THS Poland Experience Day 6: Krakow - Hannah R. and Rivka

Photos by Hannah Rappoport

Shabbat Day- Hannah R.

After an incredible first week in Europe, we had the opportunity to experience an even more incredible, special, and meaningful Shabbat together in Kraków. Following a week of 6:30 am wake up calls, being able to sleep in until 9:30 was a much-appreciated treat! Once we all finally got dressed and ready for Shabbat, we headed to the Isaac Shul, which was built in 1644. Davening and listening to the Haftorah in such a beautiful and elegant shul with so much history was a unique and unforgettable experience.

After the shul service concluded, we headed back to the hotel to enjoy our first meal. Next, we braved the cold weather and embarked on a walking tour of the thriving Jewish quarter in Kraków. At this point, we found out that in honor of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, there was a convention of Holocaust survivors staying at the hotel right across the street from ours! How lucky is that?! We took advantage of this unique opportunity and met up with a few survivors at their hotels. We were able to talk to them and hear their harrowing stories of how they survived the tragic events that took place.

One survivor in particular, Rosalie, became our class’ honorary Bubbe! It was at the point when she placed her frail hands on my face and kissed my cheek that I realized how lucky I am to have met her, and I began to cry. It made me realize that soon, I will no longer have the opportunity to speak to survivors and that I need to use every chance I get to speak to them to truly listen to their stories to pass them on.

To end off such a beautiful and inspirational Shabbat, we attended a Havdalah service that honored the survivors.

Motzei Shabbat- Rivka

Shabbat concluded with an inspirational Havdalah, in which the survivors present each proudly held a candle aloft, representing their ability to overcome and face their past as victors rather than victims. We then continued speaking with Rosalie, our newly proclaimed Bubbe, and Meir, who sang with us and promised to visit San Diego.

Soon after, we walked straight to the cemetery behind Rav Moshe Iserlis’ shul, in which we visited the graves of many prominent and righteous individuals including the Ramah and his family, Tosfos Yom Tov, Megaleh Amukos, and more. We then made a quick stop at the hotel after which we embarked on a trip to learn more about Sarah Schenirer, the revolutionary behind Bais Yaakov and the concept of Jewish women’s education in general. We had the privilege of seeing her teachers’ seminary, after which we followed the journey of a disciple of Sarah Schenirer known as Perel Benisch, the author of ’To Vanquish the Dragon’. As we went “dragon hunting,” we discovered the namesake of the novel, and also heard the legend of the dragon slayer, which gave Krakow its name.

We then visited the Plaszow Concentration Camp, which was completely obliterated by the Nazis near the conclusion of the war, and which incidentally contains the grave of Sarah Schenirer. As we memorialized such an inspirational heroine, we broke out in the song that Meir, a Holocaust survivor, had taught to us earlier. The lyrics were especially fitting, as they discuss the beauty of studying Torah, which Sarah Schenirer allowed girls to fulfill.

On our way back to the hotel, we drove through the Krakow Ghetto, noting important locations like the walls and the square which was used to transport people to various camps. Shortly after arriving back at the hotel, we met downstairs for a Melava Malka through which we discussed our feelings about the trip. We concluded that Shabbat had tied together our previous experiences, by allowing us to meet great people and therefore take pride in our identity as Jewish people.