I took a last minute four day weekend trip to Prague, Czech Republic to visit Dane. She’s a friend from Smith who I dearly love because of her special qualities. From reading her blog, I sensed that she could use a friend from back home to visit her and I’ve always wanted to go to Prague. So it was a win-win situation from my perspective. We had a wonderful weekend together- she got to practice her tour guide skills for her parents who are visiting in two weeks. I give her an A as we rarely got lost.
We saw all the sights as they tended to center around the Charles River. I took lots of beautiful pictures- day and night. I tried all the Czech food- fried cheese, crepes (national dessert dish), goulash, dumplings, sausage, etc, etc. I had forgotten how good bread and meat tasted!
I’m going to stay to the point of the blog- discuss things that are relevant to Israel and Jewish stuff.
Dane and I shared a lot of things in common about living in Prague and Jerusalem. Both cities are in development, which is a fancy word for not having the luxuries that capital countries enjoy. We both must deal with the dramatic change in food quality and quantity. There’s no coffee basically- espresso is around. Drivers in both places are crazy- they drive on sidewalks. At least the Czech drivers stop to let pedestrians walk. I feel that you must be in Jerusalem and Prague to really feel for what I am trying to explain. Other examples are sporadic internet connection and the lack of customer service (Czechs don’t care much whereas the Israelis just seem to enjoy speaking English). Nevertheless, I loved Prague. I gave in to my temptation for a shopping spree at H&M- for once in a long time, the store had things that I actually liked. That’s how much I resent shopping in Israel.
I visited the Jewish Quarter to visit the Jewish Museum. What I came to realize was that the Prague Jewish Museum was broken up into six different synagogues, a ceremonial hall, and a Jewish cemetery. I ended up touring the place backwards as I realized that each synagogue told the story of the Czech Jews in different periods from the days of the Crusaders to modern times. I felt incredibly overwhelmed and exhausted as I read through the material that I didn’t even bother to do anything about the earliest Jewish history in Maisel synagogue. Most of the synagogues are no longer being used for services. The Spanish synagogue impressed me the most with its beautiful, rich colors and ornate interior décor. I loved the Klausen synagogue which held exhibits on Jewish holidays and traditions- I liked the dioramas of a typical Jewish kitchen and a Jewish dining room with explanations of Jewish dietary next to them. The ceremonial hall was very interested- it mainly focused on the Jewish burial rituals. I did not like Pinkas so much because it’s virtually empty but its walls were written with the names of Czech Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The white walls with black and red letterings just made me feel uncomfortable, especially when I climbed up to the women’s gallery where some of the children’s artwork from Terezin was on display. For some reason, this synagogue attracted more tourists than the others.
Outside of it, I went into the Jewish Cemetery. It was very freaky because now this was what I’d call a real graveyard. It looked like bodies were buried on top of one and another and headstones were placed around randomly. It’s not spacious- the headstones could not be more than a foot from each other (think about it, you’d have 3-4 right above your body instead of none). Also, the carvings in them were so worn but I could feel that these belonged to Jews. Somehow, as I thought about to how long the Jews have lived in Prague and around Czech Republic lands, way before I once imagined, I felt sad. This was for real. Eastern European Jews really existed. I was located in right front of evidence that Jews lived here back in the 1800’s, 1700’s, and way back to 1200’s. I tried to imagine what life was like and what the Jewish Quarter must’ve looked like to have this plot of land. It is not to say that I don’t believe that Eastern European Jews existed in my mind only because of the Holocaust and Czar Alexander II’s rule. It is more of seeing for myself that outside of the Holocaust and the Pale Settlement issues, the Eastern European Jews had their own lives. I don’t need that photographer who created “The Vanished World” to tell me that the Polish Jews lived a vibrant life before the Holocaust. I know they existed because of the novels and memoirs that I read for class. But to see that cemetery touched me to my heart that before the tragedies, the Jews had their own lives that they were able to bury their own dead, not someone else to do it for them (by no choice). That the Jews lived long enough to see their own natural death and the whole community to do so, not a just a good portion of it (due to pogroms and such). I did not think that the Jewish cemetery would impress me so just because it’s a graveyard but just seeing the sight of it told me that the Jews truly once lived here for their whole lives.
The day before, I went to Terezin, about 45 minutes away from Prague with Dane’s program. A bunch of us climbed in a large van with a survivor, Dr. Kolmer. I don’t remember much of his life as he didn’t speak as well as he could be for me. He went through a bunch of camps including Terezin and Auschwitz. He gave us the tour of the entire ghetto. Terezin was not just a concentration camp but also a ghetto and a death camp. Terezin used to be a small fortress and the Nazis took over that to create a camp. First, we went in that fortress area to hear of how Dr. Kolmer lived there. He showed us the women’s quarters and the men’s quarters, the showers (real ones), the Nazis’ offices, the barracks, the washroom, and the sick rooms. He also told us of specific moments that he had including where he was beaten. There were also isolated cells- so incredibly claustrophobic! I took very few pictures as possible as to respect the victims (which is why I get so peeved when I see visitors at the USHMM take pictures of the shoes with their camera phones). There was also a graveyard for the last 600 victims who fell very ill after liberation. He showed us where executions took place. I tried to imagine this place being packed with dying, frail workers and the Nazis with their dogs. I tried to smell the filth, the stink, the mud, and any other offensive odors. I tried to taste the sourness of the food and body odor and the bitterness of bloody beatings. I definitely felt very cold and thought, I’m wearing my sweater under this parka, and these people had no clothes that could possible keep them warmer than this parka could. If anything, I know that they would not move as much as to conserve their energy and I could see myself huddling against one of these walls, away from the draft. Also, I listened for any soft murmuring in Eastern European languages, loud barking from the officials and the dogs, and the clattering of the feet moving about. Despite all that, I felt nothing. Dane complained of hunger but thought she was being a paradox because we were in a location were food meant everything in the world to the victims and how could she complain of hunger? Her bread, which she bought for a snack, tasted wonderful to her all of sudden.
Next, we went to the Jewish ceremonial hall. Everything was basically written in Hebrew. Visitors walked down this tunnel, which opened up to several rooms filled with several Jewish artifacts and plaques commemorating the dead. I had a feeling that this place mourned over how these victims could not make it to Palestine as they were supposed to. All the Hebrew just seemed to point out that message- no Yiddish or Czech or English.
Then we toured around the Jewish cemetery and the crematorium. The crematorium was not what I had imagined at all. There were only few ovens- how could they burn 3,000 bodies in one day? The graveyard around it mostly held WWI soldiers but eventually, the Jews. Before things came chaotic, the Nazis used to allow the Jews to hold funerals for the dead. Then they moved to mass graves. Eventually, the land became too full with dead people that they had to build the crematorium to burn the rest. Yet, I looked out and around, the land was perfectly flat. No such evidence of mounting heaps of dirt covering the skeletons like the Prague Jewish cemetery. I couldn’t get close to any of the headstones to see for myself.
At one point, we visited a place which had a model of a typical barrack in the ghetto.
Afterwards, we went off to the Ghetto Museum. Finally, I was warm again! First, we saw the propaganda film for the Red Cross from the Nazis of the Terezin ghetto. Their lives seemed so normal but somehow, it felt very panicky. These people were forced to behave the way they did or else. Then we went upstairs to tour around the history of the Holocaust. Most of us skipped through it until the end where the presentation seemed a little more unique with data and maps of different countries and their Jews and the relevance to the Holocaust.
I asked the guide, if he still had the senses that he experienced during his stay in Terezin- the smell, the taste, the noise, and so forth. I don’t think he understood me but he replied that he was able to give tours of Terezin because “compared to Auschwitz, this was easy.”
That was a very, very strong statement to describe Auschwitz. For all we knew, Auschwitz was the worst place to be even though there were other very difficult camps like Mauthausen. But to put it that way, I could not possibly imagine what kind of specific activities went on at Auschwitz that it must earn that awful, awesome reputation that it stood out from Terezin that much. I felt like this was only a baby step before I’d visit Auschwitz eventually in the future. Dane had been to Dachau and she did not experience such strong feelings and reactions to Terezin as she did for Dachau. She was not sure if she had become more mature or she just knew more. I know that her visit to Auschwitz this month will reveal the exact factor.
Unexpectedly, I simply felt no emotion towards Terezin. Could I have been so desensitized to the Holocaust that coming to Terezin was simply a visit to memorialize the victims? Normally, I am very emotional, sensitive person with slightly delayed reaction. I don’t believe that my age is a factor. Maturity? Maybe, sometimes I cry when I read over the translations of the mass murders in Soviet Union or listen to survivors’ testimonies that touch me as a woman. Could words be stronger than action in this case? I don’t know. I am having such a terrible time sympathizing when I am expected to. For me, sometimes the Holocaust seems surreal. Other times I think, whatever happened, it happened. Then that’s not fair to the victims who want to say “never again” and to tell the future generations about their horrible experiences. But that’s what I’m doing already- ensuring that the public gets the right facts and understands that as surreal this event appears to be, it happened. Terezin is an evidence of the Nazi atrocities. Sometimes I wonder, because I have this no-nonsense attitude about the Holocaust, am I the right person to take on a job in the Holocaust field? I always imagined that the person must be sensitive and empathic but I don’t think it’s always the case. The person’s there to give facts, probably preferably without emotion, so that the audience may choose how to react.
Which is why the USHMM doesn’t give guided public tours. Neither does Yad Vashem.
We saw all the sights as they tended to center around the Charles River. I took lots of beautiful pictures- day and night. I tried all the Czech food- fried cheese, crepes (national dessert dish), goulash, dumplings, sausage, etc, etc. I had forgotten how good bread and meat tasted!
I’m going to stay to the point of the blog- discuss things that are relevant to Israel and Jewish stuff.
Dane and I shared a lot of things in common about living in Prague and Jerusalem. Both cities are in development, which is a fancy word for not having the luxuries that capital countries enjoy. We both must deal with the dramatic change in food quality and quantity. There’s no coffee basically- espresso is around. Drivers in both places are crazy- they drive on sidewalks. At least the Czech drivers stop to let pedestrians walk. I feel that you must be in Jerusalem and Prague to really feel for what I am trying to explain. Other examples are sporadic internet connection and the lack of customer service (Czechs don’t care much whereas the Israelis just seem to enjoy speaking English). Nevertheless, I loved Prague. I gave in to my temptation for a shopping spree at H&M- for once in a long time, the store had things that I actually liked. That’s how much I resent shopping in Israel.
I visited the Jewish Quarter to visit the Jewish Museum. What I came to realize was that the Prague Jewish Museum was broken up into six different synagogues, a ceremonial hall, and a Jewish cemetery. I ended up touring the place backwards as I realized that each synagogue told the story of the Czech Jews in different periods from the days of the Crusaders to modern times. I felt incredibly overwhelmed and exhausted as I read through the material that I didn’t even bother to do anything about the earliest Jewish history in Maisel synagogue. Most of the synagogues are no longer being used for services. The Spanish synagogue impressed me the most with its beautiful, rich colors and ornate interior décor. I loved the Klausen synagogue which held exhibits on Jewish holidays and traditions- I liked the dioramas of a typical Jewish kitchen and a Jewish dining room with explanations of Jewish dietary next to them. The ceremonial hall was very interested- it mainly focused on the Jewish burial rituals. I did not like Pinkas so much because it’s virtually empty but its walls were written with the names of Czech Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The white walls with black and red letterings just made me feel uncomfortable, especially when I climbed up to the women’s gallery where some of the children’s artwork from Terezin was on display. For some reason, this synagogue attracted more tourists than the others.
Outside of it, I went into the Jewish Cemetery. It was very freaky because now this was what I’d call a real graveyard. It looked like bodies were buried on top of one and another and headstones were placed around randomly. It’s not spacious- the headstones could not be more than a foot from each other (think about it, you’d have 3-4 right above your body instead of none). Also, the carvings in them were so worn but I could feel that these belonged to Jews. Somehow, as I thought about to how long the Jews have lived in Prague and around Czech Republic lands, way before I once imagined, I felt sad. This was for real. Eastern European Jews really existed. I was located in right front of evidence that Jews lived here back in the 1800’s, 1700’s, and way back to 1200’s. I tried to imagine what life was like and what the Jewish Quarter must’ve looked like to have this plot of land. It is not to say that I don’t believe that Eastern European Jews existed in my mind only because of the Holocaust and Czar Alexander II’s rule. It is more of seeing for myself that outside of the Holocaust and the Pale Settlement issues, the Eastern European Jews had their own lives. I don’t need that photographer who created “The Vanished World” to tell me that the Polish Jews lived a vibrant life before the Holocaust. I know they existed because of the novels and memoirs that I read for class. But to see that cemetery touched me to my heart that before the tragedies, the Jews had their own lives that they were able to bury their own dead, not someone else to do it for them (by no choice). That the Jews lived long enough to see their own natural death and the whole community to do so, not a just a good portion of it (due to pogroms and such). I did not think that the Jewish cemetery would impress me so just because it’s a graveyard but just seeing the sight of it told me that the Jews truly once lived here for their whole lives.
The day before, I went to Terezin, about 45 minutes away from Prague with Dane’s program. A bunch of us climbed in a large van with a survivor, Dr. Kolmer. I don’t remember much of his life as he didn’t speak as well as he could be for me. He went through a bunch of camps including Terezin and Auschwitz. He gave us the tour of the entire ghetto. Terezin was not just a concentration camp but also a ghetto and a death camp. Terezin used to be a small fortress and the Nazis took over that to create a camp. First, we went in that fortress area to hear of how Dr. Kolmer lived there. He showed us the women’s quarters and the men’s quarters, the showers (real ones), the Nazis’ offices, the barracks, the washroom, and the sick rooms. He also told us of specific moments that he had including where he was beaten. There were also isolated cells- so incredibly claustrophobic! I took very few pictures as possible as to respect the victims (which is why I get so peeved when I see visitors at the USHMM take pictures of the shoes with their camera phones). There was also a graveyard for the last 600 victims who fell very ill after liberation. He showed us where executions took place. I tried to imagine this place being packed with dying, frail workers and the Nazis with their dogs. I tried to smell the filth, the stink, the mud, and any other offensive odors. I tried to taste the sourness of the food and body odor and the bitterness of bloody beatings. I definitely felt very cold and thought, I’m wearing my sweater under this parka, and these people had no clothes that could possible keep them warmer than this parka could. If anything, I know that they would not move as much as to conserve their energy and I could see myself huddling against one of these walls, away from the draft. Also, I listened for any soft murmuring in Eastern European languages, loud barking from the officials and the dogs, and the clattering of the feet moving about. Despite all that, I felt nothing. Dane complained of hunger but thought she was being a paradox because we were in a location were food meant everything in the world to the victims and how could she complain of hunger? Her bread, which she bought for a snack, tasted wonderful to her all of sudden.
Next, we went to the Jewish ceremonial hall. Everything was basically written in Hebrew. Visitors walked down this tunnel, which opened up to several rooms filled with several Jewish artifacts and plaques commemorating the dead. I had a feeling that this place mourned over how these victims could not make it to Palestine as they were supposed to. All the Hebrew just seemed to point out that message- no Yiddish or Czech or English.
Then we toured around the Jewish cemetery and the crematorium. The crematorium was not what I had imagined at all. There were only few ovens- how could they burn 3,000 bodies in one day? The graveyard around it mostly held WWI soldiers but eventually, the Jews. Before things came chaotic, the Nazis used to allow the Jews to hold funerals for the dead. Then they moved to mass graves. Eventually, the land became too full with dead people that they had to build the crematorium to burn the rest. Yet, I looked out and around, the land was perfectly flat. No such evidence of mounting heaps of dirt covering the skeletons like the Prague Jewish cemetery. I couldn’t get close to any of the headstones to see for myself.
At one point, we visited a place which had a model of a typical barrack in the ghetto.
Afterwards, we went off to the Ghetto Museum. Finally, I was warm again! First, we saw the propaganda film for the Red Cross from the Nazis of the Terezin ghetto. Their lives seemed so normal but somehow, it felt very panicky. These people were forced to behave the way they did or else. Then we went upstairs to tour around the history of the Holocaust. Most of us skipped through it until the end where the presentation seemed a little more unique with data and maps of different countries and their Jews and the relevance to the Holocaust.
I asked the guide, if he still had the senses that he experienced during his stay in Terezin- the smell, the taste, the noise, and so forth. I don’t think he understood me but he replied that he was able to give tours of Terezin because “compared to Auschwitz, this was easy.”
That was a very, very strong statement to describe Auschwitz. For all we knew, Auschwitz was the worst place to be even though there were other very difficult camps like Mauthausen. But to put it that way, I could not possibly imagine what kind of specific activities went on at Auschwitz that it must earn that awful, awesome reputation that it stood out from Terezin that much. I felt like this was only a baby step before I’d visit Auschwitz eventually in the future. Dane had been to Dachau and she did not experience such strong feelings and reactions to Terezin as she did for Dachau. She was not sure if she had become more mature or she just knew more. I know that her visit to Auschwitz this month will reveal the exact factor.
Unexpectedly, I simply felt no emotion towards Terezin. Could I have been so desensitized to the Holocaust that coming to Terezin was simply a visit to memorialize the victims? Normally, I am very emotional, sensitive person with slightly delayed reaction. I don’t believe that my age is a factor. Maturity? Maybe, sometimes I cry when I read over the translations of the mass murders in Soviet Union or listen to survivors’ testimonies that touch me as a woman. Could words be stronger than action in this case? I don’t know. I am having such a terrible time sympathizing when I am expected to. For me, sometimes the Holocaust seems surreal. Other times I think, whatever happened, it happened. Then that’s not fair to the victims who want to say “never again” and to tell the future generations about their horrible experiences. But that’s what I’m doing already- ensuring that the public gets the right facts and understands that as surreal this event appears to be, it happened. Terezin is an evidence of the Nazi atrocities. Sometimes I wonder, because I have this no-nonsense attitude about the Holocaust, am I the right person to take on a job in the Holocaust field? I always imagined that the person must be sensitive and empathic but I don’t think it’s always the case. The person’s there to give facts, probably preferably without emotion, so that the audience may choose how to react.
Which is why the USHMM doesn’t give guided public tours. Neither does Yad Vashem.
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