A Personal Message from Warsaw…

As some of you may not know, certain senior staff of the JCCA are participating in a JCC Association trip, where they are visiting Poland and Israel in an emotional journey to learn and discover our Jewish history. There are 40 participants and the goal is to one day offer this important trip to members.

Program Director Gustavo Rymberg is part of this event, and was kind enough to provide his insight into the experience. Before you delve in, I want to note an interesting point that Gustavo made to me. Prior to WWII there were 3 million Jews living in Poland, and today there are only 20,000. There were 400 synagogues and yeshivas in Warsaw, today there are only 2.

From Gustavo Rymberg on November 28th, 2011:

“We started our visit in the Jewish cemetery which is full of stories, symbols and memories. My feelings are hard to explain as we walk around. This sensation was carried through all day long as we visited the ghetto, the memorials for the heroes of the ghetto uprisings, and the monument for the 300,000 deported from Warsaw to Treblinka and other camps.

I couldn’t help but notice a contrast that exists: there is a luxurious shopping mall across the street which faces the original wall which isolated the Jews from civilization. Outside of this contrast, there is a synagogue which purposely wasn’t destroyed by the Nazis, because they needed a place to keep the horses. Today the beautiful synagogue still stands for its intended purpose.

I can’t help but remember that 85% of the city was destroyed during the war. Today Warsaw is a modern, vibrant city but for me it is a city full of mixed messages, contrasts and inexplicable feelings.”

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