Hi all,
I’ve arrived in Warsaw, and just finished my first day of work here–I miss you all! I’ve been thinking a lot about the theme of our class and our work together–it is interesting to think about our conversations about New York as I am in a city that is so totally different–and far away.
Today, we arrived in Warsaw in the early afternoon and then went from the airport immediately to a myriad of sites–I am surprised by how “cosmopolitan” it is–I’ve seen an H & M, Pizza Hut, and a few McDonald’s.
Today we went to the Gensha Cemetery–the largest Jewish cemetery in the world with tombstones dating back several centuries. The image I am choosing to share is one of the memorial for Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit, a writer, educator, and pediatrician who opted to refuse freedom for himself, and instead accompany the orphans from his orphanage to Treblinka.
I think that the way I will approach blogging from afar will be to write something short, and share one image.
I believe that I already told you about my enthrallment with World Ward Two, and the more centralized focus of Concentration Camps. I read the book Ghetto Diary by Janusz Korczak a while back, and it was one of the most brilliantly written books that I’ve read about the Holocaust. His description of the Warsaw ghetto was extremely vivid, and poignant. I find his strength to remain with the orphans despite the Nazi officers offering him special treatment was both moving and an amazing act of courage. I’m so glad that this is the image you shared! Seeing this image makes it all the more real. Seeing a man do something so selfless in a time where he could have saved himself inspires me and reminds me to try to act in the best way possible despite the circumstances.
Wow this is beautiful, and so is the cemetry. Just by looking at the background, I can feel a sense of peace. How is the weather there? Does it play a role in how you feel when you look at the memorial?