By Rabbi Yossela Ote
Director of Jewish Content for Shalem track of Year Course

Every so often we invite good friends for Shabbat meal. One time, a few years ago, after eating delicious food, having wonderful conversations, talking Torah, and singing songs, it was time for our guests to leave. When the meal was over, I accompanied them to their car and they drove back home. As I walked back inside I noticed my neighbor’s glare, as if to say, “Why bother? They are desecrating the holy Shabbat!” Before bed, my son turned to me and asked, “How can they drive back home if we aren’t allowed to drive on Shabbat?” I responded with a story. When I was his age in America I used to sit on the steps of my building and wish my non-Jewish neighbors “Shabbat Shalom” because most important is our respect and acceptance of others and not whether we practice in the same way.

 

Differences are everywhere; it is easy to forget that we were all created in the Divine image. Ultra-Orthodox schools see only one way to practice the faith.  Too often Modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews emphasize doctrinal disputes with each other, ignoring their shared ideological core. The secular crowd finds it difficult to relate to religious Jews of all stripes and their passion for seemingly nonsensical rituals. In the end these divisions distract us from a central tenet of Judaism, “כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה” All Jews are responsible for one another.  It is up to each and every one of us to remember that pluralism is an essential part of Torah. As parents and educators we have the obligation to teach our children Ahavat Chinam – אהבת חינם, unconditional love. “V’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha,” we should be confident enough in our level of religious observance to embrace others in the way we would want to be loved.

 

The holidays, strategically positioned throughout the year, truly demonstrate our ability to connect and come together to celebrate our religion, our culture, and our customs. Every so often, Jews of all types, ages, and styles unite to rejoice and pray together as part of the Jewish nation. It is at those times that our feeling of camaraderie is tangible, our sense of national and religious pride heightened. Israel is a magical place. Israel, during the time of the chagim, even more.

Take Yom Kippur for example. Some might think I’m crazy, but Yom Kippur is my favorite holiday. There is something utterly raw, genuinely spiritual, and amazingly pure about this time. It is the one day a year when we are solely focused on connecting to God. No material distractions, no physical interruptions. We channel our entire selves, bodies and souls, towards the purpose of conversing with a higher power. The unique divine aura surrounding this day is enhanced by the fact that all Jews, religious and secular, put their differences aside and gather in synagogue together to pray before the gates of Heaven.

Soon after, the four species of Sukkot represent a similar message. Each of the four species has distinct features and special qualities. The etrog has taste and scent. The hadas has scent but no taste. The lulav has taste but no scent. The arava has neither taste nor scent. On this holiday they are assembled and used as one component, for each of these is fine separately, but when united, they form a greater entity, a synthesis of senses, a fusion of assorted attributes. They serve as a reminder that we can be gifted and skilled as individuals , but that together we form a stronger, superior unit.

 

On Chanuka and Purim we recreate times when Jewish people fought for their lives, sacrificed everything to allow our Jewish values to shine through, and on Pesach we once again invite strangers into our home, recognizing Jews of all colors, shapes, and sizes, to celebrate God’s miracles together. On the ninth of Av, the temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred (sinat chinam – שינת חינם). But in Elul we are given a chance to delve deep inside ourselves, repent, and on Rosh Hashana, start anew with the opposite of baseless hatred: unconditional love.

 

The period of sefirat ha’omer represents a turning point in our identity as a nation. We emerged from slavery in Egypt as a free people but had not yet received the Torah. Standing collectively at Sinai symbolized our unity. Despite our differences, we bonded as a family. When we mourn innocent lives lost in the Holocaust, memorialize soldiers who have fallen in our wars, and honor loved ones brutally murdered in terrorist attacks, we know that we are all brothers and sisters. We have all lost and we can all recover. We rejoice on Independence Day and celebrate Yom Yerushalayim as one.

 

We have the same shared history. We are people of the same nation. In an era so infatuated with hatred of the other, the least we can do is show active tolerance towards each other as members of one faith, one family. We value God by acknowledging diversity, by gladly and openly accepting all streams of Judaism into our homes and into our hearts. We can be models of unity and accord, inspiring others with our enthusiasm and welcoming embrace.

 

So, yes, I happily say “Shabbat Shalom” and “chag sameach” to my non-religious neighbors. I feel privileged to learn with religious and secular students who come here, to the core of Jewish existence, to grow spiritually, showing mutual admiration for Jews from all walks of life. I associate with people who don’t necessarily have the same customs or practice as I. We are friendly, loving, and good to each other. For, especially around the holidays, when we all commemorate the past and honor our Jewish heritage, we try our hardest to see in each other the divine spark and remember that although we differ, we are family.

On Thursday January 23, 2014, our Zionism class took a siyur (tour) walking from our neighborhood of Baka to the Old City. Along the way we stopped at a number of historic locations to learn about the local history.

Stop 1: Beit Ar El
Our first stop was actually inside Beit Ar El, the Year Course campus. We looked at a sewage system that predates the State of Israel – a time when Baka, which means “The Valley” in Arabic, was primarily Arab. In the 1930’s and before Beit Ar El was a part of the neighborhood and the buildings that we now use as dorms and classrooms were the homes and businesses of Arabs. Walking out of the campus it was explained that the streets of the neighborhood are named after the 12 tribes of Israel. I found it fascinating that the neighborhood I’m living in has a layout that is the foundation of the jewish people.
Stop 2: First Intifada Memorial

The next stop was a memorial of a 19 year old Jewish girl who was killed in our neighborhood, by a Palestinian in the First Intifada. When we were there, I felt insecurity knowing that this girl was shot less than 10 minutes from the place that I now call home. Rabbi Rob asked us whether we thought that this 19 year old soldier, who was in uniform, a legitimate target in the eyes of a Palestinian. My natural instinct was that she was absolutely not a legitimate target. However,after some thinking I began to understand the Palestinian perspective as well. Given the unstable circumstances at this time I can see how a Palestinian might have thought of this off duty as a target or threat simply because of her uniform. This isn’t to say that I think the attack was at all justified, but I will say that it was an useful exercise to empathize with an action that I found unfathomable at first, if only for the sake of seeking understanding.

 

Stop 3: Gan Ha’Paamon and Moshava HaGermanit (picture to be added)

I continued to think about this conundrum as we exited Baka on a path covering the old Ottoman train tracks that Theodore Herzel rode on his trip to Israel in 1898. Soon we found ourselves at Gan Ha’Paamon (The Bell Park) on the edge of Moshava HaGermanit (The German Colony). The neighborhood, which is now one of the hubs of “Anglo,” or English speaking, life in Jerusalem, is named after a group of German Templars, Christian Zionists, led by Christoff Hoffman, a charismatic pastor, who settled the area in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This group was expelled by the British during World War II because of their suspected German allegiance.

Getting closer to the Old City, we talked about Christian Zionism and its origins. Hoffman’s group were among the first to settle outside of the Old City. The first neighborhoods went up in the 1860s. Beforehand there was a curfew meaning that if you weren’t inside the locked gates on time you would be left in the wilderness for the night. This is hard to believe considering that more than 550,00 of Jerusalem’s 600,000 residents live outside of the Ottoman walls.

Stop 4: Mishkanot Sha’ananim

The first of the neighborhoods in the New City was Mishkenot Shaananim, which roughly translates to “tranquil abodes.” The neighborhood was founded by Moses Montefiore, a Jewish philanthropist from London. The neighborhood was funded by Judah Touro, a Jew from New Orleans, and was meant to help the poor of Jerusal

em. Montefiore was revolutionary. The idea of expanding outside of the old borders of Jerusalem changed the character of the city in a profound way.

Stop 5: Yemin Moshe

Next on our tour we walked around a very beautiful neighborhood called Yemin Moshe, which is named after Montefiore. The neighborhood was initially founded in 1891 as an artist colony using funds from Montefiore’s will. We learned that today most of the neighborhood is owned by wealthy Americans and Europeans live who use the property as vacation homes. The property is expensive and under-utilized which is ironic considering that the iconic Windmill in Yemin Moshe was built to provide poor Jews with cheap flour. I was jealous to know that people own these houses but rarely use them. It was so beautiful.
(picture to be added)

Stop 6: Mamila

The last stop on our tour was a Mamila pool that used to be an ancient Roman reservoir. The area is part of the Mamila neighborhood that was a mixed Jewish Arab neighborhood adjacent to the Old City that got a major facelift when the Mamila Mall, an upscale shopping center, was finished in 2007. Next to the pool was a Muslim cemetery, attesting to the neighborhood’s multi-cultural past. I’m sure to most people it looks like a gross area with ugly water in comparison with the fancy stores nearby, but I thought that it was pretty cool. After seeing the pool we ended our Siyur with delicious tea from a cafe in the neighborhood. Ultimately, in a city like Jerusalem with a long, shared, complex history even walking a couple of miles requires looking at old and complicated questions.

Year Course participant Sam Reichstein writes about volunteering in Bat Yam.

On my Year Course journey, I’m amazed at how much my life, and myself, have changed so much in such a short amount of time.

I am an active Young Judean,  so going on Year Course has been engrained in my head ever since I was around eleven years old. For years I would tell family and friends that I was planning to spend my first year out of high school in Israel, yet I never let myself think about it long enough to picture what exactly I would be doing.

Now Bat Yam, a 3-mile city most Americans have never heard of, with a 30% Russian population has crazily, yet indefinitely, become my home.  Bus routes have replaced my Hyundai Elantra, my local Randall’s has transformed into the ever-famous “Super-Douche”, and my days of giving my mom a full basket of laundry have become nights across the street, using free-Wi-Fi, as my 15 shekel wash awaits it’s drying moment. Though quirky and strange to those who are not experiencing this with me, these are just a few of the many changes that are building my amazing journey here in Bat Yam.

Our main focus here this semester is to volunteer, and the opportunity given to me could not be at a more rewarding location. Alongside two good friends, I help teach English at a school with children who need additional help. My first few mornings were intimidating to say the least. Never would I have imagined being scared of what eight year olds were thinking of me, but using my basic Hebrew and receiving blank stares and angry responses of “Mah?!” placed me in a terrifying circumstance.

Luckily, things turned around quickly. Before I knew it my morning walk into school brought chants of “Hi Sam!”, “Sam!”, or my distinctive home-state, “Texas!” The kids love us being there, and are beyond excited to learn anything new. It’s amazing to me how they are learning— or even attempting— to become bilingual at such a young age. There are moments when my simple Hebrew and their struggling English collide and create understanding. It makes the whole process and experience of teaching so much greater.

Though I may not be able to haggle my cab prices down when I want, and I still end up not getting off at the right bus stop, finding myself in Central Tel Aviv, I know that as my bus arrives in front of Anna Frank, feelings of ease and comfort arise as I know that this is my address. These few months have been a whirlwind, filled with fast friendships, sunny afternoons lounging on the beach, experiencing nightlife in Tel Aviv, immersing myself in as much Hebrew as possible, and helping amazing children.  In this short time, I feel like I know exactly what I am doing on Year Course, and I couldn’t be happier knowing how easy it is to call this small, eclectic city, my home.

View other pictures of Bat Yam volunteers.

Year Course participant Hannah Newburger on a recent field trip.

Recently section two of Year Course was one of several MASA programs invited by the WZO to a field trip to Mount Herzl. While there, we learned about many famous Zionist leaders buried there including Yitzak Rabin, Golda Meir, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and Theodore Herzl. It was beneficial to learn about such famous people in Israeli and global history because it makes us appreciate where we are living this year. Our tour guide showed us an article which related Rabin’s assassination to Gedaliah’s assassination because they were both killed by a fellow Jew.

Sitting in a graveyard filled with soldiers that have fought and died for a Jewish nation, got me thinking about what these soldiers were defending. Not only are they defending the righteousness of Israel, but of the Jewish people as well. After discussing this and learning more about Har Herzl, we met someone who made aliyah eight years ago and is now studying law at IDC. He shared his story with us about what it was like to be a lone soldier, which I’m sure went to the hearts of other people thinking of making aliyah. Later, there was a ceremony celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah with other gap year programs from around the world. We celebrated with music, jelly donuts, and a visit from a minister of the government. It was such a great way to celebrate the festival of lights. We were surrounded by Jews our age from around the world all in Israel to study and learn for a year, at a place where some of the most iconic leaders in Israeli and Zionist history are buried.

Year Course participant Dan Dobro on a recent cooking lesson.

In our Jewish Sociology class with Dr. Avi Rose, we learned about and then made kubeh.

Kubeh can be found in Iraqi, Kurdi, Syrian, and other Middle eastern kitchens. In simple terms, it’s meat stuffed inside dough and then cooked- kind of like a dumpling. Today with the help of Shuli, whose family came from Syria, and Yael, whose father is Indian by way of Iraq (also known as a Baghdadi Indian) we made our own kubeh.

First, we chopped up vegetables- Onions, celery, and beets. and used them to prepare a broth in which to cook the kubeh. Then came the wrapping. We made two kinds of kubeh today- Yael and Shuli both brought their own recipes. Yael’s kubeh called for a semolina based dough. To handle it, we lightly coated our hands in oil and then pancaked a small dough-ball into our palms. Then in the middle of that we plopped some of Yael’s pre-made meat mixture, which was raw chicken and a hint of mint. Then we carefully rolled up the meat into a ball and attempted to close it without it tearing or falling apart. Then we put them on a plate.

Shuli’s kubeh were a little more difficult. While we were rolling Yael’s, Shuli was cooking a pan of grilled beef and onions. Meanwhile, they both were setting the soup up to boil. Shuli’s dough had semolina too but also other grains- it was a bit harder to handle, we had to wet our hands with water. She taught us a special technique of rolling where instead of making a pancake out of the dough, you roll it around one finger and shape it like pottery. Then you just spoon a bit of dough into the bowl, and roll it closed. When the soup has been boiling for ten minutes, you add the kubeh and let it cook for about twenty more. Then you have fresh hot kubeh soup. It was delicious!

Year Course participant Steph Blizter reflects on Arik Einstein’s passing

Even before I went to CYJ Sprout Lake (starting in Ofarim) I was singing Arik Einstein’s music.  “Ani V’Ata” was my anthem by 4^th grade; the song helped me define what I believe is my purpose in the world.

Last night (November 26^th) at 11:45 pm, I was out with some friends when I heard the song “Oof Gozal” being sung by some people out on the streets. Memories of camp and year round activities washed over me.  I was confused as to why people would be singing the song until I got home and saw the news on the Internet.

“Arik Einstein passes away at the age of 74” is what the headlines read.

November 27^th was an all around somber day.  The sky was gray and the feeling in the air was gloomy.  A group of us from Year Course felt obligated to pay our respects to the man who composed the songs we sang as we created some of our best memories as campers.  We caught a bus to Rabin Square in Tel Aviv from our apartments in Jerusalem to attend the memorial service.

The ceremony was moving.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others spoke in front of a large crowd of thousands of people wearing red (for HaPoel Tel Aviv) reminiscing about Arik Einstein and his impact on people around the world.

I felt compelled to attend the ceremony; it was important to me.  Although I’m not one to cry over the loss of a celebrity, I couldn’t help but shed some tears because Arik Einstein was more than a celebrity.  Arik was a thoughtful, modest, talented musician who greatly influenced my friends and me.  It will be different singing his songs in the future; it is no longer singing with him about his dreams, it will now be singing in his memory trying harder than ever to make his dreams a reality.

You and I will change the world  אני ואתה נשנה את  העולם

And we will together, in the spirit of Arik Einstein.

Year Course participant Yoni Krakow writes about the Year Course trip to Hevron.

Our siyur to Hevron last Thursday was one of the most interesting experiences I have had on Year Course so far.  We began the day on the bus where we first heard from Nadav, a member of Shovrim Shtika (Breaking the Silence), an alliance of former IDF soldiers protesting against Israeli military and government action in Hevron. With Nadav, we toured the area of the city that was partially blocked off to Arab citizens. Nadav shared his experiences serving in Hevron as a member of the IDF and discussed house raids he used to make in the middle of the night, which he categorized as an abuse of the authority of army. We walked up the main street, Al-Shuhada, previously the center of commerce, industry, and culture in Hevron, which is now all but deserted.  We saw various other sites within the 3% of the city that is closed to Arabs, and unfortunately were not able to experience any of the other 97% of the city, which is closed to Jews.  I was proud of the way the group challenged Nadav and his views, and although for the most part we disagreed with him, we maintained a relatively high level of respect for his opinion. It was an eye opening experience to walk the streets of Hevron, something I never could have imagined. There is definitely is something eerie about the part of the city we were able to see, and I wish I knew a way to resolve the conflict so the Arabs and Jews of Hevron could live harmoniously. However, what the IDF is doing right now has kept the Jewish citizens of Hevron as well as Ma’arat Hamachpela safe, and that will remain their number one priority.  I find it extremely important to hear the opinions of those who have drastically different points of view than I do, thus hearing Nadav was a truly educational and eye opening experience.

In the afternoon we visited Ma’arat Hamachpela, the tomb of the matriarchs and the patriarchs. We were led by Rabbi Simcha, a member of the Hevron Jewish community who made Aliyah from New York.  We toured the Ma’ara and saw burial sites of our ancestors, and heard some crazy stories about those that have ventured to journey down into the supposed burial sites.  We followed that with a mincha service, and for the first time in my life, I was part of a minyan.  Although in general I’m not so big on praying, I really enjoyed being a part of this service in such a holy place (not to mention it only took about 10 minutes).  Our next stop was the synagogue where Rabbi Simcha prays followed by a trip to the Jewish residential community where we visited his home.  Rabbi Simcha presented the polar opposite viewpoint of Nadav. He explained that he moved to Hevron to make an impact as a Jew and ensure the continuity of Jews in this holy city, a continuity that has lasted over 3,000 years.  He is an example of the settler mindset that feels it is absolutely necessary to maintain control over holy sites like Ma’arat Hamachpela and also make sure that Hevron will always be a Jewish city.

We closed the day by visiting Elazar, a settlement in the West Bank, where we met Benjy’s cousin Yehudit. She shed light on what it was like to live in a settlement including all the positive and negative aspects associated with raising a family and having a home there.  It was interesting to see a non-stereotypical settler in the West Bank and see the viewpoint of an average citizen rather than a professional.

Overall, this siyur was one of my favorite days of Year Course and I can’t wait to do others like it in our last month or so in Jerusalem.

View more pictures from the trip.

Hannah Newburger shares her recent overnight trip on the Year Course Business Track:

I would just like to say, more people should sign up for this track! It was awesome and if this overnight is a reflection of the rest of the opportunities we get on this track, we are going to have an incredible time on year course.

We started with a visit to the Haifa branch of Intel. It was amazing! It was so interesting to see how the microchips are processed and tested. For instance heat is applied to every microchip in order to simulate use, time, and damage. Out of every batch tested 90%-92% of the chips pass but Intel-Haifa was the first Intel in the entire world to have 100% of a batch pass this test.

After Intel we visited Industrial Park, which is filled with a bunch of small businesses, factories, and much more. There we saw an extensive car collection with cars dating back to the 1920’s. We also saw a processing plant that manufactures tools and we got to walk on the floor of the plant, which needless to say was so cool.

After this we headed to the village of Klil, where we stayed the night. Klil is a self sustaining environmentally friendly village in the north. It has a very laid back, hippie vibe. We stayed in a small cabin, which was so cozy. There was a fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen, a fire pit outside, a garden, and eastern inspired decorations all over plus an attic area.

For dinner, we were treated to some amazingly fresh and tasty food. But before we had breakfast we had a tai chi class which was new for me, but a great experience. For breakfast we had shakshuka, salads, breads, cheeses, teas, and Turkish coffees. It was to die for. Afterwards we headed to a local farm which offers camp grounds, fresh goat dairy products, and horse back riding lessons. We also did some team exercises there, which brought us much closer as a group. Then we went to בירה מלכה, an Israeli brewery, and we got to see where they brew beer. We learned about the entire process, then we had lunch and sampled some of the beers while taking in a beautiful view of the north.

All in all what I loved about this trip was that not only did we get to learn about big and small businesses, we saw how each one uniquely functions. It was such an incredible overnight and I would highly suggest the business track to anyone remotely interested in business. This overnight gave me a great overview of the limitless possibilities in business.

View more pictures from the trip.

With another year coming to an end, the incredible stories about our chanichim’s experiences are in no short supply.  Here is a great piece written by Adi Genosar about her volunteer placement, Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross).

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine doing the things I’ve done in the past two months. My name is Adi Genosar, and I am a 19-year-old Israeli, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. I am currently in Israel on a gap year Masa program called Young Judaea Year Course. On Year Course, I was afforded the opportunity to volunteer with Magen David Adom for a short period. MDA was never something I saw myself being able to do. I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me, bigger than anything I have ever been involved in, something worthy of not just me but others around me. That something is undoubtedly the MDA Overseas Volunteer Program. After taking the 60 hour course and starting to volunteer daily at the Rishon L’Tziyon station, I fell in love! The experiences and friendships I’ve made have left an everlasting impact on my life and changed me as a person. This one case still keeps me thinking

It was just another normal morning shift. I had already had one or two calls and now I was just hanging out at the station watching a movie. “34 Nesiyah (call for ambulance 34),” the moked (dispatch) announced over the loud speaker. I quickly grabbed my stuff and headed to the ambulance. As soon as I was in my seat and buckled, we heard what our call was, and my adrenaline was pumping. “Mechusar hakara (unconscious and not breathing) 65 year old woman…”  This was it! This was the moment they talked about during our MDA training where you need to be prepared for what’s coming. I grabbed two pairs of gloves and stuffed one in my pocket and put the other pair on. I prepared the equipment to come off the ambulance as quickly as possible. As we zoomed down the streets in Rishon L’Tziyon with the sirens screeching, my driver, knowing this would be my first CPR, started calmly explaining the procedure. I took a deep breath as we parked, and then it was time to go.

With everything in hand we headed up the elevator to the 3rd floor, ready. Or so we thought. The minute we got there we saw the door wide open and a woman doing compressions on a young man on the floor. We quickly assessed the new situation and quickly started. I remember my driver looking at me directly in the eyes and saying to “start compressions” while my tzevet (team) got the rest of the equipment out. I panicked slightly as I began to wonder if I knew what I was actually doing. All I remember thinking was “1…2…3…4…” and staring into this kid’s wide-open teary eyes as I tried saving his life. Time started flying and within a matter of minutes a MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) arrived at the door, medications at hand and ready to help us. It was nearly impossible to handle such a serious case with a normal ambulance. They too assessed the situation while I continued compressions. I switched off with someone in their team, and we each continued doing rounds, giving him breaths, shocks and medicine for over an hour and forty-five minutes.

Sadly, we eventually concluded that nothing remained for us to do for him. We had to just let go, move out of the way, and let the paramedics take care of the rest. It was really difficult, and I have to say the hardest part was looking into his eyes, wanting him to wake up, knowing that he was just a nineteen year-old boy, someone the same age as me. It’s crazy to think about it. However, I had to put my feelings aside and continue helping out. I was told to clean the equipment and CPR area and organize it all in the ambulances. As I grabbed the equipment, I saw them cover the kid with a simple blanket which had been lying next to us on the floor. They took the family into a different room while I organized the gear and returned it to the ambulance, just as if it were any other call, and waited for the rest of the team to return.

Once everyone had left the apartment, we were left waiting for a different organization to come to take care of the body. The driver arranged a sort of huddle. He told us what was happening at the moment, that we had done well, and explained the overall situation. Before he ended the talk, he pointed out to everyone, that although this was my first CPR, I worked as part of the team and did the best compressions of the day. I couldn’t believe that he had given me such a huge compliment. The last time I performed CPR, I was pressing into the chest of a dummy!

I remember taking a deep breath and thinking to myself, “Wow, I’ve actually done it!” The situation left me rather dumbfounded. I wasn’t precisely sad. Although someone had just died, I knew that my whole team had my back, and I knew that I really had done everything I could do. I really surprised myself! I never thought I could ever do something like that in real life!

MDA has really taught me to appreciate life. It showed me how to be a part of a team, how to be a leader, and most importantly how valuable a person can be…including me!

In wake of the recent tragedies in Boston, it feels like the perfect time to share a recent experience I had on Young Judaea Year Course, my nine-month Masa program in Israel. Last month I, along with 50 other Year Course participants, traveled to Poland with Kuma to visit the concentration camps and a number of historic Jewish sites. The trip was an incredibly emotional experience, and at times I felt as if there was evil all around me. Yet every time I began to feel that evil around me, I was reminded of the incredible strength of humanity overcoming the worst through stories of survival, resistance, and the amazing sacrifice of the victims of the Holocaust.

While there are many stories to be told, I’m going to focus on one that really hits home with me time after time. Be forewarned however, this story not only shows the best in humanity, it also shows the worst. It is a disturbing story, yet it shows that even in the face of death and hopelessness, rays of good still will shine through. This story, while powerful enough on its own, was even more powerful to me because I heard it while standing 5 feet away from the bridge in Auschwitz where this story takes place:

It was just another day at Auschwitz as another train full of doomed Jews pulled up to the unloading docks. As they were being unloaded, two Nazi guards standing on a bridge where the “lucky” few Jews who were not selected for immediate death would cross to get to their barracks, were arguing. Below the bridge was a pit of sorts. This pit was full of nothing but sewage. The two SS guards standing over the pit were arguing about how long it would take someone to drown in the sewage. After arguing and arguing, they couldn’t agree on a time so they decided to test it out to find out how long it would take.

As the Jews passed over the bridge, one guard got his watch out while the other one kicked a small girl into the pit. As she flew into the pit, these guards, who were now laughing, began their timer. At first, there was nothing. The sewage was so thick; she didn’t even sink right away. Struggling, she attempted to free herself from the pit but was unsuccessful. Eventually she slowly began to sink. Within a matter of minutes it would be as if she never existed. But right as she was about to go under, something incredible happened. She felt a hand grab her. Another prisoner had seen the incident and had rushed to her side. Without thinking, he jumped into the sewage-filled pit and swam over to save the little girl. With his hand grasped around her arm, he pulled her out of the pit where she was quickly ushered back in line. She didn’t even have time to thank the man who saved her life. She didn’t know what this man looked like and never saw him again. She survived the Holocaust because of one man who risked his life to save a little girl in need of help.

To this day, this woman does not know who this man was or what his fate was. All she knows is that he saved her life. How, in the biggest place of death and evil in the world, was humanity able to shine through? Why was this man willing to risk his life to save the life of a little girl? Even when all hope has been lost, humanity will never be lost. There are hundreds of stories in the Holocaust of good triumphing over evil. Every Holocaust survivor has one. Even when all hope seems lost and all good is gone; there will always be a glimmer of hope. We see this type of selflessness in every tragedy. During every tragic event, there are stories of people rushing to the scene to help others, putting their own lives at risk.

More recently, hundreds of people rushed to the side of injured victims in Boston and Texas, some of them losing their own lives to save others. In a world full of war, corruption, and death, it’s easy to miss the good that happens. I urge you to look not only at the evil that happens in the world but also the good that shines through during these times. During the worst tragedies, the best in people come out. As history has shown, the good always triumphs over the evil. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the most recent tragedies.