Alex and his friend Benny Bursztyn hold the Israeli flag at Auschwitz.

The Jewish Nation Lives

Poland was home to the largest Jewish community in the world 150 years ago. Now, the only Jews in Poland are the ones who leave Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and a handful of other nations to go on a journey for a week or so, all asking the same question: What happened here? These Jews wish to understand what Jewish life was like in Poland and how that life was destroyed in the Holocaust. A few weeks ago, I was one of those Jews.

In an eight-day trip we managed to visit at least 25 distinct sites. We learned about how developed the Jewish community was in Poland in the 19th century. Back then, there were more Jewish newspapers in print than there are now in Israel. There were also Jewish governing bodies in Poland. It’s almost impossible to count how many schools, synagogues, youth clubs, homes for the elderly, hospitals and other institutions the Jewish community built in various cities and towns in Poland.

We went to the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw, which somehow still stands. It’s a huge graveyard that was used by the Jewish community for years before the war. We saw the graves of Jews who were influential in the arts, government, linguistics and religious studies, all given dignified burials.

We went to Tykocin, a shtetl (small town), which had a 400-year-old synagogue. It was one of the biggest and most beautiful shuls I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a few. We went to Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, the first campus-style yeshivah (religious school) where people lived together in addition to learning together. This concept, which is so popular today in Israel and in some places in the U.S., was started in the building in which I stood in Poland.

We went to Leżajsk and saw a mikveh (water basin for ritual purification) used by Chasidic men before Shabbat each week. We learned about how all Chasidim around the world have Poland to thank for the origin of their movement.

We went to a kibbutz, yes, a kibbutz, in the middle of nowhere in Poland. It was set up by Zionist youth groups to train people for life in Palestine. We learned about the plethora of Zionists and socialists in Poland. We learned just how active the Jews of Poland were.

And then we learned about how that beautiful burning flame that was the Jewish community of Poland was extinguished so quickly and without hesitation. We went to Treblinka, the most efficient death camp of its kind in history. In just a few years, 800,000 Jews were killed there. The entire Jewish community of Warsaw, as big and strong as that of many major U.S. cities, was brought to Treblinka and killed, just like that. We went to Majdanek, where you can still see and even go inside the gas chambers and crematoria. There were 90,000 Jews killed there. We went to Auschwitz and Birkenau, where 1.5 million Jews were killed. The place was the size of a small town. A small town where trains rolled in, Jews got off, about three-quarters were sent right to their deaths and the other quarter were chosen to work, a much slower death. We saw ghettoes and mass graves in forests.

We went to Poland and saw that Polish Jewry no longer exists. Right now, more Jews live in Israel than in any other place in the world. I have been living in Israel for over six months now. It’s hard to know what to say about the Holocaust, but spend just a week in Poland learning about that darkest of moments in Jewish history, and it’s easy to love the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

Wild Turkey

Turkey, until Feb. 24, 2009, was simply my favorite deli meat. Now, it’s one of the most interesting and unique places I have ever been. My Olami group, Sephardic Judaism and Zionism, embarked on a journey to study Jewish history and explore modern Jewish life in the bi-continental country. There we visited beautiful synagogues and Jewish schools, and mingled with Turkish Jews of all ages.

The Jewish community in Turkey is not like that of America or Israel at all. Turkey is a country that’s been in the news a lot lately and, to put it lightly, isn’t known for its love of Zionism or Israel. The situation in Gaza triggered a wave of anti-Israel sentiments throughout Turkey, and because of that security has to be extra tight. When our group visited Jewish youth clubs or synagogues at night, we had to be careful and not draw attention to ourselves. The Jews we met with told us stories about how they wouldn’t feel comfortable outwardly supporting Israel or wearing a Star of David around their necks. However, despite these uncomfortable situations, the Jewish community thrives in Turkey. Jews are proud and happy to be Jewish; they just need to express it in different ways.

The best example of this is when our group visited a youth club on the Asian side of Istanbul. We had to walk in a silent straight line to get in and then through security. Once the security check was completed, we entered a different world. We were greeted by the sounds of booming Israeli music and teenagers practicing dances as part of their Israeli dance group. It was so exciting to see that the political situation in Turkey can’t keep Jewish teens from loving and being active in their religion.

This Olami trip was packed not only with Jewish sights and attractions, but also Turkish palaces, vacation islands and a relaxing trip to the hamam, a traditional Turkish bath. More than anything else, the trip to Turkey got me so excited to come back to Israel, where there’s an enormous amount of freedom for the Jews and a national love and identity with the Jewish religion. Israel is a haven for Jews everywhere; it’s the one place where the Jewish people will always be able to call home.

Purim Playtime

My introduction to my volunteer placement couldn’t have been better. For my Israel Experience, I’m living in Kfar Saba and working at the Kadima after-school youth center. My very first day on the job, I had the exciting pleasure of joining the children in their Purim celebration. Everybody dressed up in colorful and creative costumes—we had a cowboy, flowerpot, baby, cross-dressed boy and more—and went to a kibbutz just north of the city for a day of activities and performances with the rest of the Kadima centers in the Tel Aviv area.

The place was swarming with frolicking children, and though it was a little overwhelming, it was also awesome. Simply gathering so many people together in one place for a holiday celebration seemed like an enormous accomplishment. But there was also a lot in store for us that day.

When we first got there, the kids broke into groups and enjoyed a series of games set up all around the kibbutz in a carnival-like fashion. There was bowling, fishing, pin the tail on the donkey, potato-sack races and many other fun activities. Afterward, everyone gathered for a lunch of hotdogs, juice boxes and popsicles. I had the interesting experience of eating my hotdog with olives, hummus and egg salad. I guess there aren’t standard protocols in Israel for what you can and can’t put on a hotdog!

After lunch, we received the real treat of the day: a performance by Kokhav Nolad (Israel’s version of American Idol) contestant Hen Aharoni. He sang a variety of hit songs and got everybody on their feet. Then we all got to stay on our feet for a little bit of organized dancing. There was the electric slide, funky chicken and hora. Finally, it was time for everyone to return home. The day was a great success and an amazing way for me to celebrate Purim and be welcomed into the Kadima family.

Alex Baskin hails from Highland Park, N.J. He graduated from the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School. He enjoys chillin’ with his homies and throwing around a Frisbee. His friends say he argues too much, but he completely disagrees. Alex will be attending Tufts University next year.

Gaby Grossman is a native of Los Angeles, Calif. She recently graduated from the Shalhevet High School and will be attending Boston University next year as a double major in political science and print journalism. Her hobbies include watching and critiquing movies, going to the beach and relaxing, coming up with original catch phrases and incessantly quoting The Office and Arrested Development.

Sarah Pfander is from Urbana, Ill., in the suburbs of Chicago. She loves all things Jane Austen, is an avid soccer player and intends to play for Oberlin College, which she’ll be attending next year. She’s also a waterskiing and snow-skiing enthusiast and hopes to someday compete in an Ironman triathlon.