Today we visited the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oswiecim (oz-vee-chim). That city was once divided almost equally between Jews and non-Jews (Poland is largely Catholic). When the Nazis invaded and captured the city, the Jews were taken to the camp, and most never returned. We visited the site of the Great Synagogue which was destroyed, along with 18 other of the twenty synagogues that once stood in the town. From the time of the war until the fall of communism in 1989, the only remaining synagogue (now the museum) was used as a warehouse.
Among the challenging thoughts I experienced today, this one stood out.
In the south, where many of our communities center around churches, imagine that suddenly 95% of them were destroyed. Really. Think about it. Count the churches. Eliminate 95% of those buildings AND the congregants.
How would that feel? How would that change your community? How would that change the culture of your town? What would the future look like for you if you had been part of one of those congregations that was obliterated?
Yes, there are large, difficult religious implications of such a situation, but today, I focused on the cultural impact. I challenge you to do the same.
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We did attend the commemoration at Auschwitz-Birkenau this evening. It took place just outside the death gate. There were about 3000 people inside an enormous tent (bigger than I have ever seen!), and it was notably more theatrical than I had imagined it would be. I think I need time to process the contrast of the common images of that specific location with the view I had tonight before I share much more.
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I have an early start and will be traveling almost 24 hours tomorrow with a 3+ hour layover in Frankfurt and 2-ish hour layover in DC, so hopefully I can get a good wifi connection and post some pics and videos.
So, for now, goodnight from Krakow!
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