So here I am...I am writing my final blog about this wonderful journey that I have taken this summer. Some of you are probably thinking, "Wow, it's been two weeks and you are just now writing your final blog?" I have my reasons for this...which I shall explain later. First, I would like to tell you about the final killing center that we visited - Treblinka.
Treblinka operated from July 23, 1942 to October 19, 1943. During this time, over 800,000 Jews were killed in its gas chambers - some numbers of the total amount of victims are above 1,000,000. Look at how many months Treblinka operated...then look at the 8 months that Belzec operated and killed around 500,000. That tells you how successful some of these killing centers were at their mission.
Treblinka will actually be shut down in October due to a revolt by the Sonderkommandos. The Sonderkommandos were prisoners forced to do the dirty work - lead Jews to the gas chambers, bury the dead bodies, sort through the personal belongings of people killed, exhume the bodies as the war came to an end, etc. Around 200 prisoners will escape from Treblinka due to this revolt even though less than 100 will survive until the end of the war. Treblinka was completely destroyed before the Soviets could get to it, and a farmhouse was erected to hide the evidence.
Treblinka was made as a huge memorial site. As we walked to the site of mass killing, there were stone tracks that laid out where the railroad tracks came in. In fact, after visiting the site, a friend from the trip took one of my favorite pictures without me even realizing she took it - I was sitting on the platform of the train tracks contemplating what I had just seen. It is one of my favorite pictures from the trip because she caught me in pure thought.
What interested me about Treblinka is that the idea was simple, yet extremely moving. The memorial had thousands of stones laid out across the whole site, and on each stone, there was the name of a town/city that lost its citizens to Treblinka. While the idea was simple, it was completely mind-boggling to see the stones. In the middle of the layout of the stones was a pyre used to burn the exhumed bodies.
I can remember feeling sad, yet inspired that day - sad that the trip was coming to an end, but inspired to come back home and relay the knowledge I've gained. But I also remember feeling overwhelmed - I realized no matter what I take back to my family, friends, and students, I could never convey the lessons I've learned or the emotions that I have felt on this trip.
This trip has changed me for the better. No, I don't say this because it's the cliche thing to say - I say it because it's true. I am a better teacher, I am a better citizen, but even more, I am a better human being because of the sites that I have seen. I remember being frustrated when I returned home. Yes, I was extremely tired, but even when trying to get over the jet lag, I remembered being so frustrated ....let me explain why.
Several scenarios occurred while I was in Europe that really stood out to me. 1) There were pro-Palestinian groups rebelling in Europe due to Israel's air strikes in Gaza. We were told not to wear our Holocaust shirts or bring attention to our group due to this. 2) The Malaysia airline went down in Ukraine days before we were flying back to America from Poland. 3) While in Treblinka, there were three groups of Israel students - probably numbering 40 in each group - that were walking around and touring Treblinka with armed guards.
I was in shock - I am tired of teaching history and explaining to students, if we don't learn from our history, we will repeat it. Well, I hate to say it - we are teaching history in America and it is still repeating. So, I am frustrated...
Americans are fortunate, yet also unfortunate, that we have two oceans that are separating us from the craziness on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, I think it shelters us from what is really happening and it has warped our view of humanity. Americans have treated the Middle East conflict like it is a football game - we choose what side we want to have win - without realizing that innocent lives are truly being lost in inhumane ways.Yet, we still have that mindset, "Aww, that's sad. But it's not happening to me, so it's ok." We have to fight for humanity - and right now, we are not. So, I am frustrated...
I have my personal beliefs based upon my own research and studying of the Middle East conflict; however, I cannot support the loss of lives for either side of the conflict. I also cannot support those that have NO understanding of what is truly happening, yet choose to bring up the Holocaust and chant "Gas the Jews!" Or "Exterminate the Jewish race!" It is complete IGNORANCE! So, I am frustrated....
Because I have seen the sites of mass killing and I have seen with my own eyes what hate can do, I feel like it is my duty and my obligation to help spread the word. But to be honest with you, as a teacher in a small classroom in a tiny section of a big county, it's not enough. So, I am frustrated...
Please don't get me wrong - I absolutely love teaching and I love my students - but to be honest, it's just not enough. I think this is what several of my friends from the trip and myself have argued with since we have returned: what more can we do? Since returning, there has been more and more anti-Semitism on the rise and more hatred towards humanity. But the question then becomes, what more can we do? So, I am frustrated...
I am frustrated.
I cannot convey the mixed feelings I have had since returning from Europe. I still catch glimpses of the trip everywhere I turn. Merely jumping in the shower, brushing my hair, or putting on my shoes takes me back to places I visited. This trip has forever changed me - I am grateful for what I do have, but I am also upset about what I cannot do.
So I end this blog conflicted as ever, but with an open heart. I know that soon, I will get wrapped up in my everyday life and once again, I will take for granted what I do have. But my hope is that when I am stressed to the max with teaching, coaching, and personal issues that all it takes me doing is taking off a pair of shoes or putting them on to remember how truly grateful I should be.
Treblinka operated from July 23, 1942 to October 19, 1943. During this time, over 800,000 Jews were killed in its gas chambers - some numbers of the total amount of victims are above 1,000,000. Look at how many months Treblinka operated...then look at the 8 months that Belzec operated and killed around 500,000. That tells you how successful some of these killing centers were at their mission.
Treblinka will actually be shut down in October due to a revolt by the Sonderkommandos. The Sonderkommandos were prisoners forced to do the dirty work - lead Jews to the gas chambers, bury the dead bodies, sort through the personal belongings of people killed, exhume the bodies as the war came to an end, etc. Around 200 prisoners will escape from Treblinka due to this revolt even though less than 100 will survive until the end of the war. Treblinka was completely destroyed before the Soviets could get to it, and a farmhouse was erected to hide the evidence.
Treblinka was made as a huge memorial site. As we walked to the site of mass killing, there were stone tracks that laid out where the railroad tracks came in. In fact, after visiting the site, a friend from the trip took one of my favorite pictures without me even realizing she took it - I was sitting on the platform of the train tracks contemplating what I had just seen. It is one of my favorite pictures from the trip because she caught me in pure thought.
What interested me about Treblinka is that the idea was simple, yet extremely moving. The memorial had thousands of stones laid out across the whole site, and on each stone, there was the name of a town/city that lost its citizens to Treblinka. While the idea was simple, it was completely mind-boggling to see the stones. In the middle of the layout of the stones was a pyre used to burn the exhumed bodies.
I can remember feeling sad, yet inspired that day - sad that the trip was coming to an end, but inspired to come back home and relay the knowledge I've gained. But I also remember feeling overwhelmed - I realized no matter what I take back to my family, friends, and students, I could never convey the lessons I've learned or the emotions that I have felt on this trip.
This trip has changed me for the better. No, I don't say this because it's the cliche thing to say - I say it because it's true. I am a better teacher, I am a better citizen, but even more, I am a better human being because of the sites that I have seen. I remember being frustrated when I returned home. Yes, I was extremely tired, but even when trying to get over the jet lag, I remembered being so frustrated ....let me explain why.
Several scenarios occurred while I was in Europe that really stood out to me. 1) There were pro-Palestinian groups rebelling in Europe due to Israel's air strikes in Gaza. We were told not to wear our Holocaust shirts or bring attention to our group due to this. 2) The Malaysia airline went down in Ukraine days before we were flying back to America from Poland. 3) While in Treblinka, there were three groups of Israel students - probably numbering 40 in each group - that were walking around and touring Treblinka with armed guards.
I was in shock - I am tired of teaching history and explaining to students, if we don't learn from our history, we will repeat it. Well, I hate to say it - we are teaching history in America and it is still repeating. So, I am frustrated...
Americans are fortunate, yet also unfortunate, that we have two oceans that are separating us from the craziness on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, I think it shelters us from what is really happening and it has warped our view of humanity. Americans have treated the Middle East conflict like it is a football game - we choose what side we want to have win - without realizing that innocent lives are truly being lost in inhumane ways.Yet, we still have that mindset, "Aww, that's sad. But it's not happening to me, so it's ok." We have to fight for humanity - and right now, we are not. So, I am frustrated...
I have my personal beliefs based upon my own research and studying of the Middle East conflict; however, I cannot support the loss of lives for either side of the conflict. I also cannot support those that have NO understanding of what is truly happening, yet choose to bring up the Holocaust and chant "Gas the Jews!" Or "Exterminate the Jewish race!" It is complete IGNORANCE! So, I am frustrated....
Because I have seen the sites of mass killing and I have seen with my own eyes what hate can do, I feel like it is my duty and my obligation to help spread the word. But to be honest with you, as a teacher in a small classroom in a tiny section of a big county, it's not enough. So, I am frustrated...
Please don't get me wrong - I absolutely love teaching and I love my students - but to be honest, it's just not enough. I think this is what several of my friends from the trip and myself have argued with since we have returned: what more can we do? Since returning, there has been more and more anti-Semitism on the rise and more hatred towards humanity. But the question then becomes, what more can we do? So, I am frustrated...
I am frustrated.
I cannot convey the mixed feelings I have had since returning from Europe. I still catch glimpses of the trip everywhere I turn. Merely jumping in the shower, brushing my hair, or putting on my shoes takes me back to places I visited. This trip has forever changed me - I am grateful for what I do have, but I am also upset about what I cannot do.
So I end this blog conflicted as ever, but with an open heart. I know that soon, I will get wrapped up in my everyday life and once again, I will take for granted what I do have. But my hope is that when I am stressed to the max with teaching, coaching, and personal issues that all it takes me doing is taking off a pair of shoes or putting them on to remember how truly grateful I should be.