Different Perspectives (By: Shadeyka Warren)

As I prepared to travel to Poland, I knew that it would be an intense trip. However, I didn't know how intense it would be for me. My experience was much more than an educational lesson about the Holocaust. It was a very personal, spiritual, and emotional journey which challenged me to search deep within myself for answers to questions that had been pondering my mind for a while. I believe that it was God's strategic plan for me to be in Poland, at that specific time, and with that particular group of amazing individuals. I feel that my experience was less about the Holocaust, and more about my own personal growth and development. At the beginning of the trip, Father Manfred said to the group, "Your experience here will be connected to and affected by your background," and by the end of the trip, I was beginning to understand what he meant by this. As I went on tours, participated in activities, made new friends, and enhanced my knowledge, I could not help but to think about how each and every one of these experiences was personally affecting me. I realized myself becoming more open-minded, considering different perspectives, and doing a lot of religious reflection. Most importantly, I left Poland feeling more confident in my faith and my relationship with God.

As a secondary witness to the Shoah, I now feel a greater sense of respect for victims of tragedy. To know that people could go through such horrific experiences and still remain true to their faith, religious beliefs, and confidence in God's grace amazed me. Poland is an extremely religious country, and witnessing how religion is such an important part of everyday life surprised me. Although there are also many faithful Christians in America, including myself, it is very rarely that I see the degree of religious unity in America that I witnessed in Poland. I remember watching a video in class before the trip, in which a survivor recalled that during Passover, she and other prisoners hid in the washroom to sing and pray before beginning their work shifts for the day. While I found this very moving during class, it was not until my trip to Poland that her experience became "real" to me. Despite the fact that the prisoners knew they would be immediately murdered if they were caught praying, they did it anyways. Maintaining loyalty and faithfulness to their religion was more important than their own lives. There are many churches ans synagogues in Poland, and we visited quite a few of them. The one thing that I noticed, was that no church or synagogue was empty - they were always filled with people praying.

Church in Wadowice, Poland

Statue of Pope John Paul

Church in Wadowice, Poland

As I reflect on my spiritual growth and religious journey since returning from Poland, I recall the first night at the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer... In preparation for our experience at Auschwitz, Sister Mary shared with the group the four dimensions of dialogue: 1) Listen to the voice of the Earth (know the facts), 2) Listen to the voice of your heart, 3) Listen to the voice of the others, 4) Listen to the voice of God. She ended by asserting, "Encounter the place, the memory, the victims, and yourself. Discover why you are here." I never forgot her words. By the end of the trip, I knew why I was there. Poland was not just about the Holocaust for me. It was about growth, understanding, truth, and knowledge. I would not have wanted to spend my Spring break anywhere else. I feel stronger. I feel fulfilled. I feel accomplished.  

Photos of Holocaust victims

Jewish cemetery behind synagogue