Sunday, January 31, 2010

A Journey of Hope....Through Hell



Yesterday I returned from my trip to Poland. It was a wonderful trip of hope but I traveled through Hell to get there. Forgiveness may not come easy to most people but to survivor of the Holocaust Eva Mozes Kor it was the only way she could enjoy her journey through life. Her spirit is the way I want to be. Eva has forgiven all the perpetrators and murderers from Auschwitz. It wasn't about the murderers....it was about her. On my journey with her touring Auschwitz, I witnessed genocide at it's greatest. I walked on a spot known as 'The Selection Platform' where no other spot on earth has ruined more families. Where infants were ripped away from the loving arms of their mothers. Where toddlers & teens were gassed and lives shattered. I also witnessed while traveling with 55 other people that there is hope for our world...but we have to stand up for the value of lives...each life is special. We must repair the world...Tikkun Olam. These glasses represent lives lost...a remembrance of what I must do for my world.





The museum at Auschwitz was amazing. Very simplistic & poignant. A reminder of loss of life. In the museum, placed in a large glass room stood 90,000 shoes. Beautiful shoes. Children's shoes. Baby shoes. Men's shoes. Ladies shoes. Ninety thousand shoes....think about it....shoes representing 45,000 lives lost...shoes representing only 5% of all lives lost in the death camps of Auschwitz. Never will I get that visual from my head...a simple powerful message. Tikkun Olam....repair the world.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You're back!!!! Got to get together to hear all about your trip....

Jen Kershner said...

Oh, I didn't realize you were gone. Welcome home! I can't imagine what an emotional roller coaster that trip must have been.