Poland Reaction

While learning about the destruction of the Jews, it is also important to focus on why Poland was specifically targeted as a center of the massacres of the Shoah. The Jews strived in Poland for hundreds of years leading up to the Shoah. Understanding the foundation of Jewish life helps exemplify why the decimation of Poland was so vital. The first place that we visited in Poland was the Warsaw Cemetery. In this location, scholars, rabbis, and even my Great-Great Grandparents were buried. Cemeteries are typically associated to death and with the feeling of tragedy. On the contrary, this cemetery  was a place where lives were celebrated. Judaism does not mourn over deaths for too long, instead we celebrate the lives of their loved ones. So many people that contributed to the Jewish society were buried there. L.L. Zamenhof tried to create the language Esperanto which means “hope”. Its beautiful that prior to the Shoah there was such a desire to keep making the culture better. After studying Jewish history even on a surface level, it can be concluded that Jewish life thrives and declines throughout history. In the case of Poland, there is clear evidence of a vibrant Jewish life prior to the Shoah comparatively to the destruction of Jewish life after the Shoah.

Life in Poland for the Jews  around the time of the Shoah was horrible. Conditions during the Holocaust were some of the worst that mankind has ever faced, especially at the hands of other human beings. It shows how cruel and ruthless people are and have the ability to be to each other. In Poland today, it is evident that the Jewish population has been almost entirely annihilated. One of the shocking things to see was the continuation of life near the places where such horrific events occurred. At Majdanek, virtually nothing was destroyed. The gas chambers, bunkers,crematorium, and even the pile of human ash were left untouched because the Natzis did not have enough time to destroy the camp before the Russians came. For me, one of the hardest things was to see how the Poles continued on with their lives around these terrible places. When at Majdanek, it was deeply disturbing to see apartment buildings, houses, and a major road right next to the death camp. I cannot imagine what it must be like for these people to have a concentration camp in their backyards, but I know that I would not be able to live with knowing what happened so close to where I life. Of course it is important that the Poles figure out how to build a future, but I think there should be more respect for the Holocaust and remembering what happened.

During a time of horror, it was admirable to see groups banning together to resist against oppression. During the times of the ghettos especially, Jews had a little more leeway to be able to resist. The conditions were still awful, but people were able to rebel more easily. People had to make very tough decisions for themselves and for the community as a whole. Specifically, a man named Adam Czerniakow was put in charge of deciding who got to stay in the ghetto to work, and who had to leave the ghetto forever. He knew at the time that it would be a situation of life or death for whoever stayed and whoever left. The pressure of the decision of who got to live, and the struggle to decide made this man kill himself. In a way, this can be thought of as an act of resistance because he knew he could not make the decision for the rest of his community. One of the most well known uprisings was The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising led by Mordecai Anielewicz. These people decided that they wanted to go down on their own terms. This revolting group was able to force the Natzis out of the ghettos twice and they showed hope in a time of tragedy. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, a group called the Zunder-Commando banned together to show defiance as well. They were the Jews in charge of putting bodies into the crematoriums. They were able to blow up a few crematoriums which potentially saved thousands of lives. I find it incredibly admirable that these people had the guts to show resistance, I do not know if I would be able to have the courage to risk more than I had to live for.

In order to win the fight against Anti-Semitism, Jews globally need to come to an understanding of our past and to then build a stronger future for Am Yisrael.One of the main ways this can be done is to have Jews be educated on our history. Jews need to go to Poland and learn about the Shoah to prevent another one from happening. We also need to build up the strong community values that the Am Yisrael of Poland had. We cannot let stronger powers belittle the strength of our people. Finally, we need to know when the appropriate time to put our foot down is. We always talk about when we would consider the pressure of the enemy to be “enough” and when we would have rebelled. The more we talk about this, like any issue, the more complicated it appears. Knowing when we have had enough as a whole and when we come together as one people of Israel will be the only way to prevent another Holocaust from happening again.

The historical  and modern presence of Jews in Poland and all over Europe has created a culture of Anti-Semitism over the years that may never be fixed entirely. Some people flat out deny that the Shoah ever happened. Even after the destruction of Am Yisrael, we still see ourselves getting bullied. This leads to the greater question of how Israel should open its doors to Jews. I think it is important that in the event of another Holocaust, there is a safe place for Jews to come. Even today in Europe, the security of Jews is a hot topic. It is necessary that all Jews have a place to go if they ever need safety. The aspects of life and death that are portrayed in Poland help give a clear understanding of why it was such a lively place for Jewish life but also how it could be such an easy target for enemies. How Am Yisrael responded to the Shoah with actions of rebellion displayed that even in the toughest of times, there can still be a positive source of hope.