I have to thank Rabbi Goldblatt, Eve and The Portland Kollel for enabling us all to go on this amazing and inspirational mission to Poland and Israel.
A mission of this kind has been on the back burner for me for numerous years. My and my husband's ancestors have lived in Poland for many generations. Even though I wasn't born in Poland, I have always felt that I really was from Poland. My first language was Yiddish and I only really started speaking English properly in Kindergarten. I was raised with many many stories of memories of life in Poland from my parents' childhoods.
For many years my parents never spoke about the horrific experiences they had endured during the Holocaust. In spite of the fact that I hadn't heard the real stories about their experiences, I knew that something dreadful was haunting us all from the past. My parents were brutally wounded emotionally and couldn't overcome the deep scars of trauma.
This will be an extremely memorable journey for me to experience together with my daughter, Eve, who has invested her life's work in helping Jews find their roots. As we walk into the camps that they slaved in and step on the grounds where they were tortured, will we feel their presence surrounding us?
We're leaving in a couple of minutes for the airport. Stay tuned for more thoughts on our journey!
