different museums,
galleries, speaking with historians and survivors as well as being able to
visit the death camp Auschwitz. I also hope to gain knowledge about the culture
and traditions in Poland.
Today
was the first day we ventured out into the cities. We visited Wadowice, the town where Pope John Paul II grew up. It
was extremely interesting to see actual pictures and pieces of furniture that
were in the Popes house. I learned many things about Pope John Paul II that I
was not aware of such as his real name, Karol Wojtyła. Learning
that the Pope loved to ski, play sports, act in plays as well as write his own
plays was almost comforting.
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| Pope John Paul II with his bassinet |
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| Pope John Paul II skis |
After
visiting the exhibit on Pope John Paul II, we attended a Polish Catholic mass.
Although the whole mass was in Polish, I was still able to understand what was
going on to a certain point from the gestures of the priest and parishioners,
as well as the tone of the songs that were sung. Before the mass began, we were
given a sheet of paper, which had the English translation of the scriptures and
Psalms that were being read. The fact that I was able to understand what was
happening almost put me in awe. It truly shows how consistent the Catholic
religion is worldwide.
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| Church where I attended mass |
Oświęcim was the
second town we visited. First, went to a Jewish center, which housed the last
standing synagogue in Oświęcim. The
first room we went into was the synagogue. All of the furniture was replicated,
because when the Nazis overtook this particular synagogue, they burned
everything that was inside. There were two plaques on the wall, which indicated
advisors of the synagogue, as well as a memorial from a wife to a husband of
the synagogue. Having only been to a synagogue once, it was fascinating to
learn about everything in the synagogue and its meaning. My favorite was being
able to see where the Torah was kept and how it is read. The covering over the
Torah was beautiful.
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| Cabinet with the Torah's inside |
The
second room we went into in the museum contained different artifacts and
pictures of those who lived in Oświęcim. I love
to see the pictures of people doing daily activates. It helped me better
visualize how life was during that time. There was one box, which contained
artifacts that were in the Great Synagogue, which was torn down by the Nazis.
There was a beautiful menorah and a chandelier. The chandelier had an eagle at
the top, which I later learned, is a national symbol for Poland.
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| Artifacts from the Great Synagogue |
Seeing
these artifacts that were once apart of such an amazing structure that no
longer exists, and seeing pictures of those innocent people who lived in Oświęcim who were
persecuted for no real reason was upsetting. When our tour guide for this
museum was explaining the different pictures to us, she stated how for almost
every picture the fate of those who were photographed is unknown. After hearing
this, it made me mentally prepare myself for what the rest of the trip has in
store for me.
I am so
thankful and blessed to be able to be apart of such a life changing and
meaningful trip.
Dziękuje!
Kelly McGovern
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