Israel Pilgrimage,
Group #4

Sunday, June 25th:
This morning, Group 4 boarded the bus that took them to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, about an hour from Prague. They davened mincha (the afternoon service) outside a small synagogue that was only discovered a few years ago. One of the quotes that remains on the walls of the synagogue is “acheinu kol beit yisrael,” which asks God to have mercy on Jews in distress, and take them from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption, speedily, and soon. After a tour of the camp, the USYers had a chance to reflect quietly by the river in which Jews’ ashes were thrown after being murdered. In the evening, the group headed back to Prague (or “Praha,” as the locals say), where they had some free time in the Town Square before dinner at the JCC. After loading the bus, they departed on their overnight ride to Warsaw.

    

Monday, June 26th:
Group 4 made it safely across the border to Warsaw after an overnight bus ride from Prague. They spent the day seeing Jewish sites in Warsaw. This morning, they visited the Nozyk synagogue, which still functions to this day. They also had a chance to walk around and receive explanations of the Genscher Cemetery, which contains thousands of tombstones, most of which are from long before World War II. After a brief rest in the afternoon, the USYers visited the Rapaport Monument and Mila 18, both of which are testaments to the Jewish uprising against the Nazis. In the evening the group returned to their hotel to get a good night’s rest.

    

    

    

    

Tuesday, June 27th:
Group 4 woke up much more refreshed this morning. After davening and breakfast, they boarded the bus and headed to Tikochin, a town with a restored synagogue that gave the pilgrims an idea of what it once looked like. They visited the Lupochova Forest and then went to the Treblinka Death Camp where they were given time to walk around the 17,000 stones meant to depict the number of people who perished each day in the camp. In the evening, they drove back to Warsaw, ate dinner, and met in their mishpachot – literally “families,” these are small groups that meet throughout the summer, as a chance for each pilgrim to debrief about the day.

    

Wednesday, June 28th:
Group 4 left Warsaw and traveled to Lublin, where they visited Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin. It was in this yeshiva that Rabbi Shapira established the 7-year cycle by which some Jews learn one page of Talmud a day. The group had a study session in the Beit Midrash (main room) of the yeshiva about a page of Talmud, and even though the room does not look the same as it did before World War II, the USYers were able to get a feel for the tremendous learning that went on there. On a different note, Group 7 also arrived at the yeshiva at the same time, and the groups had a chance to see their friends on the other group. From there they drove to the Majdanek concentration camp, which is surprisingly close to the city of Lublin. In the camp, they had detailed explanations of what remains of the camp. It was a moving experience and the USYers had time to reflect with each other and by themselves. In the evening, they will check into their hotel in Lublin, and have a bit of a dance party in honor of their birthday girl!

    

    

    

Thursday, June 29th:
Group 4 left Lublin this morning and went to Lezansk, where they learned about Hassidut, in the great site of one of the founder's of the movement. In Lancut they davnened in a synagogue that still remains, and in Zvidikovska Gura they saw a memorial for all the children who were killed. After these stops in small towns, the group continued on to Krakow where they will spend the next few days, including Shabbat.

    

    

Friday, June 30th:
Group 4 spent the day in the lovely Jewish Quarter of Krakow. They began in the Jewish section of Kazimisz where they visited the famous Remu Synagogue, named for Rabbi Moshe Isserles, the editor of the Mapa (literally "tablecloth", an Ashkenazic overlay to the Law Code known as the Shulchan Aruch (literally "set table"). He is also buried in the cemetery behind the synagogue.This afternoon they visited the facotry in which Oscar Schindler saved 1,100 Jews by employing them during the Shoah. In the late afternoon, they returned to their hotel and began preparing for Shabbat, making each other Shabbat-o-grams, and looking forward to a relaxing day together. They will daven Kabbalat Shabbat together tonight and then join with USY groups 8 and 9 to daven at the Temple Synagogue tomorrow morning. As a special treat, they will get to see Jules Gutin, the Director of USY, who has been guiding Group 9 for the week in Poland. They are very excited that this coming week they will be making the journey to Israel! Shabbat Shalom!!!