Our first session was with Shalmi Bar Mor, an educator and the former Director of Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem). His father was the first Israeli diplomat to Poland, so although he was born in Israel, at age 9 he moved to Poland for a number of years. He is an expert on the current state of Judaism in Poland and directly contradicted a number of things we had learned in Poland.
From his perspective, Judaism in Poland is dead. We had a much better insight into how the Holocaust survivors of Poland fared in Israel after listening to him. He also clarified the various of waves of Polish Jews that emigrated to Israel after the War, both immediately post-Holocaust and post the expulsion of Jews from Poland in 1968. If there is one thing I've learned on this trip - it's complicated!!!!!
After a blisteringly hot walk with Haim through Tel Aviv's streets to see architecture that ties into this story, we grabbed a quick ice cream for lunch.
Then off to Petach Tikvah (suburb just north of Tel Aviv) to meet with Reb Reuven Berger who is a Ger Hassid (from that same line of Ger Hassids who originated in Gur Kalwaria - a tiny town we visited back on August 27. The Ger Hassids were all killed or sent to the camps and very few survived. Those that did emigrated to Israel, America, Canada, Australia, England, etc. Reb Berger's father was a survivor who lost his entire family in the war and then started a new family in Israel. His father taught him that it was his responsibility to help others and so he started Bet Simcha, a facility for physically and mentally handicapped people. It was somewhat interesting to hear him speak, but his community is quite closed (very, very Orthodox) and there was a lot of controversy in our group about how we should all dress to meet with him. Definitely not a highlight for me.
Then one of the highlights of the entire trip. We went to Cafe Europa, a senior center that is for Holocaust survivors. With a live performer singing and playing an electrified piano, we danced, danced, danced (and sang) with these wonderful people. Most spoke no English and most of our group spoke little Hebrew, but the universal language of dance needed no translation. What a gift to us!!!
Since the day wasn't long enough, and we weren't hot and tired enough, Haim gave us one hour of free time to explore the new wing of the Tel Avivi Museum of Art. Then off to dinner at Lillyot, a restaurant that trains at-risk youth to be chefs. Fabulous, fabulous food - but we didn't get home until 10:30 PM.
It's another early, jam-packed, hot day tomorrow!
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