tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65560032548674540642024-03-06T02:56:44.002-05:00From Goy to OlehAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-72073994684130653512013-05-27T05:43:00.001-04:002013-05-28T08:48:43.398-04:00Changes and New BlogsMany things have changed since this blog went silent. While I am not going to get into the details I will say that I will always miss Israel but I will continue to move forward and enjoy all of the gifts that Hashem has given me and to all of us. <br>
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Moving forward I will be switch to a different blog, Time to Keep it Simple which can be viewed/read at the following link: <a href="http://timetokeepitsimple.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: purple;">http://timetokeepitsimple.blogspot.com/</span></a><br>
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When the time comes that I decided to write about Aliyah, Israel, and many other topics related to Judaism I will be posting on the blog Back in the JewSA which can be found at <a href="http://backinthejewsa.blogspot.com/">http://backinthejewsa.blogspot.com/</a><br>
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I know that many who come across this post will be shocked, some will be disappointed, and a few will be angry. All of these emotions are understandable but please know that the content of this blog is heartfelt, passionate, and, above all, honest.<br>
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I wish you all the best that life has to offer and I invite you all to continue to follow me on my journey to see where Hashem takes me.<br>
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Thank you all!<br>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-38547855669434665812011-06-24T15:00:00.000-04:002011-06-24T15:00:41.323-04:00How to Deal with Aliyah Stress<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As our Aliyah date quickly <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/05/aliyah-update-im-freaking-out-man.html"><span style="color: purple;">approaches</span></a> and the stress mounts, I wanted to share a tip with all of those in the process and those who have made the leap that has helped me tremendously. </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It is a simple thing and something that everyone can do… </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Write down the <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/06/aliyah-countdown.html"><span style="color: purple;">good things</span></a> that have happened throughout the process and the <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-step-before-leap.html"><span style="color: purple;">reasons</span></a> you are making Aliyah and keep the list in your pocket. Continue to add to it as new things and experiences happen. It could be something as simple as someone congratulating you; it could be the funny questions your mother asks about Israel (yes, they have dogs and supermarkets in Israel; no, they don’t ride camels to work although some might); the <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/06/we-now-have-roots-in-israel-literally.html"><span style="color: purple;">parties</span></a> and/or <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/04/riding-aliyah-fair-high.html"><span style="color: purple;">expos</span></a> you have attended; the people you’ve get because you decided to make Aliyah; anything and everything good that has happened along the way. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This list, along with your reasons for making Aliyah, are what will help you keep your sanity… it’s the equivalent of an Aliyah stress ball. Sometimes reading it will do the trick but not every time. There are occasions when it helps to elaborate on some of the things on your list essentially reliving those moments. We all forget the good things to come and dwell on the stressful things happening right now but those good moments are the ones that make the packing, budgeting, saying goodbye, and general stressing out bearable. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When the stress begins to rise take it out, read it slowly (write if you need to), and thank Hashem for the gift that is Israel! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Also, when trying to cope, remember that you are not alone on the Aliyah emotional rollercoaster. No one is exempt from the swinging of the metronome. We all rock back and forth; the trick is not letting yourself get sea sick. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What are some of your tips? What has helped you cope with the stress and fatigue of the Aliyah process? If you are not the one making Aliyah, how have you coped with seeing your family or friends move to Israel?</span></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-32224348636624587292011-06-20T18:49:00.006-04:002011-06-21T18:33:12.933-04:00We Now Have Roots in Israel, Literally!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Thursday night, I had the pleasure to attend an Olim Farewell Party at the <a href="http://www.israelemb.org/"><span style="color: purple;">Embassy of Israel</span></a> in Washington, DC. It was a bit of a schlep, since I took the train from New York, but well worth it! Below are some of the highlights and, hopefully, this will give you an idea of what the experience was like. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My adventure started with a 2 pm Amtrak train from Penn Station to Union Station. 5 hours later (including a cab ride in rush hour traffic) I finally made it to the embassy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMZsSUXPZIQdD2Vfi1dZcizsrhQbgzlc1rOg_8mzuEEt6htpr4nmnmZLutijK4Dm53k0x_gD1i6qOwTfHa4X2RxiB-w-gHYRZ5jzaqRUQpQF-OttUWcKBeHYSLaF5yVqwIqB22HsmHqo/s1600/Embassy+Party+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMZsSUXPZIQdD2Vfi1dZcizsrhQbgzlc1rOg_8mzuEEt6htpr4nmnmZLutijK4Dm53k0x_gD1i6qOwTfHa4X2RxiB-w-gHYRZ5jzaqRUQpQF-OttUWcKBeHYSLaF5yVqwIqB22HsmHqo/s320/Embassy+Party+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">iPhone picture taken upon arrival.</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After checking in at the gate (only those on the list were allowed in) and getting my nametag at the front door, I headed in to the building just in time to grab a falafel (with humus of course) and schmooze a bit. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I think many will agree with this equation (especially <a href="http://www.benjilovitt.com/"><span style="color: purple;">Benji Lovitt</span></a>): Falafel + Humus + Schmoozing = Good Time! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was able to reconnect with a couple people from the <a href="http://www.jafi.org.il/JewishAgency/English/Home/"><span style="color: purple;">Jewish Agency</span></a> and <a href="http://www.nbn.org.il/index.php"><span style="color: purple;">Nefesh B’Nefesh</span></a> whom I had met previously at the <a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/04/riding-aliyah-fair-high.html"><span style="color: purple;">Mega Event in NYC</span></a> and I was also able to speak with a few great people whom I was meeting for the first time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Even as I was speaking with people, the surreal feeling of “I am at party at the Embassy of Israel” kept resurfacing and as that emotion was about to overtake me the program started. Of course, it took about ten minutes before the room quieted down and everyone took their seats (myself included).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Several people from the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh started the presentations with moving personal stories and followed with many compliments for those of us in attendance (including a video message from <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2003/3/Natan%20Sharansky"><span style="color: purple;">Natan Sharansky</span></a>). I don’t know about anyone else but I am not completely comfortable with all the compliments and praise that we have received for simply doing what we believe is right and moving home where we can have a better life, a better present, and a better future. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5edcK4RD_kbmyGqNLtddPpS48gfJak32mjvebFw1q9eJoDnS5V99ZrTYl8Y5rvpshi2Z-oQBGm5EBr9G9IsWOT9_CmbJ76AFfmNzwSBX4NEZwEipzODFMZFuuIk37VMWdIs89NbvUaQ/s1600/Monika+Lev+Cohen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5edcK4RD_kbmyGqNLtddPpS48gfJak32mjvebFw1q9eJoDnS5V99ZrTYl8Y5rvpshi2Z-oQBGm5EBr9G9IsWOT9_CmbJ76AFfmNzwSBX4NEZwEipzODFMZFuuIk37VMWdIs89NbvUaQ/s320/Monika+Lev+Cohen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Monika Lev Cohen, Shlicha for the Jewish Agency <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Following these introductions, we all had the pleasure of a surprise appearance by <a href="http://www.israelemb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=235&Itemid=245)=en"><span style="color: purple;">Ambassador Michael Oren</span></a> (surprising if you didn’t notice the sudden appearance of <a href="http://www.mossad.gov.il/Eng/AboutUs.aspx"><span style="color: purple;">Mossad</span></a> standing on either side of the stage). His honest, and sometimes humorous, story of making Aliyah was the kind of heartfelt address that we could only imagine coming from the mouth of an American politician. While the process may be different now than when he departed from New Jersey, he went through the same emotional and spiritual journey. He is one of us!</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84iywfXt1bYn6JbsmfvNoGwVGvbkzUdNJbs-IHZtJ8OLmbzz6T8Wkd0zLtG6VXx1y2o3wXXYUIOOwzYrZSHeTEo7cxqivGBl0n_yERi_15wiHP19D0ZJ8-tDjnhs-TLIyODz7ERAHobM/s1600/Dr.+Oren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84iywfXt1bYn6JbsmfvNoGwVGvbkzUdNJbs-IHZtJ8OLmbzz6T8Wkd0zLtG6VXx1y2o3wXXYUIOOwzYrZSHeTEo7cxqivGBl0n_yERi_15wiHP19D0ZJ8-tDjnhs-TLIyODz7ERAHobM/s320/Dr.+Oren.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ambassador Michael Oren <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">While hard to follow the Ambassador, the next group of people to speak are the reason why we still have a home to return to. Oleh and <a href="http://www.idf.il/894-en/Dover.aspx"><span style="color: purple;">IDF</span></a> veteran Michael Pfeffer was first with his story of growing up in the US and quitting Law school because he wanted something different, he wanted something more so he made Aliyah and joined the IDF. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe2O2S40kXKgwfWExJB4tIAYPhd0cR0mk9wBbs3lC5BOhCMjIXcUuIXkPxjzcbE2UoHsgU4i2UbnKN30fENJ6vNmEUMOUZQcUWz61d5ck048SfiVymb5U4tjd0N7Lj0XtPTwG_MbL9nk/s1600/IDF+Embassy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe2O2S40kXKgwfWExJB4tIAYPhd0cR0mk9wBbs3lC5BOhCMjIXcUuIXkPxjzcbE2UoHsgU4i2UbnKN30fENJ6vNmEUMOUZQcUWz61d5ck048SfiVymb5U4tjd0N7Lj0XtPTwG_MbL9nk/s320/IDF+Embassy+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Michael Pfeffer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">IDF <a href="http://www.israelemb.org/index.php/en/the-embassy/cultural-affairs/238"><span style="color: purple;">Major General Gadi Shamni</span></a> followed. A career soldier, he spoke from the perspective of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_(person)"><span style="color: purple;">Sabra</span></a> and shared his thoughts about those who have decided to make Aliyah. The admiration he has for those of use returning home is something I had to hear to believe. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT4Ao8uWcg30SUummwNrtv4Ym4Cz4H-BYNM0wXwUMNWRtIqmoIE50Gbd6KC0pRO9FkYFb3BFmuKP75_Y56sGP0H6C0Q9Nwb66EiSCiMSipYvZYB-Z3T4NLRh0ilJD6ZhGP985J51drHo/s1600/Gadi+Shamni+Embassy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT4Ao8uWcg30SUummwNrtv4Ym4Cz4H-BYNM0wXwUMNWRtIqmoIE50Gbd6KC0pRO9FkYFb3BFmuKP75_Y56sGP0H6C0Q9Nwb66EiSCiMSipYvZYB-Z3T4NLRh0ilJD6ZhGP985J51drHo/s320/Gadi+Shamni+Embassy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Major General Gadi Shamni <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Upon the conclusion of Major General Shamni’s speech, the <a href="http://www.fidf.org/"><span style="color: purple;">Friends of the Israel Defense Forces</span></a> asked all those joining the IDF to come to the stage. It was a small group but a very powerful moment to see all those who would be fighting for a land that they love, defending our home, defending me. <span class="googqs-tidbit1">Be'hatzlacha!</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What followed was something very different but very interesting. Shifra Tessler, who made Aliyah last year, addressed the audience and spoke of her experiences during her first year before filling the room with a beautiful song. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Naturally, the perfect person to follow Shifra is her father, <a href="http://www.internationalrabbinicfellowship.org/leadership/joel-tessler"><span style="color: purple;">Rabbi Joel Tessler</span></a> who spoke about the obstacles that continue to stand in the way for those making Aliyah (i.e. proof of Judaism). What happened next was an interesting twist that is usually reserved for fiction, Rabbi Tessler announced that he will be joining his daughter and making Aliyah next year. Mazel Tov! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5hcPg1MzUIjQmZpo6S6A_QS0HDx-5h01W1cLsjhVBNoaLgWEwT-O9KhoItKXQejhZdU7ckDdtaPqLM7mbq_ptGhA5aHeaAkcJ_5K5uke1xYm9Vwjnkriaj0s3ntmAGQJWzgU4rKzExs/s1600/Tessler+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5hcPg1MzUIjQmZpo6S6A_QS0HDx-5h01W1cLsjhVBNoaLgWEwT-O9KhoItKXQejhZdU7ckDdtaPqLM7mbq_ptGhA5aHeaAkcJ_5K5uke1xYm9Vwjnkriaj0s3ntmAGQJWzgU4rKzExs/s320/Tessler+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Rabbi Joel Tessler <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At this point I took a look at my watch and noticed that the program was running about 30 minutes long. Usually that wouldn’t be a problem but I had a ticket for the last Amtrak train out of Union Station which left in an hour and, as I said before, it really is not a quick trip across town. I debated ducking out and calling a cab but, looking at the program and knowing we were near the end, I decided to stay. I am really glad I did!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Baruch Fellner from <a href="http://www.jnf.org/"><span style="color: purple;">Jewish National Fund</span></a> was the last to speak. Region by region, all of the olim were invited to the stage for a group picture and to receive our certificate from the JNF of the tree that was planted in our name. It may seem small but think about it… we now have roots in Israel! However small they may be at the moment we have the power to make them grow. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7buVt1SpRHlrRgyRHItje-qy1NToPS6xXN2EnDjZoFPgfmJdEFlh8szEVALSX2HLpDjB80Y0B7unv1wYwlC35vm9fdHFEI5aIt6CZ5JBmUr1ExeBvsPLPVHt_vbnBXow6-hxUwjYSps/s1600/Emabssy+Group+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7buVt1SpRHlrRgyRHItje-qy1NToPS6xXN2EnDjZoFPgfmJdEFlh8szEVALSX2HLpDjB80Y0B7unv1wYwlC35vm9fdHFEI5aIt6CZ5JBmUr1ExeBvsPLPVHt_vbnBXow6-hxUwjYSps/s320/Emabssy+Group+Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Group Photo <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Photo Courtesy of Shmulik Almany)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The ceremony was concluded with the singing of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatikvah"><span style="color: purple;">Hatikva</span></a>. I am certain that this is the last time I will sing that song without crying (although I was very close this time). After a deep breath and taking a few last minutes to absorb the experience I made the rounds and said good bye to those whom I spoke with earlier in the evening.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What happened next was quite surprising but very Israeli, one of the people I had just met a couple hours prior offered to drive me to the train station. I don’t know if I would have been able to make the train without his generosity. Todah!</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So, that was my little trip to the Embassy. Even though I didn’t get back to New Jersey until 1:30 in the morning (and I had to get back on the train at 7:30) I am glad I went and I feel very privileged to be an Oleh (almost - three weeks to go). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">UPDATE: I just received a great slide show from Monika Lev Cohen containing pictures from the event and put to some catchy (and very appropriate) music and an article mentioning the party in <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/focus-u-s-a/two-groups-leave-u-s-to-israel-one-to-immigrate-the-other-to-break-gaza-blockade-1.368831"><span style="color: purple;">Haaretz</span></a> (as well as another event during the day which I may discuss in the future). Thanks Monika!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/be5NhPWwCOM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Additional photos from the event by photographer Shmulik Almany can be seen viewed at </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://almanyphoto.com/olim/" target="_blank" title="http://almanyphoto.com/olim/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://almanyphoto.com/olim/</span></a>.</span></i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-46113610642160414242011-06-13T18:37:00.001-04:002011-06-15T12:58:40.527-04:00Aliyah Countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79IMcjMODto1_SZ9Od9YWFq5IJhTb7qQOKqu7EOiPx088PWr6DEUL94kKfZ_NOBdryLNcCjnrCOyFcMznBGPRcLGAWfK0nwaLwDY2lA40OO8q-X303jwTvUxmHbbJmJBgzLBIU3QeKPs/s1600/Hebrew+Numbers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79IMcjMODto1_SZ9Od9YWFq5IJhTb7qQOKqu7EOiPx088PWr6DEUL94kKfZ_NOBdryLNcCjnrCOyFcMznBGPRcLGAWfK0nwaLwDY2lA40OO8q-X303jwTvUxmHbbJmJBgzLBIU3QeKPs/s1600/Hebrew+Numbers.gif" t8="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As our flight date quickly approaches (we are now taking off a half hour earlier than expected), I thought it was time to post a little countdown. Not the usual counting of days, something a little different. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">10 weeks ago we attended the Aliyah Mega Event in NYC. This was the second year in a row that we attended and I recommend going if you have any interested in making Aliyah. In case you missed it, you can read about my experiences </span><a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/04/riding-aliyah-fair-high.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">here</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">9 months ago we told our families that we were going to make Aliyah. That was an interesting experience. Some reactions were positive others were a little volatile. It was a hectic day and a lot for our families to process. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to be having lunch or a cup of coffee with my Rabbi in 8 weeks. He has been a tremendous help throughout this process and he will be arriving in Israel two weeks after we land to teach at a Yeshiva in Jerusalem for a short period of time over the summer. It has been too long since we sat and talked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">7 weeks ago we got our Aliyah Visas! </span><a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/05/aliyah-update-im-freaking-out-man.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">We didn’t expect to get them so soon</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">. That is the best lunch break I think I have ever had. I still pull our passports out every once in a while and stare at them in disbelief. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">6 weeks ago we got the signed lease back for our apartment in Nachlaot. We finally got our home in the homeland. It took a few emails back and forth, the kindness of a new friend, and some negotiation but we finally got it done. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout this process, we had made our Aliyah plans anticipating not having jobs when we get there. However, that changed a few weeks ago. So, in 5 weeks I will have my first business meeting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In 4 months we will be fulfilling our declaration as the New Year begins... This year in Jerusalem! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">3 days from now I will be on my way down to Washington, DC. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were invited to the Embassy of Israel for an Olim Farewell Party (I still don’t know how we managed to get invited). I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2 years ago we were falling in love with our Homeland while on our honeymoon. </span><a href="http://samanthasjewishjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/two-years-ago-today.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Oh, how things have changed</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Just under 1 month from now we will be Israelis. There is nothing else I can really say to describe the way that makes me feel so I am going to stop writing now. </span></div></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-23575942793076233592011-05-20T15:17:00.001-04:002011-05-20T15:34:44.811-04:00This Blog Post Brought to You by Anonymous<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkhxQQG6wyPlF2t1cOVgYHdGswKZPhG-XJSFPQO380lg5M_twARH2NZY90e-7xn1l2imoq9sWcEWKgj2wMK-5r1ddIKRhQV07cxKzvswhUHtcM8S_orplwqsm_SKHDKYPvs5fr_UhXHk/s1600/ANONYMOUS+COMMENTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkhxQQG6wyPlF2t1cOVgYHdGswKZPhG-XJSFPQO380lg5M_twARH2NZY90e-7xn1l2imoq9sWcEWKgj2wMK-5r1ddIKRhQV07cxKzvswhUHtcM8S_orplwqsm_SKHDKYPvs5fr_UhXHk/s320/ANONYMOUS+COMMENTS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have tried to be honest with you, my readers. If I have an opinion on something, I make it known. I do my best not to hold back and keep myself from self editing. I know that some people will agree and I am fully aware that some people will disagree but I still put my name on the post. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lately, I have received a few anonymous comments opposing my point of view. That’s fine. I welcome opinions from all sides. However, if you are going to disagree, sign your name! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I stand by my convictions so please stand by yours. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If you made an anonymous comment on this blog, I ask you to resubmit your comment and standing behind your words by submitting your name. Until then those comments will remain unpublished (but they may become fodder for future posts). Speaking of blog fodder…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am now going to take this opportunity to reply an anonymous comment I received yesterday in response to my last post about President Obama’s Middle East speech titled “<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com/2011/05/can-i-fill-out-my-2012-absentee-ballot.html"><span style="color: purple;">Can I Fill Out My 2012 Absentee Ballot Now?</span></a>” Here is the exact comment that was submitted: “</span><span style="color: #333333;">Really....chill out 3 major religions view "Israel" as religiously important to them. Lets all get along.”</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I will begin by addressing the last part of the comment as I try to get <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King"><span style="color: purple;">Rodney King’s voice out of my head</span></a>. Israel would like to have the option of “getting along” but no one else has been willing to do so. Israel has tried, most recently in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_Peace_Treaty"><span style="color: purple;">1979</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords"><span style="color: purple;">1993</span></a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Jordan_peace_treaty"><span style="color: purple;">1994</span></a>, but without long term success. The insults and accusations continued and the rockets and mortals resumed not long after peace had been declared. It would be nice if we could all get along but both sides have to uphold that principle in order for that to be possible. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Israel has maintained a position of peace and has only taking action when necessary. Yes, I am referring to recent events such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lebanon_War"><span style="color: purple;">The Second Lebanon War</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_War"><span style="color: purple;">Operation Cast Lead</span></a>, and the taking of the </span><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjkLUcbJWo"><span style="color: purple;">Mavi Marmara</span></a>. In all these instances, Israel was provoked and forced to take action.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now it is time for the second and most obvious portion of the comment. I can’t refute that Israel is religiously important to three major religions. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Israel acknowledges the importance of the land to many people, not just Jews, which is</span><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> why Israel guarantees freedom of religion. The <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/People/SOCIETY-+Religious+Freedom.htm"><span style="color: purple;">Israel Ministry of Foriegn Affairs</span></a> provides a succinct summary which outlines this essential freedom: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="TR" style="color: #2b4375; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><em>"The<span style="color: #11285e;"> <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Declaration+of+Establishment+of+State+of+Israel.htm"><span style="color: purple;">Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel</span></a> </span>(1948) guarantees freedom of religion for all. Each religious community is free, by law and in practice, to exercise its faith, to observe its holidays and weekly day of rest, and to administer its internal affairs. Each has its own religious council and courts, recognized by law and with jurisdiction over all religious affairs and matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce. Each has its own unique places of worship, with traditional rituals and special architectural features developed over the centuries."</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The current problems of religious coexistance are not ones that can be blamed on Israel. Intolerance lies in those who refuse to accept the importance of sites to other religions and fail to respect the integrity of people of other faiths. Think about these two questions for a moment. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8324539.stm"><span style="color: purple;">What would happen</span></a> if I walked on to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount"><span style="color: purple;">Temple Mount</span></a> wearing my kippah? Who is <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3858335,00.html"><span style="color: purple;">throwing stones</span></a> at people praying at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall"><span style="color: purple;">Kotel</span></a>?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Of course, there are many instances of individuals of one faith attacking those of another faith. This happens all over the world not just in Israel. But when large groups, movements, organizations rally against “non believers” it is something that must be stopped. Unfortunately, this is a difficult task as Israel grants its citizens freedom of religion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finally, “chilling out” is not an option. Egypt is a mess and has now <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359478/Suez-Canal-Iranian-warships-enter-amid-accusations-provocation-Israel.html"><span style="color: purple;">opened up the Suez Canal</span></a> so that <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-15/world/israel.ship.weapons_1_gaza-militants-israeli-navy-vessel?_s=PM:WORLD"><span style="color: purple;">arms shipments</span></a> can more easily make their way to a nuclear Iran. They have also eased their <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8483466/Egypt-opens-Gaza-border.html"><span style="color: purple;">blockade of Gaza</span></a> allowing weapons and militants to filter in. This is why Israel should have never given up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinai_Peninsula"><span style="color: purple;">Sinai</span></a> in 1979. </span><span lang="TR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: TR; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of course, there are also leaders in the region (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan" title="Recep Tayyip Erdoğan"><span style="color: purple;">Erdogan</span></a> of Turkey, </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad"><span style="color: purple;">Ahmadinejad</span></a> of Iran, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_al-Assad"><span style="color: purple;">Assad</span></a> of Syria) who, just like the terrorist groups (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas"><span style="color: purple;">Hamas</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbullah">Hezbollah</a> in particular), believe that <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/huntley/5409131-417/iran-syria-foment-hate-for-israel.html"><span style="color: purple;">Israel is evil</span></a> and should be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas_Charter"><span style="color: purple;">wiped off the map</span></a>. Oh, and please take note that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatah"><span style="color: purple;">Fatah</span></a> and Hamas announced a new <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576307510480968584.html"><span style="color: purple;">partnership</span></a> earlier this month. But I’m sure all these leaders are peace loving people who want to co-exist with everyone, at least all those that they don’t want driven into the sea. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">When an entire region is against you, you don’t have the option of chilling out.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-26643323146405216542011-05-19T16:24:00.002-04:002011-05-20T15:35:15.445-04:00Can I Fill Out My 2012 Absentee Ballot Now?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nhbqV7jMnJuPXqMSeuoZzYVLy-1y4eCHC4b66a27T4RexYQmcuBzMNSa_MBwW29mFZ88FTxwCb98sS9-rPdfqBmyDXAvXilshPYkF6HF4zOgncbpuwSt7XXUd_g8punImhupPo8oZk0/s1600/george-bush-miss-me-yet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nhbqV7jMnJuPXqMSeuoZzYVLy-1y4eCHC4b66a27T4RexYQmcuBzMNSa_MBwW29mFZ88FTxwCb98sS9-rPdfqBmyDXAvXilshPYkF6HF4zOgncbpuwSt7XXUd_g8punImhupPo8oZk0/s320/george-bush-miss-me-yet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never thought I would miss him but I do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The fact that President Obama made a speech today is not surprising. The man likes to talk. In fact, he talks a little too much for my taste and, for some reason, can’t keep to a schedule. But I can deal with that. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">However, what I can’t stand for, support, or endorse is his ridiculously <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43091459/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/"><span style="color: purple;">misguided stance</span></a> that <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144334"><span style="color: purple;">Israel should return to the 1949 “Auschwitz Borders”</span></a>. His statements today bring up the same question in my mind… how can he effectively talk about, let alone declare an insane policy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidential_trips_made_by_Barack_Obama"><span style="color: purple;">when he hasn’t been to Israel</span></a> since before the 2008 elections nakba? It is one thing to <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/obama-visits-the-wall/"><span style="color: purple;">visit the Kotel</span></a> as a candidate seeking Jewish votes; it is something completely different when you are the President of the United States who can influence international policy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Below is the section of Obama’s speech that should be read (and reread so you can fully understand the absurdity of his stance):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat. Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security. The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These principles provide a foundation for negotiations. Palestinians should know the territorial outlines of their state; Israelis should know that their basic security concerns will be met. I know that these steps alone will not resolve this conflict. Two wrenching and emotional issues remain: the future of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees. But moving forward now on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation to resolve those two issues in a way that is just and fair, and that respects the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout his presidency, Obama has <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100036389/barack-obama%E2%80%99s-top-ten-insults-against-israel/"><span style="color: purple;">consistently harassed Israel</span></a> and prevented the Jewish State from taking appropriate actions to protect its <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100961-mccain-obama-helped-create-environment-for-flotilla-controversy"><span style="color: purple;">borders</span></a> and its <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125865"><span style="color: purple;">people</span></a>. This, of course, is in addition to his frequent <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125865"><span style="color: purple;">statements of condemnation</span></a> (actually he sends his staff most of the time) and <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140783"><span style="color: purple;">times of silence</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Generally speaking, I like to give people a second chance, to give people the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that those in power (in a “democratic” state) will, more often than not, do the right thing. I have given President Obama numerous chances, I have given him the benefit of the doubt, I really wanted to believe that he would do the right thing and stand by Israel. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/world/middleeast/20prexy-text.html"><span style="color: purple;">speech</span></a> today at the State Department was simply too much. I have run out of patience. I have run out of hope that he would finally do the right thing. Today’s speech was the final confirmation that the Obama administration will not support Israel and will continue to ignore the dangers that Israel faces every day from all parts of the region. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When the United States takes positions like this it makes me wonder if anyone can still take pride in calling themselves a Jewish American? What once was easy to say I now find difficult as my confidence wavers when the “A” becomes audible. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This fact further reinforces my decision to make Aliyah. I stand with Israel and I look forward to being able to proudly call myself an Israeli. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-86139254382324890222011-05-16T17:19:00.000-04:002011-05-16T17:19:18.739-04:00Waiting, Weighing, and Working<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPV4MYI9QBK5tyumAqEHCM7JGQ6agkUErYOXGongp22eafFjYGJTsH294YM6BXLLExCP8yBRV2sRmywdHRHIU-SkGr-SrEz3RREgvZ0GIxjX-IGQSjpXTrUhlLJEocQQwubcQsrB_HA4/s1600/100+pound+weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPV4MYI9QBK5tyumAqEHCM7JGQ6agkUErYOXGongp22eafFjYGJTsH294YM6BXLLExCP8yBRV2sRmywdHRHIU-SkGr-SrEz3RREgvZ0GIxjX-IGQSjpXTrUhlLJEocQQwubcQsrB_HA4/s1600/100+pound+weight.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As our flight date gets closer and closer I keep reminding myself that every little bit that you can do to ease the transition is worth pursuing; any excess baggage you can eliminate will make your flight easier and will increase your flexibility as you get used to your new life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This simple statement has motivated me to get rid of a lot of household clutter (books, DVDs, clothes, etc.), digitize and shred excess paperwork, pair down collections, and, in general, reevaluate every little thing that takes up space in the house and weighs us down. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">However, the biggest thing that has weighed me down is me. With that in mind, now that we are less than two months away, I have set a small goal for myself to work toward… to weigh less than 240 pounds by the time we leave. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t a huge difference from my current weight of 250 but when compared to the last time we were in Israel this is a massive change. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When we were walking around and exploring Jerusalem on our honeymoon in June 2009 I was doing so while weighing 350 pounds. I was still able to explore and do the things we wanted to do but I wasn’t setting any land speed records. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With so many things changing and so many unknown changes, I know that this will make a huge difference in my ability to adapt to a different lifestyle. I will be able walk everywhere comfortably (or as comfortably as I can in the summer heat) and not dread the walk back. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am looking forward to exploring without the time constraints that a vacation puts on you and without the burden of 110+ useless pounds. There is enough stress during the Aliyah process without the additional stress on my body of so much excess weight. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of course, this will also help with the food budget as well!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-64018003955466067852011-05-09T17:46:00.000-04:002011-05-09T17:46:46.065-04:00Aliyah Update: I'm Freaking Out Man!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/s4G4mcYOXMA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A lot has happened recently. The big news started on Wednesday with an email from our realtor who let me know that there was a one bedroom apartment available in Nachlaot. We quickly had one of our friends look at it for us and take some pictures. After discussing the details of the place, we decided to move forward. On Sunday we signed the lease and this morning we sent it over and wired the first two months rent. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, that was not the only news of the week. Wednesday was busy but paled in comparison to Thursday. While going back and forth with the realtor, I received an email from Nefesh B'Nefesh notifying us that we have two reserved seats on the July 11th flight. This was a little surprising since we hadn't gotten our visas yet (we needed to secure an apartment before we would be approved) but I wasn’t going to question it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Interestingly, that afternoon I received a call from the Jewish Agency letting me know that our visas were ready for us to pick up. This was a BIG surprise. So, I took a long “lunch” break on Friday and walked across town. Visas in hand, I returned to the office clutching the envelope like </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Gollum would grasp the ring…. my precious!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, it has been a hectic week and we got a lot more accomplished than I ever thought we would. It is becoming a reality. We will be in Israel, we will be Israelis, in a little over two months. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wow. I am freaking out a little bit. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-49789600778906222192011-05-07T22:00:00.001-04:002011-05-07T22:00:02.249-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Liberation<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“It was, incredibly, a complete anti-climax. This moment, on which all my thought and secret wishes had been concentrated for three years, evoked neither gladness nor, for that matter, any other feelings inside me.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Behind the barbed wire web, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the dead looked more alive than </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">those who clutched to the fence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with their bruised and bleeding hands. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Rot, feces, ash, and dust </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">suffocated the stench </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of diesel fumes billowing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from the Sherman tanks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Polish, German, Yiddish, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and Hebrew pleading bled </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">into the ears of the terrified </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and appalled liberators </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">who could do nothing more </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">than torture the Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The soldiers searched one another </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for any food they could find – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">fresh, frozen, or otherwise. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But before the morsels could be </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">passed to cracked lips </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the allied doctors rushed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to barricade the camp saying, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Too little food and they die! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Too much food and they die!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-58972790091103735442011-05-06T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-06T10:00:07.842-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Rachmones IV<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“But what I could not imagine was how so many people could have been killed at one time.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Would Kaddish be said for those </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">who passed before his eyes? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Was it his duty to say Kaddish?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He would say Kaddish every evening; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">pray for forgiveness every morning; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and ask to die on his way to work. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He lived on the hope that, someday, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his prayers would be answered… </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">all of them. But when he placed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the bodies in the furnace he knew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">that if he did not do it someone else </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">would have to – for good or bad – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">this was his job. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">* * * * </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The scars on his hands from </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the furnace door still carried the smell </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of flesh years after Auschwitz. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">* * * * </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At first he believed G-d had a plan; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">then, a plan without G-d; now, G-d </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">will grant his people life but will not </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">save the life of each person – he knew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they must save each other and save themselves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He passed time with hope – maybe </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his wife has survived, maybe </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his children are still alive – but </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the hours felt different. Each </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">minute had something absent; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">each second contained a void. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Somehow he knew his family </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was shattered but hope was all </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he had and they could not </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">take that away from him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-72762139420049933082011-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-05T10:00:06.932-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: The Prayers of a Mussulman<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Now, when I watched my fellow countrymen walk into the gas chamber, brave, proud and determined, I asked myself what sort of life it would be for me in the unlikely event of my getting out of the camp alive. What would await me if I returned to my native town?” – Filip Müller</span></i> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the haze of July smoke </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the screams seemed silent </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as voices strained to swim </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">through the humidity. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The words of stained dialect </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">remained clear in the ears </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of Filip’s head as he lay </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">recovering from slumber. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His own words pierced the echoes, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“G-d, why have you allowed me </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to wake? Why am I to work </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">another day? Why do you allow </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">your people to die and burn? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Why do I have to be the last </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to look into their clouded eyes </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as I carry their pink dyed bodies </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to the ovens? Why all this?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-56026931115595860692011-05-04T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-04T10:00:05.289-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: The Dead Elders<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“The damp stench of dead bodies and a cloud of stifling, biting smoke surged out toward us.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Wilting under the Sunday snow, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip choked on the dry gray – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his parched lungs longed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to feel humidity in the heat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip had been burning evidence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for a week when “the secret” was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">exposed to his skin. The elders </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">were the only ones refreshed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">by the gray and pink flesh – seniority </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">determined by their time at Auschwitz. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Anyone over a year old was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">considered close to death – only </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">ten elders indulged in the secret. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By the time Filip reached </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">six months old he held a place of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">honor as a well established elder. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip would grasp the handle and, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with a quick twist and pull, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">expose the boiling body within. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Despite the gagging stench, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the humidity of blood, muscle, and fat </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">moistened their eyes, lips, and lungs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This was the only way they knew how </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a crematoria worker could give back, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">give life, give comfort, to his fellow </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">workers and inmates and family.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-11313795502803200032011-05-03T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-03T10:00:03.129-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Nazi Gold Rush<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“One evening towards the end of October I went on night duty as one of a team of 100 prisoners. Together with another few experienced prisoners I was picked for this team by </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Kapo<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Kaminsky and instructed to </i>organize <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">valuables, if possible.” – Filip Müller</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No one objected to contributing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to the Nazi gold rush. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The metal table remained unscrubbed – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">thousands of stains the same crimson color. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Every body was mined – some held </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">nothing while others held fillings of gold. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These precious metals were </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">pried from behind limp lips. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Once all extractions were made, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the nuggets were sent </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to be melted in a crucible </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">while the flesh was retrieved </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to be burned in the furnace. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip lifted the countless bodies </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from the table. The cold blood, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">now more purple than red, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">dripped from his stained fingers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and rolled slowly down the drain </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">in the center of the slab. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Disgraced in death and abused in life – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip slowly and meticulously </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">repeated Kaddish for these people – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">these people who had no evidence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of torture during their lives or after death. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The only proof of their existence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was the effect they had on others </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and the testimony of those </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">who witnessed their life… and death. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Their body and blood was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">property to their murderers but </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">their faith and dedication was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a gift to G-d and every other Jew. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, they did exist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-2348056733805484162011-05-02T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-02T10:00:07.301-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Baruch Hashem<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Even before the bottom bar had been unbolted both wings of the double doors were bulging to the outside under the weight of the bodies.” – Filip Müller </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Hasidim seemed to stroll </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from the crammed cattle cars. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The black dressed crowd was three, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">if not four, generations deep. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They walked knowing what </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was going to happen but without </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">any final words passed from </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">father to son or from son to father.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Their last words were reserved </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for G-d, “Baruch Hashem.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Two brief words repeated </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">every three steps – stated simply </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">without anger or fear or hatred or </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">remorse to quiver their voices. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The only audible emotion was relief. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip watched in disbelief as these </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">learned and faithful men walked </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with deliberate steps; following </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">orders without having to be told twice. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Their somber gait announced </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the knowledge of their fate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The men disappeared as Filip </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">sealed the gas chamber door. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The hissing pipes rattled and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">screaming coughs commenced. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Echoes faded to faithful whispers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">giving way to last exhaled </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">gasps which rang in Filip’s ears. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He broke the seal to the chamber and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">continued the work that gave him breath </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">but took away his life. It took thirty </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">minutes to clear the mounds </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of humanity pressing their lips </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to the door for one last breath. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There was not a single body </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">in these mangled mounds </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">which was not bruised, scraped, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">cut, crushed, or broken. But now </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they lay without pain or pulse. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Once the last of these piles had been </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">removed, Filip peered into the shattered </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">room. Near the middle generations </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of Hasidim lay on their backs with </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">their faces, calm and clean,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">peacefully facing G-d.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-59854325595497217552011-05-01T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-01T10:00:01.466-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Bar Mitzvah<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Our life of isolation continued. For, although we did not realize this at first, we had become privy to a secret and were no longer allowed to come into contact with other prisoners or with SS men not in the know. That was why we no longer attended roll-call.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the illuminated darkness two </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">candles sizzled in the humid air </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">struggling to maintain their flame. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The youngest girl in the room </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">stood watch by the window </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to make sure that silence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was all the guards could hear. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">David hunched over his Torah portion </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">trying to remember the rhythm of the chant. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He shivered as his voice </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">quivered his whispers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Slowly, the Hebrew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was liberated from his lips.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Rabbi stood and shook his hand </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">welcoming him as part </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of the shrinking minyan. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip listened from across the camp</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as shouts of “Mazel Tov” echoed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from one building to another </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as the guards turned their heads </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">in the direction of the celebration. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Some troops smiled and enjoyed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the rare moment of happiness </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">while others grinned knowing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they would all be quiet soon enough.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-67260686707033147872011-04-30T22:00:00.002-04:002011-04-30T22:00:01.576-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Rachmones III<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“It took some time before I began to realize that there were people lying there at my feet who had been killed only a short while before.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Their pressed uniforms </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">stood out like blood on </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a veined marble head stone. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ash and snow mixed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">under their feet. Each soldier </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">weighed more than two </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">or three prisoners combined.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tissue stretched taut between </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">bones – he no longer knew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">how people could still be alive. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The line between life </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and death began to fray. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Singed with the scent of silence. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Pink skin now gray ash.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The smell of blackened flesh </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">turned his barren stomach. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After months of touching </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the hands of the dead </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he began to envy those </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he saw gasping for air. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He wished it would be over.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He could no longer remember </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">what fresh air tasted like. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The air would forever remain </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">dry and thick in his lungs – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">this is what it is like to taste sorrow. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Haunted by the whispers only </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">G-d was meant to hear. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When he was younger, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he used to be afraid </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to go to sleep; now </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he was afraid to wake up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-22384997074397690772011-04-29T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-29T10:00:05.428-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Sabbath Gassing<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I went to the pillar near which the girls had talked to me. There I found the girl Yana who had asked me to take off her necklace and give it to her lover as a last keepsake. She lay where she had said she would. I took off the necklace, pocketed it and left the room.” – Filip Müller </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They walked through the doors </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with their right hands raised </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">looking to brush their kissed fingers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">against the mezuzah that was not there. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The showers were used in solitude. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No guards in the room. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This was their time to destroy silence.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The sun set with the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">latching of the double doors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Sabbath greetings began. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Shabbat Shalom!” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Voices repeated, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">muting the constant echoes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The dialogue ceased as </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the air became thick and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">their bodies remained dry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The pipes did not </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">flush with water – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they hissed with gas </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as the screaming began.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-52210492023032705132011-04-28T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-28T10:00:01.809-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Rachmones II<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Behind it a round red-brick chimney rose up into the sky.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The handle sizzled in </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his snow chapped palm. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As he pulled the furnace door </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he could hear the air caress </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the ashen body within. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He paused. The bitter taste </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of parched flesh </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">seized his muscles. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The guard turned and began </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a slow walk in Filip’s direction. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In his eyes, sinister delight </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">glowed brighter as he inched </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">toward ‘his’ inmate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His neck bulged as his arm </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">rose and his fist clenched. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip pulled the iron door open </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">but he could not avoid the assault.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-2178128002583419662011-04-27T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-27T10:00:02.380-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Job<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I was like one hypnotized and obeyed each order implicitly. Fear of more blows, the ghastly sight of piled-up corpses, the biting smoke, the humming of fans and the flickering of flames, the whole infernal chaos had paralysed my sense of orientation as well as my ability to think.” – Filip Müller</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The wooden doors slid to the right </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and unnumbered inmates were </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">forced in to the mass of humanity. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The fire hose hissed as droplets </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">fell and froze to their lips. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They patiently shuffled their feet </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">across sheets of crystallized tears. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Their clothes stiff with icy sweat. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The able bodied were embroidered </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with needled ink. Their numbers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">stripped them of nearly everything, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">leaving only that which damned them: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">their blood and their faith. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip was chosen to live; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">chosen to watch others die; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">chosen to stay warm on </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the coldest days as families, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">towns, and villages were </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">reduced to smoke and ash. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His breath choked thick </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with the tribes and lineage </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of every Jew. This was a test </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Job was never forced to endure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-57402950173928037432011-04-26T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-26T10:00:00.344-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: Rachmones I<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“We had been running for about 100 metres, when a strange flat-roofed building loomed up before us.” – Filip Müller</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the distance, with the air </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">above the stacks still, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">ovens stood in industrial </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">innocence within their brick </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and mortar womb. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The furnace lay cold and gray </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with its cast iron door swung open, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and waited to receive the next Jew – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to embrace them in its crucible heart. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In silent slavery and in slumber </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the bodies kept flowing past </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Filip like a swollen stream.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ice and snow singed his feet. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The inhumanity of the inanimate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s1600/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZkH7-Ct4Oo3z9FfM_d1vwPeFL4upEoTMmvVsPQSv4yuX0tH2mIf0R1NcVdfUo54TGZYpylbK958X4_F2WGF0MjJfHwiZyghsXUmKSuM1IjrHMeYedG-UrScYdiuedBAzAJTi_yvfzmE/s320/Filip+Muller+Book.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Filip Müller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Deported from Sered, Czechoslovakia, Filip Muller (#29236) worked for three years as a prisoner in the “Sonderkommando” in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. Every day he saw the flames extinguished of many, now forgotten, candles. Frequently writing notes about his experiences, Müller spent years after his liberation trying to educate all those who would listen to his account but he did not compile and publish his testimony until 1970 under the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chambers/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593510&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers</span></a> (Ivan R. Dee, Publishers: Chicago (IL), 1979). Müller has lived in Western Europe since 1969.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-62535285299555736082011-04-25T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-25T10:00:11.471-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: A Pure Breath<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“What matters is that all this did happen.” – Janusz Korczak</span></i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The boy pushed away sleep and, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">blinking his silent eyes in the candlelight, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he listened to Korczak’s voice. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Echoing above the soldier’s </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">ash-muffled steps, the only </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">sound in the camp was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the doctor’s paper cracking </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">like a stiff flag in a sharp </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">breeze as he chiseled lead </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">onto what once was white.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Despite his arthritic fingers,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he had written hundreds of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">pages in the ghetto; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">but these were the first </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">curled letters of his Kaddish. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This was his last leaf of script; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the last journal entry which </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">would never leave his hand. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This was his voice that would rain </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">down with his body and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">rest in the lungs of Treblinka.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s1600/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s320/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Janusz Korczak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Janusz Korczak was an elderly doctor who cared for countless children at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. Born Henryk Goldzmit in 1878, Korczak first made a name for himself in Poland as a pediatrician, writer, and children’s rights advocate. Korczak would later change his name to shield himself from the growing anti-Semitism of the time. He wrote autobiographical novels at the turn of the century as well as founding the first children’s newspaper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Review</i>, and he had a radio program as “the Old Doctor.” Later, he gave up his medical practice to establish the first progressive orphanages in Warsaw. From that point until the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Korczak wrote about children and for children. Korczak was 64 when he began writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593474&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Ghetto Diary</span></a> (Yale University Press: New Haven (CT), 2003). Refusing numerous attempts at freedom, Korczak died with his children at Treblinka.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-47180940880743659682011-04-24T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-24T10:00:00.520-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: The Last Sign of God in the World<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Now that every day brings so many strange and sinister experiences and sensations I have completely ceased to dream.” – Janusz Korczak</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Below the smokestack sky </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the rose pressed up from under </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the concrete Treblinka wall. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was the only color seen</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from the crowded cattle car. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Korczak followed his pupils’ </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">dry eyes as they passed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the flower and entered the camp.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The petals haunted the doctor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They were the same red </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he had seen dripping from </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the children’s chapped hands. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Janusz knew the rose was </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the same red as the fire that </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">caused hundreds of mothers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to fall on the heads of sons </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and daughters they never knew. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The train stopped, the doors </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">opened, and the doctor led </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his students into the cold </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">smoldering courtyard. As </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his young Jews huddled and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">clamped around his waist, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the crimson rose </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">continued to haunt his eyes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s1600/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s320/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Janusz Korczak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Janusz Korczak was an elderly doctor who cared for countless children at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. Born Henryk Goldzmit in 1878, Korczak first made a name for himself in Poland as a pediatrician, writer, and children’s rights advocate. Korczak would later change his name to shield himself from the growing anti-Semitism of the time. He wrote autobiographical novels at the turn of the century as well as founding the first children’s newspaper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Review</i>, and he had a radio program as “the Old Doctor.” Later, he gave up his medical practice to establish the first progressive orphanages in Warsaw. From that point until the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Korczak wrote about children and for children. Korczak was 64 when he began writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593474&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Ghetto Diary</span></a> (Yale University Press: New Haven (CT), 2003). Refusing numerous attempts at freedom, Korczak died with his children at Treblinka.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-79517172723462973092011-04-23T22:00:00.000-04:002011-04-23T22:00:02.688-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: With His Children<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“The world knows nothing of many great Poles.”- Janusz Korczak</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Some children high stepped, others </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">had to be dragged by their armbands, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">but most of them, free </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from the crucible orphanage walls, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">blindly obeyed the doctor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“They don’t want you, just the children!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He never replied to the pleading few. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He only broke step twice with his troop-- </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the first was to make sure the children followed; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the second was to hand a stack of papers </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to a coughing soot-haired youth-- the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">one child in the crowd that day not being </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">forced to march. Then, the doctor </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">resumed his pace as caboose of the line. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ghetto sea thinned as the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">hazy box car opened its doors-- </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for every child that entered the train, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">ten people lost their voices. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When the doctor was the only one left </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to walk through the sliding doors, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the solitary thing that could be heard </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was the ticking of a pocket watch </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">lying in the corner of the cattle car. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tick! Tick! Tick!<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s1600/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s320/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Janusz Korczak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Janusz Korczak was an elderly doctor who cared for countless children at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. Born Henryk Goldzmit in 1878, Korczak first made a name for himself in Poland as a pediatrician, writer, and children’s rights advocate. Korczak would later change his name to shield himself from the growing anti-Semitism of the time. He wrote autobiographical novels at the turn of the century as well as founding the first children’s newspaper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Review</i>, and he had a radio program as “the Old Doctor.” Later, he gave up his medical practice to establish the first progressive orphanages in Warsaw. From that point until the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Korczak wrote about children and for children. Korczak was 64 when he began writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593474&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Ghetto Diary</span></a> (Yale University Press: New Haven (CT), 2003). Refusing numerous attempts at freedom, Korczak died with his children at Treblinka.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-76873347891403031262011-04-22T10:00:00.002-04:002011-04-22T10:00:11.362-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: The Assistant’s Diary: August 4th, 1942<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“For in the hour of reckoning I am not inside a solitary cell of the saddest hospital in the world but surrounded by butterflies and grasshoppers, and I can hear a concert of crickets and a soloist high up in the sky- the skylark.” – Janusz Korczak<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The doctor has been writing fewer pages <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as the calendar has pared its months. <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What was once an opus of aspirations <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">has become a ghetto diary-- <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">recording occurrences of the day.<i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His thoughts are becoming weak. <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The eloquent script used to pen <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A Child’s Right to Respect</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">is now a collection of <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">abandoned words-- he knows <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">his energy can no longer <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">be wasted on literary devices. <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I see the doctor has finished for tonight. <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to get them done quickly <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">so I may also sleep.<i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Amidst the children’s <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">cacophony of coughs, <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the typewriter keys popped <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with every staggered finger stroke<i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">like moist maple wood in a flame. <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These are the last words <i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the ink embossed on the page:<i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I am watering the flowers. My bald head in the window. What a splendid target.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“He has a rifle. Why is he standing and looking on calmly?<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“He has no orders to shoot.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“And perhaps he was a village teacher in civilian life, or a notary, a street sweeper in Leipzig, a waiter in Cologne?<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“What would he do if I nodded to him? Waved my hand in a friendly gesture?<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Perhaps he doesn’t even know that things are- as they are?<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“He may have arrived only yesterday, from far away…”</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s1600/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s320/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Janusz Korczak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Janusz Korczak was an elderly doctor who cared for countless children at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. Born Henryk Goldzmit in 1878, Korczak first made a name for himself in Poland as a pediatrician, writer, and children’s rights advocate. Korczak would later change his name to shield himself from the growing anti-Semitism of the time. He wrote autobiographical novels at the turn of the century as well as founding the first children’s newspaper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Review</i>, and he had a radio program as “the Old Doctor.” Later, he gave up his medical practice to establish the first progressive orphanages in Warsaw. From that point until the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Korczak wrote about children and for children. Korczak was 64 when he began writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593474&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Ghetto Diary</span></a> (Yale University Press: New Haven (CT), 2003). Refusing numerous attempts at freedom, Korczak died with his children at Treblinka.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556003254867454064.post-69662945992511664092011-04-21T10:00:00.000-04:002011-04-21T10:00:01.645-04:00Holocaust Poem of the Day: A Hundred Stars<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“People are naïve and good-hearted. And probably unhappy.”- Janusz Korczak</span></i> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He strolled through </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">sidewalk slush to </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">collect donations used </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to support his children;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they were contributions </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">needed to prevent his Jews </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from being forgotten.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With his daily persistence, he </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">eagerly received tattered marks </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from ghetto inmates without </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">concern for his reputation;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">this is what King Matthew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">would have done.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At night, by the light </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of a hundred blue stars glowing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from frayed threads wrapped </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">around the sleeping children, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he would write in his journal </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">with a pencil sharpened at both ends.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This was his lull of huddled peace </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">when he could record, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">not yet a Kaddish for his children, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">rather a prayer: to be able </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to live through another day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By morning, his smudged plea </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">had faded from the page. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ink was precious-- </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">its permanence was reserved </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for lists marked by the SS. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Beyond the orphanage, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the only people who knew </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the names of his flock </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">wore swastikas </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">stamped on their sleeves. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So long as his children </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">were carried on a clipboard</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">titled “Treblinka” he would </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">never let the executioner’s pen </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">forget the name Korczak.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s1600/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjnzPzv8Hoy781vSmvYsk_COQ1Gzz6MfB1t_sHjCGppG6CBByWFRvGUQKPSjIyHxeakfANb7F-P-0Iiy9VHF-qAt96uk0fCa9CGIkwjwe3IFsOv7Jo8wNdmrCnXsgz1Dpog69I8aZ7_Q/s320/Janusz+Korczak+Book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">About Janusz Korczak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Janusz Korczak was an elderly doctor who cared for countless children at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. Born Henryk Goldzmit in 1878, Korczak first made a name for himself in Poland as a pediatrician, writer, and children’s rights advocate. Korczak would later change his name to shield himself from the growing anti-Semitism of the time. He wrote autobiographical novels at the turn of the century as well as founding the first children’s newspaper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Review</i>, and he had a radio program as “the Old Doctor.” Later, he gave up his medical practice to establish the first progressive orphanages in Warsaw. From that point until the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Korczak wrote about children and for children. Korczak was 64 when he began writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301593474&sr=1-1"><span style="color: purple;">Ghetto Diary</span></a> (Yale University Press: New Haven (CT), 2003). Refusing numerous attempts at freedom, Korczak died with his children at Treblinka.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05357699535454384442noreply@blogger.com0