It was a very moving moment. At the train platform at Auschwitz, a group
of people draped in the Israeli flag spent some time here, on the tracks. They sang, embraced each other, cried, and
left behind the candles. To be at
Auschwitz is overwhelming and you don't know quite what to feel or do to take
it all in. Watching people mourn their
loved ones made it much more of a tangible experience. While Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel's stories
popped in my head, the survivors and their pain, along with the clear
connection to Israel's fight, was so vivid on that hot July morning.
A few years ago I started teaching the Arab-Israeli conflict
to my senior IB World History class, and it was right after a summer trip to
Israel with the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teacher’s Program http://www.hajrtp.org/index.html. Teaching the situation in the Middle East is
difficult. I often have Arab students in
my class who have family in the midst of the situation, and occasionally I also
have Jewish students who come at it from a different angle, so it is important
to let the students take charge of the learning. We read The
Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, an amazing story that teaches the history of the
complex conflict, while telling the true story of a Palestinian family & a
Jewish family who occupied the same home at different times. We also watch an excellent documentary
entitled Promises, which traces the
lives of seven children on both sides of the conflict. Each child’s family comes from a different
perspective, so it is valuable in conveying that there are not only two sides,
but several valid points of view. I also
recommend seeing Paradise Now and The Lemon Tree (which has nothing to do
with the book) for more insight.
Going to Israel was an amazing experience. On the one hand, I felt the emotion behind
Holocaust survivors to fight for protection from anti-Semitism, for there to be
a safe place for them, and a place where they can practice their beliefs in the
open, with pride. However, it was hard
to understand the wall surrounding Jerusalem—a barrier. I have a hard time with barriers, especially
physical ones. It was also powerful to
see Muslims, Christians, Jews, and secular, non-religious people living in
harmony in a holy city with so much history.
It is possible for there to be peace.
Friends of mine lived in Jerusalem for a couple of
years. I had a chance to see them
briefly, while I was there. They were
not Jewish, and as we sat on a bench eating ice cream, they shared the woes of finding an apartment
to rent since they did not practice kosher eating. When they returned to the States, I remember
Peter telling my husband that he was having a hard time re-adjusting. He felt guilty for the ease in going about
his day. No one cared what religion he
was, what he was wearing, or much else.
In Israel, this determines everything.
I am so thankful for the thoughtlessness that we have in
going about our day, but I am also glad that I had a glimpse, a moment merely,
of seeing something else.
All photos were taken by me on my trip to Poland and Israel. 1) Auschwitz 2) Jerusalem 3) Jews dancing at night in Jerusalem with loud Jewish music meets techno 4) Guns being guarded outside of a Holocaust Museum outside Nahariya. It is mandatory to serve in the Israeli military, and part of that service includes Holocaust education. 5) Kibbutz outside of Nahariya
