By Shira Tydings Cold Spring Harbor High School New York, United States
Imagine seeing ashes one day and waterfalls the next. Feel extreme sadness and happiness in only two weeks. Live in a place of death, and celebrate in a place of life. Experience the March of the Living.
Shira Tydings on The March of the Living
Last spring, I participated in a two-week journey called the March of the Living. I, along with five thousand other teens from around the world, first traveled to Poland and then continued on to Israel. In Poland, the March of the Living centers around an actual march from the concentration camp, Auschwitz, to the extermination camp, Birkenau. This march, identical to the routine death marches that occurred during the Holocaust, takes place on Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel, the trip focuses on Israeli Remembrance Day, a day similar to our Memorial Day, and Israeli Independence Day. The March, because of its timing, juxtaposes sorrow and joy continuously. It is from this juxtaposition that the March gains its strength.
Before embarking on the March, I participated in ten weeks of preparatory sessions with other members of the New York delegation. Each Sunday, I attended classes designed to teach the history of Polish Jews from before the Holocaust through their emigration to Israel and the establishment of Israel as we know it today. In addition to these sessions, there was a full day retreat during which the entire New York contingent met. We met our bus mates, chaperons, bus counselors, and a special member of the bus - a survivor of the Holocaust. I, on Bus #116, was fortunate to have Elly Gross, a survivor of Auschwitz, as my bus companion. This retreat and the regular sessions prepared me for the trip to come. Aided by a comprehensive workbook designed by the international branch of the March of the Living, I absorbed valuable information that further enhanced my trip. More importantly, however, these sessions introduced me to the people with whom I would form unbelievably strong bonds within a short amount of time.
As my departure date approached, I felt both excited and anxious. I was eager to meet new friends, travel to Israel, and celebrate Israel's fiftieth birthday in Jerusalem. On the other hand, I was nervous to view the reality of the Holocaust and to stand in the places of mass destruction. Yet, I knew that this was to be the experience of a lifetime.
Finally, the first day of the trip arrived. We traveled to our first stop, Warsaw, Poland, on the Polish national airline, Lot. Once in Poland, we operated on a tight schedule. Although we stayed up late, we awoke very early. In Poland, we saw four concentration camps. The first, Treblinka, was completely destroyed by the Germans. Now represented by only stone slabs, rocks, and a large monument, Treblinka was my first actual introduction to the Holocaust in Poland. Some rocks displayed the names of towns and villages from which Jews came. Astounded by the number of these rocks, I cried. Little did I know that the worst was yet to come.
The second camp, Majdanek, was the most powerful for me. Majdanek, which has been completely preserved, displayed in detail the horrors of the Holocaust. In Majdanek, I walked in gas chambers, touched the ovens in the crematoria, and saw the ashes of my people in the great mausoleum. One particular day of the March remains vividly etched in my mind. As I walked into a barracks in Majdanek, cold from the Polish wind, I expected to see wooden bunk beds lined against the walls. Instead, I was greeted by shoes. These shoes were only children's shoes. I was able to touch the Majdanek shoes which are not preserved behind glass. The shoes reminded me of all the children who had potential. They and their families had been destroyed, and their potential obliterated. I can still feel the worn shoe leather, smell the musty wood, and taste the salty tears on my cheeks. And I always will.
The final camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau, were the settings for the actual March of the Living. Ironically, the sun shone for the first time during our trip on this day. Taking a train from Warsaw to Cracow, we rode on the same tracks which had once guided the cattle cars filled with innocent victims of the Nazi regime. When we arrived at the train station in Auschwitz, we saw the Polish locals lining up to see "the Jews coming to town." I was amazed that our march, somber in nature, was considered a spectacle in the eyes of the Polish people. Some locals were actually selling balloons and popcorn to spectators! But, we ignored this insulting behavior and continued on our mission. Once inside the gates of Auschwitz, a silence fell on the group. It was not until we reached Birkenau that we spoke again. During the march, wearing blue jackets, we walked in lines of eight people across. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lead the March from the first line, and he later presented a speech when everyone reached Birkenau. I was most amazed when I saw the entrance to Birkenau. Although I had seen the famous, red brick expanse with the train tracks running down the center in books, the real structure was much more powerful. Some people cried, while others were locked in deep reflection. The march was a moving experience for everyone.
After the march, we walked around the women's camp in Birkenau. The barracks, which were similar to those in Majdanek, were especially interesting because of the "art work" on the walls. In one barracks, I found a sketch of the layout of the camp. In another, phrases were written in Polish to offer encouragement and strength to other prisoners. Walking through the windswept grasses of Birkenau, I began to understand the emptiness which filled the inmates' lives.
In addition to seeing concentration camps, we also walked around the old Jewish quarter in Cracow which had been home to some of the greatest Jewish scholars in history. Tucked away from the busy streets of Cracow, the Jewish quarter housed a Jewish cemetery, religious schools, and many synagogues. When we entered one synagogue, the Izaak Shul, I witnessed an amazing event. As I wrote in my travel journal, "suddenly all of the Yeshiva kids started to dance and sing. I was surprised at how the boys and girls automatically went into circles on different sides of the room. This was perfectly normal to them, because of the separation in which Orthodox Jews engage, and they saw it as no big deal. I, on the other hand, saw this separation as foreign but cool; so I joined in." This dancing was one of the joyful highlights of my stay in Poland. I can still see the dancing in my mind today. When I think of the Izaak Shul and the Jewish quarter, I smile.
As the week drew to a close, we looked forward to leaving for Israel. Although there were some moments of light, Poland was a relatively dark country in terms of its history and in actuality. In Poland, I was forced to confront the Holocaust like I had never done before. But, it was in Poland where I had some of the most memorable experiences of my life.
At last, we left dreary Poland for the exciting country of Israel. From the minute we boarded the plane bound for Tel Aviv, everybody was charged with excitement. Although I had been to Israel before, I knew that this would be an incredibly different experience. I was surrounded with new-found friends, and we looked forward to strengthening our relationships in Israel. The friends I made on my bus remained with me in Israel, as we stayed with the same bus members. In Israel, we again had a tour guide and security guard. I was surprised to discover, however, that our security guard was a woman! Only in Israel! After settling on the bus, we slept until we reached our first destination, Jerusalem and the Kotel. The Kotel began our week-long taste of Israel.
On the Israeli portion of the March of the Living, we toured many places. We stopped at an original displaced persons' camp near Haifa, visited an Israeli school in the Golan, explored the Kinneret area in the north of Israel, hiked beside a waterfall in Ein Gedi, visited Yad Vashem, and observed Israeli Remembrance and Independence Day. Our commemoration of Israeli Remembrance Day included a visit to the Golani Museum, a military museum honoring the Golani Brigade, a division of the Israel Defense Forces. Our tour guide spoke about her usual Remembrance Day customs, and we gained a personal appreciation of the day through her words. As the day turned into evening, the holiday in Israel changed as well. Israeli Remembrance Day transformed into Israeli Independence Day, the fiftieth anniversary of Israel's independence and one of the most joyful days on the Israeli calendar.
Israeli Independence Day was a day like no other. That night, we spent time on Ben Yehuda Street, the main shopping and tourist street in the new section of Jerusalem. According to tradition, we sprayed shaving cream on anybody we could and danced in the streets. This celebration was happy and fun, as opposed to our somber experiences in Poland. Only on the March of the Living could I experience both joy and pain, side by side. The combination further provides for the powerful emotions elicited by the trip.
Our week in Israel seemed much shorter because of our enthusiasm and spirit. But a week is only seven days, and at the end of these seven, we prepared to return home to New York. Looking back on the March of the Living, I realize how fortunate I am to have partaken in such a journey. I was deeply moved by both the tragedies of Poland and the liveliness of Israel. The bonds I share with my "March friends" are strong enough to withstand the strain of busy schedules, hectic lives, and different cities. These bonds, combined with the sights and memories of Poland and Israel, made the March of the Living an unbelievable experience.