Harvey Schloss z’l
A community leader for more than a quarter century, Harvey Schloss z’l devoted himself to strengthening children and families and the organizations that serve them. Harvey’s extraordinary work sets the example for meaningful volunteer service and purposeful philanthropy.… Read More
The modern state of Israel
Our travel portion of the journey has concluded, but our experiences and memories will always be with us. Below are reflections from the final days of the Legacy Tour.
July 10, 2012
Yesterday we traveled southwest in the direction of Tel Aviv. One the way we visited a unique farming program that educates groups on agriculture in Israel. I learned that Israel farms in the sand which is amazing and that the state has patented a few agricultural techniques. We were treated to fresh carrots that we plucked from the earth and tomatoes off the vine… all were delicious. A… Read More
The site of Auschwitz-Birkenau
The wooden barracks, stretching off into seeming infinity as the gaps between them are shrouded in a thick white fog, the layers of barbed wire fence with pencil-trunked trees and green grass just beyond the environs of the camp. The atmosphere here is just as I’d seen it in the recurring bad dreams I’d had when I first was taught about Auschwitz-Birkena through viewings of the film Night and Fog. Though I understand that this documentary isn’t used any more, it was the educational tool in my generation; and as we enter the galleries with the grotesque piles of… Read More
The complexities of Polish-Jewish relations
On the bitterly freezing day when we were on the market in Karzimierz, Daniel pointed me to a table of souvenirs with a curious collectible set:
This was a replica of a seal used in the Lodz ghetto. The text reads: “Der Aeltester der Juden. Litzmannstadt” (The Chair of the Judenrat. Lodz ghetto). I’ve seen a lot of Polish tchatchkes in my time, but I found this collectible to be especially painful. As I was wheeling myself away from the table, I reached a bump in the concrete path and had trouble going further. One of the souvenir sellers, a… Read More
