A little Change

Today got off to a very chilly and wet start. Today was our first day in the cemetery, and today was our first book discussion. After some delay in getting into the cemetery, we got an impressive tour from the man who runs the whole operation. After our hour long tour, we got to work clearing a section of the cemetery. Some pulled weeds and cleared brush, others carted that plant matter to the awaiting fires, and other carefully maintained the fires. My duty was the first. While I was raking up dead leaves behind a particularly stubborn log, Drew came over and stated that he thought he'd try raking as he hadn't done that yet. I quickly, sarcastically, remarked "Oh, you'll love it! It'll change your world!" His response took me a moment to process. He replied, "That's what I'm hoping." It was that simple response that I found so profound. Simple and honest, it revealed truths to me I found embarrassing not to have thought before. That reply should have been obvious to me, especially after what we learned on the tour. As it turns out the efforts that have been carried out through this mission have attracted a lot of attention, and, consequently, brought a lot of people closer to their long lost loved ones. The man who primarily runs the cemetery gave us our extensive tour because he now had a few personal stories of people coming to the cemetery and finding their family member's formally buried grave.
He also told us that the work being done here has attracted the attention of the Polish government and the EU, and they are now looking into funding, at least some of the restoration, partially due to the UEFA EURO championship being held in Poland in 2012. It is incredible to be a part of a simple mission that has become such a large movement. To know that I will have played a part, small as it may be, in something so phenomenally powerful, but more importantly good, is something I have yet to completely grasp. With this new found realization, I immediately got back to work!
It was revealed to our group that we may in fact work beyond noon, for more than a total of three hours. I was elated with this, as I knew that our potential level of accomplishment would increase dramatically. Today, however, we did not end up working much past noon on account of constant and heavy rain. When we got back to the Hostel we had a short clean-up break and then gathered to discuss J.T. Gross's Neighbors. Our discussion was very interesting and it seemed as though everyone had something insightful to say. It left me thinking about the human tragedy that occurred in that book, how someone can be driven to kill another so viciously. It also left me thinking of solutions. Tomorrow will be another day of work, probably harder than today, but I will gladly settle for raking, because it is my hope to change to world.

Unfair and Unjust

Since I heard about, and was accepted into the Holocaust Service Learning Project, I have anxiously awaited this trip. I say anxious because my emotions were both excited and nervous. I was excited for the opportunity to be a part of something larger than myself and I was nervous about how the reality of it all would affect me. When I finally got here my mind had some catching up to do, as overnight flights tend to be somewhat draining. As I was walking back from the Rynek, Mallory said something that jump started my mind. She said she felt strange walking where thousands of people should have walked and where countless more may have existed and lived out their lives. She mentioned how unfair it seemed that she would be able to be there, and they not. She wondered how she should be feeling about all of that. This got me thinking about the enormity of the tragedy that happened around us. I'm sure that will be more fully fleshed out as the week continues. She brings an interesting perspective. As I continued walking I could picture people on their way to a kosher market, or walking to/from synagogue. I can imagine a thriving Jewish population, plenty of people living out their faith, living their lives, and all having precious worth. However, the reality is clear. There remain only several hundred Jews here now, and they are a declining demographic. That reality hits me hard. To answer Mallory's question; I think that, at the present time, in the big picture; no, it is not fair. However, the individual can wield a great deal of power in the long run. While the fact that there are countless fewer lives on this earth because of the Holocaust is in no way fair or just, there is hope for tomorrow. I am surrounded by a group of people who are not only willing to listen and learn, but also reflect on themselves, and do their part to make the world a better place. Because of them, countless lives may be saved.

Coming Soon

I'm sorry I've been out for some time now, things have been extremely busy. This past summer I was living in Detroit and working as an Intern for Crossroads and Young Leaders Initiative. That experience has led me to fall in love with Detroit. There's a lot of work to be done in that city, but it's full of hard working, good people. I will be leaving for Poland on the 9th, a service trip through my college that seeks to reconcile the horrors of the Holocaust by keeping the memories of families murdered, during the Holocaust, alive. We will be working in a Jewish cemetery, clearing the brush and rectifying lost gravestones. This is important because the preservation and dignity of the body is very important to Jewish tradition. Since the relatives of those graves we will be working with have all been killed, no one who would normally care for the graves exists. To honor those murdered in the Holocaust we will carry out the task of maintaining that hallowed ground in their stead. I will set a link to the blog for that trip as soon as I can, and hopefully I will be able to maintain my own thoughts here. I will return from Europe on the 28th, and hopefully move in to Detroit shortly after. Stay tuned.