Dizeń Jeden

We’re Here!

After hours of flying, we finally arrived to our home for the week and started the day! There was no time to rest after two flights - one for seven and a half hours to Berlin, Germany and then one for an hour and a half to Krakow, Poland. 

We are staying at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer in Oswiecim. We had the pleasure of spending the day with Sister Mary O’Sullivan as our guide. She told us all about the center. Cardinal Macharski founded the center in 1992. The Center’s mission is to honor the memory of all the Holocaust victims and offer peace and reconciliation to the world. They welcome groups of all ages from all around the world with tremendous hospitality and great food. See left a picture of Dr. Procario-Foley leading us in.

After learning more about Auschwitz and Jewish culture at the Auschwitz Jewish Center, Sister Mary took us around the town showing us many important spots of Oswiecim. She took us down, what used to be known as, the Jewish Street - see picture to the right. On this street we saw the spot that the Great Synagogue would be today. The synagogue used to be a center for Jewish culture and education. The Germans burned it down in November of 1939. The only remains of the synagogue are an empty field and a sign to represent its place – see picture below.

Sister Mary took us to the square in town. She was telling us about the market space that the square turns into. Back before the Holocaust, Jews would be the main sellers at the market. Although Oswiecim used to have a high population of Jews, not one Jewish person lives in the town today.

One main reason why there are no more Jews in this town is because the death, concentration, and work camp, Auschwitz, is located here. I can see the camp from the Center for Dialogue and Prayer. Although the location where thousands of Jews had been murdered is right across the street, the Center for Prayer and Dialogue has been very comforting and welcoming. 

Lastly, Sister Mary took us to the Jewish Cemetery. In 1939 when the Germans invaded they destroyed the cemetery. There was an eerie feeling that came upon me when I walked into the graveyard. Moss was growing all over the tombstones and many of them were broken. None of gravestones were in their correct place. It was very emotional. You could feel the spirit of the ground.

I thought back to the car ride from the airport to the center. I had seen two cemeteries in the hour trip. Each tomb was covered with beautiful, colorful, fresh flowers. The whole cemetery was colored like a rainbow. 

Comparing the two places was so disheartening. Every human being deserves a place to rest after they pass. Seeing the two reminded me something that Maestro Sidlin told us in our class: Jews had everything taken away from them - even their cemeteries. 

On a lighter note, below is an adorable picture of a nun playing tennis. Also, Fred has fallen asleep at every location today because he did not sleep on the plane. However, Fred did stop our van from rolling back into traffic. 

Poland 4, Fred 1.

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POLAND, Here I Come!

Iona College-Daniel & Me

Friday 12:30pm and I am still packing. Last night, I was running to Marshall's at 9:30pm, right before closing to buy a converter for my chargers. Calling my professor twice at night, because I was still unprepared. Show's how on time I know how to be. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I do not know most of my classmates going on to this trip but that is where 7 hours on a plane will help. I look forward to getting to know my classmates. As I've been told multiple times this is a life changing and emotional experience. I know my Professor and classmates will be there for moral support. But I am going to miss my buddy, Daniel. I made him and my family download the What's App just to stay in contact with me over the break! I cannot be any more excited to go on this new experience. It will be my third time out of the United States. It is only my first blog post and I am not even sure what to be writing. I am sure more will come after tonight's plane ride(:

By: Jordan Galindo 

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Peace Out America! Ashley Hubaykah

Greetings from Lincoln Center!

 

And so the countdown begins! Tomorrow I leave for Poland and I have yet to even pull out a single article of clothing, let alone a suitcase! I usually work well under pressure, but this shall be the ultimate test!

I mentioned that today begins the countdown. But really, the countdown began Monday at 7:30pm night at Lincoln Center. My class received the opportunity to watch a live performance of the Defiant Requiem Verdi.  I have never been to an orchestra type of performance or even to Lincoln Center so I was definitely excited and looking forward to the show. Also a lover for music, I’m always amazed by the talents of artists. They definitely blew me away. Although the performance was in Latin, I followed along the best I could. The performance still proved to be a grand performance showing me that music could be a living memorial. 

Murry Sidlin, the conductor of the Defiant Requiem spoke to our class about the story behind the performance. The Defiant Requiem was directed by Raphael Schächeter at Terezin and performed by prisoners at the camp just out of Prague. The practices held by Schächeter were a symbol of hope for the prisoners of Terezin. While the camp may have physically captured the prisoners, the Defiant Requiem reminded them that they could not capture their souls.

We sat in the third level box and down below I had a view of the violists, pianists, singers, choir, and even people on the French horn. I was amazed by the energy of Murry Sudlin and the simultaneous flow of all the instruments as one.  My favorite part of the performance was the Agnus Dei and the symbolism behind the closing of the show.

As the performance finished, performers started exiting off the stage one by one. At first, I did not know what was happening. But, than I quickly realized it symbolized how people disappeared one by one in the Holocaust. Once they all exited, one violist remained. His solo was such an incredibly powerful moment. That was when the performance came full circle and I could feel why they exited the way they did.  

The performance for me was about giving a voice to those who would never have one again; it is about affirming those people and letting them know they did and still do matter. At the end of this show, we were not only asked to hold our applause until the very end, but also to hold a moment of silence for all those victims. 
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have attended the Defiant Requiem. I’m also grateful that the next time I blog it will be in Poland!  

Till next time readers! It’s time I actually start packing my suitcase! See you in Poland! 

View From Our Seats!

Check Out My Ticket!

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Ready For Poland -Maria Wik

My mother and I in Switzerland from this past summer.

My name is Maria Wik, and I am currently a sophomore at Iona College. I’m studying Mass Communications with a focus in Public Relations. Traveling has always been a passion of mine. I went on my first European adventure when I was only 7. From then on out I have been pulled to travel and explore new places, experience new cultures and learn about the local history.  I find history to be quite fascinating because even the events of yesterday build the foundations to the events to come tomorrow.

 I come from a family with mixed nationalities and religions, for example my father’s mother is Jewish and I am Catholic. Since the first time I learned about the Shoah, more commonly known as the Holocaust, I wanted to know more.  With this being said, it only seems right for myself to have such a strong desire to go to a concentration camp and fully immerse myself in the history and culture of not only the camp but also the local culture.

When I tell people I am spending my spring break in Auschwitz, I get two types of responses. There is one response that is just the confused stare followed by “That will be fun.”, while on the other hand there are the people who ask questions and talk about how life changing this will be. I still find myself in disbelief that I am leaving in 3 days. Everything I’ve heard, read and watched will now be right in front of me, it will all be real. In class the other day we were talking about things we are worried about and the most common response was just that, ‘it will be real’. The things we’ve watched in the movies will no longer be just anther Hollywood exaggeration; it will be show stopping real.

           

I find myself with so many emotions. I am experiencing excitement and dread, eagerness to learn but also fear for the brutal truth. At the end of the day, however, I could not be happier to be going. I will be surrounded by a group of friends who are just as passionate about this as I am.  I hope that in the next two weeks I get answers to the questions I have been asking my whole life.

                                                                                                             

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Time to Get Packin'

Hi! My name is Meghan Cramsie and I am a junior at Iona College. At the end of week I will be in Poland!!!

My Catholic identity is very important to me and I have participated in many opportunities offered by the Office of Mission and Ministry. I am a student campus minister in the Christian community on campus and I organize all of Iona Masses. In the past two years, I have been to Detroit and Washington D.C. on mission trips. I got the chance to travel, explore my faith, and serve others less fortunate than I am. However, this year I did not feel called to any of the mission trips offered, but I had heard about the Poland study abroad trip from some friends who had gone previously.

Being a business management major, I do not get to take many classes that teach me or let me explore my faith. I was excited to hear that the class was with the  religious studies department but I was even more excited to be going to a place with such a profound and intense history. I also have never been out of the country...

So, I took a leap of faith! 

This will be my first time leaving the country. I have my fresh passport and a pocket full of zlotys!

On Monday, March 9^th, my classmates and I got the chance to attend the Defiant Requiem at Avery Fischer Hall. It was a wonderful experience!

I was nervous that after a full day of classes and work, I would get to my to seat and fall asleep – but I was completely wrong! Our class sat together in box 9 where we could see everything!! 

Though I could not understand the words the choir was singing because they were in Latin, I tried my best to follow along with the translations that my professor had given us before the show. Each section was separated by survivor’s testimonies whether they were videos of them or read aloud by someone else. 

We had the pleasure of meeting the conductor, Maestro Sidlin, who showed us the documentary that described the work behind the Defiant Requiem. We learned about the history of Terezin and the choir led by Rafael Schachter. 

The end of the concert gave me the chills. 

The choir had finished singing their last section of "Libera me". They sang "deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day. Deliver me" and the train whistle blew... 

In a straight line, all the men and women from the orchestra and choir walked down the long aisle while humming a dark and depressing tone. One by one, they walked in their matching black outfits out of the concert hall; who knew where they were going. 

The Defiant Requiem, our textbook called "The Holocaust Kingdom", and many of the documentaries we have watched in class have been helping to make the Shoah, more well known as the Holocaust, very real to me. While excited to travel to Poland, the things I will experience on my trip and the emotions I will feel will not be easy. But I feel well prepared by my professor and with my classmates by my side. 

"Lacrymosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla."

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One Week Till Poland-Ashley Hubaykah

Ashley Hubaykah
Religious Studies and International Studies Major
Class of 2016

Greetings readers to my first blog ever! My name is Ashley Hubaykah and I am a current junior at Iona College. I am originally from Tampa, Florida. I’ve chosen to double major in religious and international studies with minors in French and Spanish. I am excited to start my first blog ever for my spring break trip to Poland for my religious studies class Memory and Reconciliation.

I have heard that once you start traveling, you cannot seem to stop. In fact, after spending the summer in Valencia, Spain, I diagnosed myself with the travel bug; Valencia, Ibiza, Barcelona, Paris, it all just left me wanting more of Europe. Prague, Athens, and Munich all were and still next on my list. 

I did not picture my next trip to be the ultimate test of faith and humanity. For one week, I will be immersed in Oświęcim, Poland- the site of Auschwitz. Currently I am a Lipper Intern at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. While the extensive two weeks of internship training and weekly visits to the museums have sparked a new area of research for me, it could not prepare me for the horror I am about to feel in a week.

It seemed like a simple decision to go to Poland- I am a religion major, Dr. Procario-Foley is my advisor, I am an intern at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Why not go to Poland? In just a short two months, the trip has evolved into so much more. I’ve listened to lectures on the culturally rich Terezin, cried during survivor’s videos, and learned how Jews and Christians are more related than I could have ever imagined.

I can let you in on a little secret and that is my endless curiosity about the Holocaust. I ask myself everyday how could something like this happen? How could 11 million people possibly be murdered? Did God really not make us all inherently good? Why do I want to study and visit a place that reminds of the cruelty the human race can have towards one another?

I am not sure if I will even receive any answers or closure for my curiosity. If anything, I might come back with more questions. But Elie Wiesel says that we must, “Help one another. It is the only way to survive.” I do know my professors, my classmates, and my faith will help me to survive what is about to be the cruelest dealing I have ever come face to face with. 

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