Poland – January 23, 2025

Posted on January 24, 2025

I didn’t write a post yesterday. Please forgive me. We spent nearly the whole day in Auschwitz-Birkenau. I was not yet able to put anything into words but I will soon.

I will share a pair of stories that bring home for me the layers of history, conflict, and geography I have experienced this week.

Last night, we were joined at dinner by two students connected to the Hillel in Krakow, Aleksander and Andrii. Both had fascinating journeys to claim their Jewish identity. Andrii shared that he was actually from Ukraine, from Kharkov, a part of the country that is deeply affected by the war with Russia. Andrii came to Krakow to finish his studies; many of his relatives are serving in the army. Our conversation reminded me that even though we had been steeped in stories from a war that ended here decades ago, another war rages just beyond Poland’s border, upending lives and creating havoc.

The next day, boarding our flight from Krakow back to Warsaw, I noticed a young man in a military uniform. The yellow and blue colors on his epaulette were the same ones we’ve seen on car bumpers and in windows for the last two years – he was in the Ukrainian Army. As we walked down the ramp I noticed he also had an emblem with a cross and Cyrillic lettering I could read.

I asked him, “Chaplain?” He nodded. I told him I was a rabbi and he gave me a huge smile and a handshake. I thanked him told him we were with him. I introduced him to Rabbi Poupko who gave him a blessing and then we parted ways.

For all I know, he was headed back to the front lines where his life would certainly be in danger.

It was a somber conclusion to a trip that offered many difficult moments. But amidst the pain, there were also countless opportunities to learn, deepen connections, and reflect on my role as a Jew, a rabbi and a human being in this pivotal moment.

In more than one memorial, we read the following quote from George Santayana:

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.