WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!?
You may be asking that right now. What happened while Bre was in Prague? Well, as someone who is rather close to Bre, perchance the closest, that she had one of the most influential experiences in Prague.
Those of you who really know me, know that I have an interest in the Holocaust. It sounds weird every single time that I say it, but there really seems to be no good way to say that you are interested in the Holocaust. I think the thing that has facilitated this interest is the simple fact that my mind cannot wrap around the hatred, down right disdain that the Nazis had for the gay, communists, Gypsies, and (the one everyone knows) the Jewish people. I simply do not understand a hatred so fierce and wild that it can encompass an entire race, group, or ethnicity. A hatred that was strategically spread throughout a nation and beyond. A hatred that lead people to perform heinous acts against their neighbors, friends, and family.
Our trip to Prague was planned through AHA and was organized as an outing for the Holocaust Literature class. We left Saturday morning, at 5:40 am mind you (Not a happy Bre), by train and arrived in Prague around 10. We dropped off our bags at the hotel and then headed out to the main square of Prague for our first little tour of Prague. That night we were given free time, so Keri and I went back to the hotel and ate because we were both cranky due to lack of food. After eating we headed to the local McCafe. On a side note, I had yet to be to a McDonalds and I broke down 3 times in Prague. . . so disappointed in myself. But any way. We played the question game and just relaxed with Jamie, Anna, and the La Mars.
You may be asking that right now. What happened while Bre was in Prague? Well, as someone who is rather close to Bre, perchance the closest, that she had one of the most influential experiences in Prague.
Those of you who really know me, know that I have an interest in the Holocaust. It sounds weird every single time that I say it, but there really seems to be no good way to say that you are interested in the Holocaust. I think the thing that has facilitated this interest is the simple fact that my mind cannot wrap around the hatred, down right disdain that the Nazis had for the gay, communists, Gypsies, and (the one everyone knows) the Jewish people. I simply do not understand a hatred so fierce and wild that it can encompass an entire race, group, or ethnicity. A hatred that was strategically spread throughout a nation and beyond. A hatred that lead people to perform heinous acts against their neighbors, friends, and family.
Our trip to Prague was planned through AHA and was organized as an outing for the Holocaust Literature class. We left Saturday morning, at 5:40 am mind you (Not a happy Bre), by train and arrived in Prague around 10. We dropped off our bags at the hotel and then headed out to the main square of Prague for our first little tour of Prague. That night we were given free time, so Keri and I went back to the hotel and ate because we were both cranky due to lack of food. After eating we headed to the local McCafe. On a side note, I had yet to be to a McDonalds and I broke down 3 times in Prague. . . so disappointed in myself. But any way. We played the question game and just relaxed with Jamie, Anna, and the La Mars.
In the morning we went on a trip to some synagogues. The first one we went to was the synagogue that Hitler had designated as the site of his "Museum of the Lost Race." This was going to house the different objects that he had taken from the Jewish families that were sent to camps or killed by Einsatzgruppen (firing squads). This was suppose to be a museum that people could visit to learn about the Jewish people, a people that had ended. There was not going to be a description of how the race had ended, how they had been harassed, raped, shot, worked to death and gassed. Inside there were Torahs, banners that were hung in front of the place that holds the Torah, alms collectors, dressing that were placed on the dead, paintings showing the steps taken to bury the dead. All of it from people that are now dead. Killed by the Nazis. Seeing the items that had once been dear, even sacred to someone before, made the Holocaust more . . . . Real, for lack of a better word.
From there we traveled to another synagogue that would allow us to walk through an old Jewish cemetery. One that the Jewish people had been forced to use. Traditionally, a graveyard has to be a certain distance from the community but, as they were only given small amount of land, the graveyard ended up being in between two synagogues. Not only was it located in the community, the graveyard was too small to bury all of the bodies so they had to start burying up. The Jewish community had to start building an area for the new dead to be buried and with no more land they had to start burying them on top. It is also against their religion to move a body, so "reorganizing" was out of the question.
This synagogue, the one that led us to the graveyard, is one that I will never forget. From the outside it looked like a normal building. I could have easily walked right past it and never had known that it was a holly place. Not like the Christian churches, but then the Christians did not have to worry too much about their holly buildings being attacked. (But I digress) In side all of the walls we white with writing on them. This writing was on almost every single wall. It stretched from the ceiling to the floor in most places. The writing continued on into two rooms and was also above the door frames. This writing was that of the names of the people that had been killed in the Holocaust. The names were only of the Jews killed in the Holocaust from that single community. They were separated by years and then organized alphabetically. I read five names off of every, single wall and door way.
One is taught through history classes that millions, some say as much as six million, Jewish children, women, and men were killed in the Holocaust. But, how does an American student, one who knows nothing of tyranny, being ruled with an iron fist, war on home soil, or that of mass genocide understand "six million?" Someones brain has to have something to base such a large number off of and I had nothing. Nothing until I saw those names. Those names that covered an entire synagogue. The names of people that were from a single community of Jews. The names of people that were from one city. I understand now. Now I know what six million is. I have seen the names. I have read their names. The names of people that were killed due to a hatred that has been around almost since time has been recorded. . . .
From there we walked through the graveyard and learned about what some of the symbols etched into the tombstones meant. From there, we headed to the Spanish synagogue. The inside was intricate, colorful, and full of the Star of David, very appropriate. Walking from such a plain synagogue to this ornate one was shocking in a way as well. First of all I had never seen a synagogue that reminded me so much of a church. On the other hand, I found it intriguing that I was more impressed by the plain synagogue with the names of the murdered than the leaf gold, ornate synagogue. Interesting no?
After a short lunch break we headed up to the Palace and saw the Golden Lane where the Alchemists were forced to live. From there we wandered back down to the main square and walked around the outside market looking for some souvenirs (which I found for some select few . . . ). Then it was time to leave so we all headed back to the Hotel to grab our bags and then we were off to the train station.
Over all I would not say that it was the most impressive city that I have seen but it was the most impactfull.
From there we traveled to another synagogue that would allow us to walk through an old Jewish cemetery. One that the Jewish people had been forced to use. Traditionally, a graveyard has to be a certain distance from the community but, as they were only given small amount of land, the graveyard ended up being in between two synagogues. Not only was it located in the community, the graveyard was too small to bury all of the bodies so they had to start burying up. The Jewish community had to start building an area for the new dead to be buried and with no more land they had to start burying them on top. It is also against their religion to move a body, so "reorganizing" was out of the question.
This synagogue, the one that led us to the graveyard, is one that I will never forget. From the outside it looked like a normal building. I could have easily walked right past it and never had known that it was a holly place. Not like the Christian churches, but then the Christians did not have to worry too much about their holly buildings being attacked. (But I digress) In side all of the walls we white with writing on them. This writing was on almost every single wall. It stretched from the ceiling to the floor in most places. The writing continued on into two rooms and was also above the door frames. This writing was that of the names of the people that had been killed in the Holocaust. The names were only of the Jews killed in the Holocaust from that single community. They were separated by years and then organized alphabetically. I read five names off of every, single wall and door way.
One is taught through history classes that millions, some say as much as six million, Jewish children, women, and men were killed in the Holocaust. But, how does an American student, one who knows nothing of tyranny, being ruled with an iron fist, war on home soil, or that of mass genocide understand "six million?" Someones brain has to have something to base such a large number off of and I had nothing. Nothing until I saw those names. Those names that covered an entire synagogue. The names of people that were from a single community of Jews. The names of people that were from one city. I understand now. Now I know what six million is. I have seen the names. I have read their names. The names of people that were killed due to a hatred that has been around almost since time has been recorded. . . .
From there we walked through the graveyard and learned about what some of the symbols etched into the tombstones meant. From there, we headed to the Spanish synagogue. The inside was intricate, colorful, and full of the Star of David, very appropriate. Walking from such a plain synagogue to this ornate one was shocking in a way as well. First of all I had never seen a synagogue that reminded me so much of a church. On the other hand, I found it intriguing that I was more impressed by the plain synagogue with the names of the murdered than the leaf gold, ornate synagogue. Interesting no?
After a short lunch break we headed up to the Palace and saw the Golden Lane where the Alchemists were forced to live. From there we wandered back down to the main square and walked around the outside market looking for some souvenirs (which I found for some select few . . . ). Then it was time to leave so we all headed back to the Hotel to grab our bags and then we were off to the train station.
Over all I would not say that it was the most impressive city that I have seen but it was the most impactfull.