Polish “Children of the Holocaust” Survivors Visit Israel
JCC Krakow group with Rabbi Avi Banumol
Thirty Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust as children recently traveled from Kraków, Poland, to Israel for a special week-long visit to the Jewish state organized by Shavei Israel and funded by money raised from the inaugural Ride of the Living that was supported by members of the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Kraków.
The participants were all “Hidden Children” who survived the Holocaust in Poland. For many, this was their first visit to Israel.
“During the Holocaust, the Germans and their collaborators murdered more than 1.5 million Jewish children. These 30 survivors are among the few who succeeded against all odds in staying alive,” said Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund, adding that, “It is very emotional for us to see them visiting the Jewish state and experiencing the miracle that is modern Israel. Seventy years after Hitler sought to destroy the Jewish people, these survivors are a living testimony to the fact that Am Yisrael Chai, the nation of Israel still lives.”
The survivors’ visit to Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum Yad Vashem stirred the trip’s deepest emotions. After a physically and emotionally exhausting tour of the main exhibition, the visitors told their stories of loss and survival. At one point, a group member pointed to a photo on the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto section and exclaimed, “That’s my house!”
Clad in bright green jackets with the Kraków JCC’s menorah logo, the survivors were greeted throughout their trip by inquisitive Israelis. “If the Menorah represents a symbol of Jewish continuity — the unyielding light — then this spirit of survivors willing to come and tour and speak to anyone and everyone represents the true spark of the Jewish people, the ud mutzal me’esh (ember surviving the fire),” said Rabbi Avi Baumol, Shavei Israel’s emissary to Krakow, who helped lead the delegation.
Despite death and destruction, these survivors never lost their connection to Israel or to the Jewish people. There are approximately 4,000 Jews officially registered as still living in Poland, but experts suggest there may be tens of thousands of other Poles with Jewish roots who, to this day, are either hiding their identities or are unaware of their Jewish heritage. In recent years, a growing number of such Hidden Jews have begun to return to Judaism.
“The dzieci holokaustu (Children of the Holocaust) hold a very special place in my heart,” said Jonathan Ornstein, Director of the JCC in Kraków, who accompanied the group. “They represent the soul of the Jewish community in Kraków and facilitating this trip to Israel for them has been a privilege.”
This article originally appeared online at JPUpdates.