Angels and Messengers: All Around Us is Shechinah

Angels and Messengers:  All Around Us is Shechinah

You have often heard me refer to Torah as a mirror.  A kind of magic mirror, that would easily fit into one of Harry Potter’s adventures, for Torah has the power to reveal to us much that is hidden away in our own lives.  Nowhere is that power more evident than in the stories of Jacob’s dreams, one of which we read last week and the other that we will read this Shabbat.

Last week we encountered an adolescent Jacob fleeing his home.  Having just stolen his brother’s birthright and having deceived his father he has, at his mother Rebecca’s encouragement, run away to live with his Uncle Laban.  For the very first time, this homebody is completely on his own, out in the wilderness.  Imagine how he must feel:  certainly scared, likely quite guilty, very likely feeling he is in imminent danger.  Understandably these feelings completely consume him.  He is filled to the brim with worry and anxiety about what is happening in his life.

Exhausted at the end of a long day he places his head on a rock, falls into a restless sleep and dreams of a ladder reaching into the heavens.  Upon it are angels ascending and descending.  Waking up he makes one of the most wonderful declarations in the entire Torah:  “acheyn yesh Adonai, bemakom hazeh v’anochi lo yadati …”  “Surely God was in this place and I didn’t know!” Unable in his conscious state to let go of everything that was consuming him, there was no room to let God in.  But in sleep, as his body and mind relaxed and he momentarily could let go, he was vulnerable for a moment.  And, in that moment Jacob experienced something quite profound.  He had his first “God” experience.  He had a sense of God’s presence surrounding him and understood through that strange dream that he was not alone, that God’s comforting and reassuring presence was with him there … and surely as it was in his mother’s tent.  So strengthened he could journey on.  

We encounter Jacob this week, 21 years later, now a grown man.  Perhaps that first experience has become a cherished but distant memory of the salve that healed the psychic wound he carried as he left home and allowed him to become the successful man he, indeed, has become.  He has healed, grown and quite successfully moved on.  

So it is that he feels he is ready to return home.  After all, he is now a different man.  Or is he?  Each step towards home, also brings him closer to all he had thought he had overcome, all he thought had healed, all he thought he had overcome.  With each step the wound begins to reopen.  All those feelings, so carefully packed into a distant corner of his mind begin to reemerge.  And when he learns that his brother is coming to meet him with 400 men the teenage boy fleeing from danger has fully reemerged.  Imagine the flood of emotion in that moment, all the guilt, all the uncertainty, all the pain, all the danger … All the careful defenses built up in a life time of creating the man he thought he was … all of it flooding back in an emotionally and spiritually shattering instant.  

Feeling just as alone as he had on that first night so long ago, perhaps Jacob looked back at the reassurance of God's protecting presence in that distant dream and wondered, “Where are you now?”  And the wrestling match began. With who?  With Esau? There is certainly literary reference in the story itself that could lead one to believe that he wrestled through the night with him.  Or was it God?  Or one of God’s angels?  Or was it with himself that he wrestled?  Or, perhaps, most likely, did he, in someway wrestle with them all?

The assurance that adolescent Jacob had received in that first dream allowed him to ignore wounds long unhealed.  But, they did not go away.  They continued to fester in some dark and untouched place.  Now in the presence of his brother he must wrestle with that from which he tried to run, with that he thought he had overcome.  To be sure it is true of Jacob as it is true of us:  “You, can run, but you cannot hide!”

And so he wrestles with it all and in the painful, difficult process is transformed.  He discovers something new about himself, a new identity as a wrestler …Yisrael, “one who has wrestled with God and human beings, and prevailed.”  

Of course, as we know, Jacob does not come away unscathed.  A wound has been inflicted in the process.  One he will carry with him for the rest of his life.  In truth, the wound was always there, just carefully hidden away.  Through his wrestling, Jacob has come to understand that he is wounded, that he must recognize and accept this wound, rather to try and deny it.  In doing so, the wound transforms Jacob, and for the first time it begins to heal.

Transformed in his awareness and acceptance of his wound Jacob is able to approach his brother Esau in deference and humility, ready to accept whatever may come to pass.  

I believe that Jacob also comes to recognize the truth of that first dream in a different way. Angels serve many functions in our lives; they bring us comfort and protection, to be sure.  But angels can also challenge us, push us, urge us to change and challenge us to recognize and wrestle with that which we would rather hide away.  So that we might grow towards our fully Divinely inspired potential.

I must take brief note of poor Esau, who gets such a bad name from our tradition.  For he too has grown and healed.  How does he greet Jacob?  With a kiss.  With forgiveness.  Jacob, reliving old wounds may well have imagined his brother stuck in the same place.  How often do we do the same.  But he is not stuck in the past.  Esau has grown, he has become successful in his own right.  And he is able to forgive.  

Perhaps he is able to do so because Esau recognizes the transformation that has taken place in his brother.  In either case, these are two very different men from the teens who so angrily parted ways all those years ago. There is healing and forgiveness.

Now, the great power of the Torah, of course, is that it is not a book of fairy tales.  We can relate to its very real emotions because it is a very human book.  Jacob’s wrestling will continue.  Anyone who know Jacob's story knows this as well.  His journey, as Joseph’s and Moses’ and Miriam’s and all who follow is a cyclical story of wounding and reconciliation and wrestling and healing.

And certainly we all recognize that the power of this story is that it is not just Jacob's story.  We are all Yisrael.  We are all wrestlers. We are all wounded, and healed and wounded and healed again.  And through it all we hopefully grow stronger, wiser, more humble and better able to serve, support, challenge, and comfort those who like us, are also wrestling.

Because, you see, not only are we wrestlers, we are angels as well. The Hebrew word we translate as angel “malach” does not translate as angels as we’ve come to understand them.  Actually the word means “messenger, God's messengers.”  And isn’t that us?  Our job is to bring God's message to others.  We are to be the challenging messengers when that is the message that needs to be carried, as well as messengers of hope, of comfort, of strength and healing and blessing.

Take a moment and look around this sanctuary.  It is filled with God's messengers. At our highest that is what we are each meant to be, each of us created in God’s Divine image.  When we lift ourselves up on our toes with the recitation of “kadosh, kadosh, kadosh,” It is, for me a symbolic reminder that we must raise ourselves up to a higher Divine purpose to serve as angels for others as they wrestle to do the same.

All around us are angels.  We are reminded of this each evening as we say the bed time shema that is accompanied by a prayer asking that we be surrounded by God's ministering angels.  By Mi-chael: by those who in their very being shine with God's Divine presence. By Gavriel: by those who bring us strength and support in our moments of weakness. By Uriel: those whose light brightly guides our way when we find ourselves in dark places. And by R'faeil:  those who bring healing to us in our moments of pain when we feel most wounded and vulnerable.

Surrounded by such angels, we cannot help but feel enveloped by God's sheltering presence: the shechinah. Perhaps it was a sense of that Divine presence that gave Jacob the strength to overcome that which had wounded him and the humility to reconcile with his brother Esau.

So it is for us not just a bed time prayer, but also a prayer for when we gather here:  that all around us we may feel the presence of shechinah, that we may, in each other find our healers, our strength, and our light, that in each other we might see angels who simply carry God for us when we seem unable to do so ourselves.  

So as we consider Jacob's wrestling and our own let’s join together now in Debbie Friedman's beautiful words about the shechinah.  That through it all we find blessing.  That through it all we ultimately find, all around us, shechinah.

“May our right hand bring us closer to our Godliness.
May our left hand give us strength to face each day.
And before us may our vision light our paths ahead.
And behind us may well-being heal our way.

All around us is Shechinah

Miy'mini Mi-chael, umismoli Gavriel,
Umil'fanai Uri'eil, umei'achorai R'faeil,
V'al roshi Sh'china 

May Michael be at my right hand, Gabriel at my left,
Before me Uriel, behind me Raphael,
And above my head the Divine Presence.”

Rabbi Barry M. Lutz, R.J.E.

Senior Rabbi of Temple Ahavat Shalom

Northridge, CA 91326

Day 15: Epilogue

Day 15:  epilogue

What have we learned?

We learned a great deal about European 'facilities'.  We can tell you in detail about the porcelain of Europe as bathrooms were the second most important stop on every day of touring.

We have learned a great deal about each other.  This small group of travelers from TAS became a family over the course of our two weeks together.  how will we eat alone?  

We have all grown a great deal ... Both in pant size and in knowledge.  No matter the level of expertise about the Holocaust we all learned a great deal about the topography of this most nightmarish piece of our history.

We learned that America stands outside the arc of Jewish history.  The freedom and acceptance we have been graced with in this country is truly exceptional.  I think we all understand sa great deal better now how important it it to protect and defend that liberty that was never granted us very long in anyplace in the two millennia history of our people.

We all understand much more profoundly the importance of Israel.  How different might the world be today, if our families and communities would have had a place to which they could go when every other door was barred and every window closed?

We learned to laugh, to appreciate each other and the moment.  There were some incredibly difficult moments, but together we pushed through them ... And always, always returned to the celebration life.

Day 14: Potsdam and the Wansee conference

Day 14: Potsdam and Wansee

Our final day in Berlin we made our way to Wansee, where, at a beautiful, idyllic setting the Nazi high command decided on the 'final solution to the Jewish problem'.

Our first stop was a beautiful upper class neighborhood in a western Berlin suburb call Grunewald. Here the upper crust lived including a healthy number of the social elite. The quiet neighborhood, with it's train station became one of the primary deportation points for the Jews of Berlin.

We were joined for the day by Johannes, a PhD candidate in Jewish/German studies who provided wonderful insight and information throughout the day.

He gave us his theory that the German's picked this quiet, out of the way suburb on purpose in order to not cause too much commotion around the 'relocation'. We walked up to 'platform 17' which was the place where Jews were loaded onto trains. Along both sides of the platform was inscribed in iron plaques the chronology of the transports.


Especially moving was the discovery of one transport of 953 Berliners to Minsk. A day earlier Karen had shared with us the story of her father's family, who had been deported to Minsk and presumably died there. Here, on this railroad platform, Karen stood, where, most likely her relatives had stood on the journey that ultimately ended their lives.

From there we traveled to Wansee, a very large and beautiful lake, set in the forests west of Berlin that is clearly a favorite vacation and recreational spot for Berliners. Here in January 1942 the final solution was established. In realty, the mechanisms for the extermination of the Jewish people were already in place and in operation. But this meeting was really to get everyone on the same page. All documentation of the conversations at the meeting were supposed to have been destroyed. But, one copy of the transcript was found in the Office of Foreign affairs after the war.

We toured the rooms where the Wansee conference took place, going from room to room through an excellent exhibit documenting all that had led to the war and finally to this 'solution'. As if one needed a reminder, it is made strikingly clear that Hitler did not spring out of the blue. Virulent anti-Semitism had existed for years in Germany. The religious anti-Semitism of old was supplanted by a race based anti-Semitism that deemed, from as early as the end of the 19th century that the Jews we a threat to the German race. Indeed, it was the 'evil' doings of the Jews and their false alliances and allegiances that was ultimately seen by many as the cause for the German loss in WWI.

We then stopped for a lakeside lunch where a number of us ordered 'quiche's' that turned out to be rather large pizzas instead. I settled for a 'salmon' salad that turned out to be a lox salad. And, given that my lunch arrived 15 minutes after everyone else's, it must have been freshly smoked!

Following lunch we set off for a tour of Sans Souci, Frederick the II's summer residence ... And

On the way we walked across the bridge where, during the cold war spies and prisoners were exchanged from one side to the other. It was famously here that Natan Sharansky came to the west.
It is important to remember that there was not only a wall that split the city in two, but the was also a wall surrounding West Berlin, which was an island of Democracy in the middle of the GDR (German Democratic (ha) Republic).

Then it was on to Sans Souci which was, dare I say, truly a pleasure palace. 'Sans souci' means without sadness, and indeed it seems that Fred did all that he could to make that so. Statues of Bacchus the wine god fill the palace. He had a taste for good food, good wine and French philosophy. And women were not allowed in this ornately decorated place. Fred, it seems, was not so fond of women. While he was married even his wife was not allowed in this place. But Voltaire was allowed ... And while the other guest rooms were rather plain, his was beautifully decorated. Perhaps Frederick II had a taste not only for French philosophy, but for French philosophers as well?

Then it was back to Berlin for our last memorial visit: the former head quarters of the Gestapo which is now called 'The Topography of Terror". This museum is bordered on one side by the remains of the Berlin wall. Ironically enough, this concrete wall whose purpose was to separate now must itself be separated, fenced off from souvenir seekers who might otherwise help themselves to a bit of history.

In Germany and throughout our journeys we have heard continually things categorized as 'before 89' and 'after 89'. It to conceive of, but the Shoah is almost ancient history. Howard noted that when we were growing up in the 60's and speaking about the 1890's it was prehistoric for us. So too, for the children of Germany, indeed for all our children. 1941 / 42, when the final solution was agreed to, was 70 years ago.

The museum itself is situated on the grounds of Gestapo headquarters which was demolished in allied bombing during the war; and is dedicated outside to the torture and death of prisoners. Inside is a chronological look at how this cam about. What is clear is that there was a great deal of popular support for the Nazis. First, they fed on the already established, racially based anti-Semitism and suspicion of all this different. Second, they relied a great deal on intimidation, scaring people into submission and participation ... In that way keeping the citizenry in line. Although, to be clear they had a great deal of support, much based upon their ability to better living conditions in severely economically depressed Germany. (much of this growth can be attributed to the building of a war machine).

Like all exhibits, it is well constructed and executed ... And once again points to the German silliness to own up and take responsibility for the horror and death that they caused.

Following a brief break we met up with our tour guide Mona, who asked if she could join us for our final dinner. She did. More than that, guiding us through subway stations to probably the best meal we had in Germany, at an outstanding Turkish restaurant. With good food and gear company we soon lost track of time. Before we knew it 11p.m. Had arrived. We journeyed the subways in reverse where we all headed to our rooms to finish packing and prepare for an early morning journey to the airport and home.

Tomorrow: epilogue ... Some final thoughts as we return home.

Day 13: West Berlin

Day 13: West Berlin

Today's adventure began with a tour of a few sites we had missed in East Berlin: the Bebelplatz, site of the book burning in 1933, when the Nazi's burned thousands of books they considered to be in opposition to their philosophy. This happened in the square surround by the University and the Berlin opera ... in other words in the center of intellect and culture. And what more is there that you need to know? The suppression of ideas and the terrorizing of those that espouse and support those ideas says all you need to know about any oppressive regime.

As it is Fashion Week in Berlin, we also viewed a small square with a memorial to the Jewish contribution to the fashion industry. In fact, the steps of the subway entrance in that square list the names of those prominent members of the fashion community, (many of whom were Jewish) that were lost in the Holocaust.

And here is the interesting thing I have discovered in Germany: it is almost as if every neighborhood, every industry, every particular interest want to make sure to remember 'their' Jews. Unlike Poland, or Hungary ... and perhaps to a lesser extent the Czech Republic, where there are memorials to the 'victims' (most of whom, if not all, were Jewish), here there is a deliberate consciousness to recognize the Jewish community that was lost and the most major contributions to Berlin and to German.


Nothing speaks to this more than the magnificent Jewish Museum of Berlin. The brilliant architect of this building, Leibnitz, takes you physically through the journey of German Jewry, as through museum artifacts and artwork you learn the story of the almost 2000 years of Jewish life in Germany. The journey begins and ends with the Shoah, as the most distinct and terrible marker in the history of German Jewry. But then you wind your way through a most interesting building, encountering not only fascinating exhibits that tell a most important story, but also 'void' spaces, interruptions in the story that serve as a constant reminder of the moments of terror and death that continually interrupted the continuity of Jewish life in Germany. And yet, as you learn from even the staircase you ascend to the top of the exhibition whose steps extend beyond the exhibition, there remains a future, the story is not complete. We may not know where our steps will lead us, but certainly even this museum can not tell the entire story, which has yet to be written.

This museum, is, in and of itself, worth the trip to Berlin. One can not be in the vicinity of Berlin and miss this very, very impressive and important testament to the Jewish community of Berlin, Germany and, by extension, Europe.

Of course, there was a brief moment for shopping as well as we ventured ever so briefly to KaDeWe, the famous, Jewishly built and once again Jewishly owned department story in West Berlin. This huge department store has a little bit of everything ... but we, in particular made our way to the 4th floor where the souvenirs could be found ... or to the 6th floor with its most impressive display of all sort of delectable treats. We bought and we ate and we saved some for later.

Returning to the bus, our tour guide Mona had waiting for us 'Berliners', these are the original soufganiyot ... or jelly donuts that we eat on Hanukkah. And this led to the continuation of a debate we have been having for two days about J.F.K's famous words in 1961 following the building of the Berlin wall. In order to express solidarity with the now surrounded West Berliners and imprisoned East Berliners he famously stood on the balcony of a West Berlin civic building and declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" (my apologies if i have not quite gotten the spelling of the German) I am a Berliner ... or, as has been noted, "I am a jelly donut!", as Berliner is also the name of these tasty treats. The truth is both are correct. And further, the people of Berlin clearly knew what Kennedy was saying , even though they do not express themselves this way. So that they are not confused with jelly donuts, they tend to say, Ich bin aus Berlin, I am from Berlin. So take your pick, JFK could have been expressing his solidarity, or the fact that he was hungry ... or maybe both all wrapped up quite efficiently in one German sentence.

Following the museum, we returned home to prepare for an evening out, which began with havdallah in a nearby park,
where we joined together for a final time to reflect on this amazing journey. It is hard to believe we are almost at the end. Tomorrow will be our final day as we travel to Potsdam, the site of the Wansee conference that decided upon the final solution.

And tomorrow will also be my final entry in this blog. See you

Day 12: East Berlin

Day 12: East Berlin

We spent the day exploring what was the Jewish community of east Berlin.  Like in so much of Europe, I felt as if we were pursuing ghosts. 'This used to be here."  "He lived here"  "They worshiped here"

Between the Nazi terror, the allied bombing and the communist disinterest, little is left of what used to be.  That is not to say that there is not a lot there.  East Berlin is bustling!  Filled with life and people.  New businesses, new restaurants, new buildings ... some built to look new, some built to resemble what had been ... but all new, just the same.

We visited the home that Abraham Geiger, one of the founders of Wissenschaft des Judentums, (the scientific study of Judaism), which became so central to the developing Reform movement,  used to live in, situated in what is now a lovely East Berlin chain of courtyards.  We visited the cemetery where he is buried (it was closed early for Shabbat).  There is nothing there as the cemetery was completely destroyed after the German defeat at Stalingrad in 1943.  Only Geiger's tombstone has been recreated.

We stood in front of the cemetery where a Jewish old age home used to stand.  It was the gathering place for Jews being shipped out of Berlin to Auschwitz and other extermination camps.

Interestingly enough, next door is a Jewish school.  It was a Jewish school before the war and continues to be a Jewish school today.  25% of its students are not Jewish, but they learn Hebrew, study Jewish customs, etc.  Above the entrance way is a sign declaring that it is a Jewish school.  According to our tour guide, it is the only sign with the word Jew on it in Berlin that predates the war.

There are memorials everywhere you look, reminders of what used to be.  Brass plaques in the street proclaiming the name of the Jewish family that used to live in this place ... and where they died.  There is a memorial to the children sent out of Germany on the kindertransport in 1938, memorials to those deported from Berlin, etc.  We have seen memorial after memorial in our journey from Warsaw to Berlin.  But, today we encountered on of the most impressive.


It is a memorial made of 2711 (?) individual blocks of concrete like material.  Why 2711?  No reason.  Each block made of a different size, some come up to your knee some tower over you.  They are laid out across a plaza, next to the Brandenburg Gate in columns and rows that undulate up and down, that are laid out at angles so that you are never standing quite on flat ground.  As you walk into the memorial you start to lose your sense of balance, when you turn a corner you have no idea who will be there, you start to feel unbalanced, even dizzy and certainly disoriented.  And that is exactly the point of this brilliant piece ... to make you feel exactly that, uncomfortable, unbalanced, disoriented, ...  It is one of the most interactive pieces of interactive art that I have ever seen.  It is not to be missed if one is in Berlin.


It was pointed out to us that the shopping center across the street from the memorial sits atop what was the bunker in which Hitler took his life.  No one knows exactly where that bunker was anymore.  The German government wanted to make sure it did not become a place of memorial for anyone, at anytime in the future.

Shabbat evening started the "New Synagogue"  (new in the  late 1800's). It was a huge, Moorish style synagogue that served the Jewish community of Berlin until 1941.  During Kristalnacht it was saved from destruction by a non-Jewish German policeman, who considered it a treasure of Berlin and not to be destroyed.  He held up a piece of blank paper in front of those set on destroying the synagogue and said he had an order that it was to be spared.  And so it was ... at least until the Allied bombing of Berlin when all but the facade was destroyed.   Since 1989 it has been partially restored and now serves both as a museum and as a working Conservative (Masorati) congregation.

The service, held in a smaller chapel was jam packed, mostly with visitors but with a sizable congregation as well.  We heard a d'var Torah from the president of the Mesorati (conservative) movement in Israel, an American born rabbi, who spoke  about some of the challenges facing us as liberal Jews in responding to the "zealous" orthodox establishment.

I think we all sat there thinking the same thing, "Here we are in Berlin, sharing Shabbat services in a vital, living congregation ... in Berlin!"  It brought a smile to all our faces.

Following a light dinner, some of us headed off for a bit more to eat.  We were directed by our guide to a more local area where we joined in conversation and much laughter at a local Brazilian style restaurant.  At midnight we found ourselves walking home from across a still very much alive and vibrant city.

Tomorrow: West Berlin

Day 11: Prague to Berlin

Day 11:  Prague to Berlin

We bid a fond farewell to Prague and started our journey to our final destination:  Berlin.  Our tour guide Kamila noted that Vienna is like a princess, regal and aloof, Budapest like a gypsy, enticing and mysterious and Prague was like a lovely maiden touching the spirit and the soul.  As we left the city this morning she told us once one has visited one never says goodbye, but is always anticipating and planning ones return.  One cannot leave for long.

We all certainly understood as we left this charming and beautiful city.

We drove north through the city and through the countryside as we made our way to the German border and on to Dresden.

Dresden, of course, was destroyed by allied incendiary bombing in one night 12 weeks before the end of the war.  35,000 lost their lives and 85% of the city was destroyed.  The bombing was clearly retribution for the bombing of London as Dresden had no military significance.  But it sent a message to the Germans that clearly helped bring about the end of the war.


But that is not the end of the story as the Russians who controlled Dresden aft the was, saw it's destruction as an opportunity to rebuild the city according to it's ideology.  It was only with a good deal of persuasion and deception that the people of Dresden were able to keep the remains of their historical sites in place ... That they might eventually be rebuilt.

That rebuilding did not begin until after 1989 ... Which makes the current condition of. Dresden that much more remarkable.  The town center has been carefully rebuilt to resemble the pre-war times.  It is reconstruction that, understandably, continues today.   One thing that was not rebuilt was the original synagogue.  That is a completely new structure.  This brand new modern structure was a conscious decision of the Dresden community, we were told, to make the statement that they are not looking backward to what was but forward to a new and better relationship with the Jewish community.  Our non-Jewish guide noted more than once the responsibility that the Germans have taken for what happened.  

We took a quick tour of  the royal palace replete with unbelievable treasures:  ornate gold coffee sets, intricately carved glass crystal and ivory. Following lunch we quickly toured the Hall of the Masters where our guide showed us just three of the hundreds and hundreds of amazing works of art to be found there ... All also part of the royal collection.  Luckily the foresight of the director of the museum saved these treasures by Rembrandt, Vermeer and so many more, when in 1939, anticipating what was to be he had the entire collection carefully stored in a nearby mine for the duration of the war.

By late afternoon we were back on the bus for the two hour drive to Berlin, where we sadly bid a fond farewell to our wonderful Czech guide Kamila.  We checked into our final hotel and were off for a free evening to explore Berlin

10: Terezin

Day 10:  Terezin

Our last day in Prague consisted of a visit to Terezin, (Teresenstadt in German) the 'model' camp to which the Jews of Kolin were transported ... The first stop on the journey to their deaths in places like Auchwitz and Maidanek.  But, to be sure, for many this was the place where their life ended.  While often not thought of as a place of death, many, many thousands of Jews died of starvation, disease and were murdered in Terezin as well.

We visited Terezin, with Irene, born in Kolin, deported to Terezin in June of 1942 with the rest of the community and survived the ghetto which was liberated in May of 1945.  

Kolin, she told us, was the second largest Jewish community in the Czech republic.  They were very secular Jews.  Irene told me that the rabbi of the town, Rabbi Feder, may his memory be a blessing, had a difficult time even getting a minyan.  Like most of the Czech Jewish community, they considered themselves Czechs first and often barely knew they were Jewish.  But, everyone who has spoken of Rabbi Feder has only spoken in glowing, even heroic terms about this man.  And all have noted how much better off the Czech Jewish community would be today if only it had a rabbi like him.

On the way she oriented us for our visit at Terzin.  Terezin was a garrison town built by the emperor Joseph in honor of his mother Theresa.  It was  a military garrison and a surrounding town that supported the military.  (not unlike the original Auschwitz which was also a Polish military barracks).  Terezin is on the northern Czech border close to Germany, positioned there strategically to repel the Germans who were continually invading the country.  It was built to house 7,000 but housed upwards of 50,000 during the war.

We toured exhibits which spoke about life in the ghetto:  horrific overcrowding, constant threat of disease (in fact the ghetto was quarantined for two months following it's liberation because of an outbreak of typhoid), and the terrible SS torture at the 'small fortress' that took the lives of upwards of 25,000.

With it's beautiful courtyards and seemingly 'nice' living conditions it is hard to imagine how terrible life was in this place.  Transports were continually bringing new Jews into the ghetto and others taking them away ... Mostly to Birkenau.

But Terezin is also a symbol of resistance.  While there was no chance of armed resistance there was resistance through secretive poetry and art work through which they memorialized the truth of this place.  A truth hidden from the world under a false facade that was forwarded by the Red Cross who were completely deceived into believing the German picture of the good life they were providing for the Jews.  The reality of the Red Cross visit can only be understood, at best, as complete indifference.  For as elaborate as the preparations were, the Red Cross made no real effort to dig below the surface.  If they had the reality was right around the corner waiting to be seen.

Indeed, Terezin was a place of spiritual and mental resistance.  The poetry,  music, the drama and even the secretive decorated prayer room of the ghetto stand as everlasting witness to the fact that you might beat, torture, starve and even murder the body but you can not touch the mind and soul of ones who refuse.

This leads, however, to an interesting cognitive dissonance for those who visit Terezin in order to try and understand the terror of the Holocaust, for there they find today exhibits of paintings and poetry.  There is even a room that discussed the theater of the ghetto.  It is easy to walk away thinking 'it was bad ... Really bad, but not the full and horrific evil of which we often speak.

Of course, delving just a bit deeper one comes to understand the horror of this place as well ... And then you really come to understand the unbelievable courage and heroism of these artists who knowingly defied the Nazis.

We listened to many stories from Irene who told us much about life in the Ghetto ... As well as life before and after the war.  She is, indeed, an amazing woman of incredible strength and spirit ... Very much like our own Sonia Liberman.

We concluded our visit to Terezin with a tour of the crematorium and a visit to the memorial to all those lost in this place.  We stood below the large remains of a tree that was planted by the children of Terezin on Tu B'shevat.  After the war it was transplanted in the memorial garden.  But, then the Prague flood of 2002 killed the tree.  It has now, appropriately enough, been turned into a memorial.  In our visits to Jewish cemeteries across eastern and central Europe we often found the head stones of children decorated with the stump of a tree as a symbol of those whose too short life had been cut off.  Standing at this tree we, one last time, joined together in memorial prayers for all those so tragically lost.

Returning to Prague we joined together for one last dinner as a traveling community.  12 of us continue on to Berlin tomorrow, but for Sharon and Shelly this journey has come to a conclusion.  So, we bid them a fond farewell and safe travels as they return to the states.

Tomorrow we are on to Berlin.