Cemeteries, synagogues, and monuments and then there's Krakow

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If you're still reading my blogs, you deserve a prize! Your reward is a shorter post because I'm going with a theme and more pictures than words. In the last few days, we've been to towns like Czladtz, Bedzin, Slawkow, Dobrovna, and yesterday we changed hotels and are in Krakow for the weekend. All these towns had large Jewish communities before WW2 and have none now (except for a small one in Krakow). What they do each have is a cemetery or a marker where it once was, a synagogue or monument where one once stood, a plague where the ghetto was, and a monument commemorating the Jews that died. We've been to them all and had wreath laying ceremonies by a number of them. True for Krakow too... an art installation done by Roman Polanski at the spot where the ghetto began. We went to shul here last night (Krakow has a large enough Jewish community to have 2 services to choose from) and had a very special Friday night dinner at a JCC. The sameness of the other towns was striking and sad. Krakow on the other hand is different. The 'rebirth' of Jewish life (150-500 Jews live here now) and the interest in Jewish culture on the part of some young non Jewish Poles is hard for me to understand. The JCC has 50 young Poles that volunteer there...serve meals to groups like ours, help seniors, etc. And there's a Jewish festival, etc. Lots of possible reasons for this fascination with Jewish culture are talked about but none of them sit well with me. Earlier today we walked around an incredibly beautiful central market area with ornate cathedrals, restaurants, shops, street performers, even lots of pigeons. And I started getting lulled into a mood of 'wow' what an amazing city' until I saw the tourist offices everywhere advertising bus trips to Auschwitz Birkenau along with the local salt mines and other tourist attractions. The dissonance of being in this country came roaring back. And tomorrow we too are going to that 'tourist attraction' called Auschwitz....
But I'll stop for now. I did promise a short post. Now for those pictures...

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Comments

[Shira]

WOW
Mom Im so glad youre blogging this. Just caught up on your week now and its just amazing. I'm so happy you decided to take this trip, Rita and Meir too. What an opportunity to connect with people and places long gone. Love you