Yam l’Yam

Sea to Sea Hike Pictures:

URJ Heller High - Fall 2018

by Brad Kaplan

10^th grade      Indianapolis

Heller High students - Fall 2018 semester on the Sea to Sea hike during the Sukkot holiday

students were divided into hiking groups that had to self-navigate in the terrain and carry equipment

the Sea to Sea hike started out at the Madrasa nature reserve adjacent to the Kinneret

getting ready to bike to the Mediterranean Sea near Israel's northern border

the last day of the Sea to Sea hike was on bicyles!

Heller High principal Rabbi Loren Sykes with the students at the camp site during Sea to Sea hike.
The hike was during the Sukkot holiday, and we observed the tradition of the Lulav and the Etrog.  

From Sea to Shining Sea

Heller High students hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean

by Brad Kaplan,     10^th grade,       Indianapolis

It sounds crazy walking from one side of Israel to the other. Going to the highest peaks, to the lowest caves, we as a collective team went through it all. It was an unbelievable experience seeing the land of Israel and sleeping in nature. With the most beautiful sight, I have ever seen in my life without a phone to get a picture of it. And just being with some of the best people in the world.

   Day One. After everyone got picked up from their host families for Sukkot we all head down to our start point. All except one of us, Cyle Ginsberg missed his train and came later that night. We arrived at the start point which is a river that flows off of the Kineret. We met out guide Shachar (which means sunrise), and our security guard Shye. We sat down in a circle to talk about the trip and do an icebreaker where we each said our name and favorite place in Israel so far. Then we got changed into our bathing suits and went on our first walk. We went to the river and before we began we filled a water bottle with the water from the Kineret and would carry it with us until the Mediterranean and dump it out there. As we went to the water it was super slippery and almost to our waists, and when we got almost halfway we did an activity where together we went under the cold water and got soaked. It was a lot of fun and there were trees everywhere and the rocks were so hard to walk on. I walked with my friend Joe Rosenberg and we climbed on almost every tree sticking out of the water. As we got out of the river that was about 45 min, we all changed back and got some snacks and started to head to our first campsite on the bus. Once we got there we took all of our bags and took them to these mats, which we soon found out that we would be sleeping on them. Then we had about 20 minutes of free time, then we had a very large discussion about the equipment and the groups and a lot of safety. Then once everyone got into their four subgroups and got all of their materials, dinner began. We started with soup which was good and cooked by the company, which every dinner is cooked by them. It was very good, but the dinner after was chicken with some salad and some rice. After everyone ate and group one cleaned the dishes we got changed into warm clothes and met in a straight line at the edge of the campsite. Then we started to go on a walk, and one by one we were told to sit in a spot separate from others and to think for around 30 minutes. This was a great reflection activity and then picked up one at a time to head back as we all sat down to have a discussion about how our experience went. After that, we went back to the campsite which was small compared to the others but had a lot of different water sources. Most people would sleep on the ground with their sleeping back, but some like me slept in a hammock. But even with this comfort, it was extremely hard to sleep with the cold weather and being outside. I didn’t fall asleep until 3 am which caused for a very hard day of hiking tomorrow at 5:30 am.

   Day Two. Getting up this early wasn’t even the hardest things of the day. We got up and had some tea with biscuits. It was a good way to warm up. Then, we got all packed up and put our bags on the bus. We got dressed and ready to hike. We were walking by 6:45. For a while it was easy, calm flat terrain going down. Then we got to the bottom of the trail to a mountain that wasn’t even the main mountain we were climbing. It was one of the hardest days of my life. Especially have very unsupportive blundstones that made me not be able to feel my feet. There were beautiful views before breakfast with incredibly tall trees that protected us from the sun. We stopped for breakfast on the side of a large road under some trees with rocks. We had some break with a chocolate spread and peanut butter. Not much for breakfast but still tasted good. We started the hard part of the hike where it was so hot and dry with no trees and all uphill. We stopped 15 minutes later and I already was drenched in sweat. We continued but as it got steeper the view got nicer. It was getting harder and my very little energy, to begin with, was draining. After an hour or so of hiking, we stopped for a snack under a very large tree with a well under it. We sat down and had explained to us that we would finish the hardest part of the hike with our groups and learn how to use a map and walkie-talkie in case we get lost. We were off and I was doing good for a while about even an hour or so. However, we just got to the bottom of the mountain that was huge. It got extremely steep and I simply had no energy and did not think I could make it. I fell back in the group ever so slightly, but I just kept one foot in front of the other. I eventually after a lot of hiking made it to lunch, and it was under a lot of shade and had tables which were nice. I just collapsed after that hike for a bit, but it was the hardest part of the trip. We had an ok lunch with uncooked salami which was still good and uncooked rice. It definitely could have been better. It was also a very late lunch because other groups got lost and we were not allowed to eat until everyone got here so it was around 2 pm when we started and 3 pm when we finished. Then after going to the restroom and filling up our water, I felt a lot better considering the hike was a piece of cake after that. I was walking with the security guard Shye and Mili having a very good conversation and learning some Hebrew. We got to the top about 20 minutes after and it was incredible. Honestly a life-changing view. I was blown away and finally say where I came from and the true, prosperous land of Israel. After around twenty minutes of viewing the view, we started to descend the mountain which only took around an hour and a half and was very easy. We got the campsite greeted by Rabbi Lauren. We sat in a circle all exhausted after a hard day and gave each other a massage which was nice and bonding. The campsite was on the side of Mt. Miron and was shared with another group. We restocked on food and water and were fed soup again but this soup was much better this night. For dinner, it was schnitzel and couscous. It was a lot better and probably the best dinner in my opinion. After I ate I rinsed off in the sink and brushed my teeth and started to get into warm clothes and set up my hammock again. We waited for the second group to clean the dishes while we all got some candy. After everything we all go next to the sleeping mats and set up a campfire. We talk about the day and make smores and listen to music later. Right after I go to my hammock and fall right asleep after a long day.

Day Three. I had the greatest night sleep in my life. I was so warm and did not wake up once. I was refreshed and excited for the day. I got out packed up everything and had the same tea and biscuits made by the company. I forgot to mention before that cooking the food was not hard our group worked together well and we all have gone camping before. The food was good and the sleeping arrangement was terrible just would have been better with tents. We continued to go down the mountain and eventually stopped for breakfast fairly short but in that time we walked in a dried out river covered in very beautiful green trees and was a joy to hike in. Then we stopped in a great flat area and had a wonderful breakfast which consisted of the same things as the previous days except with some apples. Then continued, this day was much easier than the day before with more breaks and easier hiking. We sat and did a game where we closed our eyes and smelled unknown items and attempted to identify them we took a lot of breaks and not a lot of hiking after until we got to lunch where we had a great lunch and a very fun game after. It was called king of the roju where you have to be on one leg and hold your ear and pick up a bottle cap with your mouth on a rock tower and would get harder and harder when the rocks got taken away until there was one left. I was not so good at it but Justin won. Then we split into our groups again and our group was getting together a lot better now and were called the “hanemarim”, or tigers in English. Again we were by ourselves and went down this rocky area, and I did not have good shoes on and I slipped and fell which hurt at first but was funny and we laughed about it. Our leader Mili told us that whenever we see a good view that we should do a mental picture with our fingers were you make a square and say click, so we did. We walked together very easily. It got a bit hard in the end because it was hot and I was out of the water but Shye gave me some. Then we got on the bus to our third campsite. Once we got there the floor was a bit orange and cool. The biggest thing about it was its’ size. It was huge and wide open and nowhere to put up our hammocks. As we all sat together on the sleeping mat having our cooldown of the day the counselors had a really big talk about completing the trip together and respecting one another and I think that it really changed things. As we got situated I found a good corner of the mat and set up my mat and sleeping bag and got some soup. It was the same as the night before and really good. I can not remember what dinner was but it was good. I ate with my wooden silverware for all three meals and it was starting to get dirty. There was an important companion, a beautiful dog named Mitzi. He was on the trip with us for a couple of days. That night was our groups turn to clean the dishes and make sure the area is clean. We all got drenched in water and also was a great bonding experience. After that, we got all changed and dry. We all went away from the sleeping area and did a bit of a meditation under the stars which was very calming and beautiful. We talked about constellations and l layed on my friends and relaxed. After that, we went straight to bed for an interesting night.

Day Four. We wake up, wet as water. Everything is drenched in water. Everything from your sleeping bag to your underwear. After trying to dry everything I pack up my things and have a normal morning with “petibear v te” and was on our way. Before we left we played a game that woke us up. We walked for a while in a muddy trail and was hard avoiding it but it made it more fun. We stopped for breakfast in a beautiful place in the middle of the woods covered in leaves. The crazy thing is that there were these giant cows everywhere and these giant cow leading cows. The food is just getting better day by day. After we walked after that in the woods we stopped by a small pond and learned to filter water to make it drinkable. And we practiced and it was so much fun. Before lunch, we stopped at a place to go swimming in a huge pond with a giant tree. It was such a blast having fun with our friends. At the same place, we made an amazing lunch with cooked salami and peppers with onions. It was amazing. Also, that lunch was an iron chef where we have a competition of who can cook the best food. We came second but I think we had the best food. After almost 2 hours of a break, we got back onto the road. We walked straight up a mountain almost vertical and was very challenging for a short period of time. It was very accomplishing getting to the top with another great view. Also, there was an ice cream truck where we all ate some ice cream. We were literally a minute away and it was the greatest campsite of them all. There were plenty of trees for your hammock. But the ground was so comfortable I did not need it. It was not cold and there was no dew. It was wonderful. The food was good and a great night with no complaints. It was Shabbat so we did a short service. We hung out listening to music and was a great time. We had a fire competition for who could create the biggest fire and could burn a string 3 feet above. After the activity, we just hung out and went to bed in between my best friends.

Day Five. We got up doing our normal things with refiling everything and drinking tea. But today we made a packed lunch for the bike ride. Also, turning is all of our equipment. After we got a safety course about riding bikes. We rode bikes instead of walking all day. After the safety talk, we got on the bikes. At first, it was awesome being on a bike again feeling like a child. But then for a while, it was uphill and was challenging. Then, we were on the street and seeing the town next to my friend Jordan was awesome. Then we hit the open highway. I let go of the brakes and sped up in front and was going almost 50 mph. It was a giant rush and I felt so alive no care in the world. Then we biked on a banana farm which was interesting to see, but Joe fell off the bike and got hurt. After that, it was no time that we were at the Mediterranean Sea. We sat in a circle and got our certificates and talked about the trip. The company left and we went swimming, dumped the water from the water bottle, and had an amazing lunch outside. It felt amazing with everybody just swimming there with such a sense of accomplishment and that we did it together.  We concluded everything by 2:30 and were on our way to a different kibbutz for Simchat Torah. And that is my Sea to Sea.

Some questions that get brought up on this trip is how does this experience strengthen my Jewish identity and my connection to the land of Israel. As I mentioned earlier I really saw the roots of where my people were from and that I got to grow as a person, learn new things, and get out of my comfort zone. This also represents walking in the desert to obtain our freedom and that pain that we suffered. I also got to be with a lot of good people during Sukkot that helped strengthen my identity. Every day I spend with these people strengthens my Jewish identity but this was just amplified. It also works with the holiday because when you put your phone down for a while you connect with people and with god and with earth. And most important with yourself. This was a wonderful experience and I am glad I went from sea to shining sea.

Tiyul to Ir David in Jerusalem

by Joanna Ray,     11^th grade,        Silver Springs, MD

entrance to Ir David - City of David archaeological site, with ancient Hebrew writing

We woke up and got ready for another tiyul, with hats and water and all the things we would need for our Jewish History class, and we were ready. We climb onto the bus and eventually arrive in Jerusalem. We walk on sidewalks and down many stairs, all still a bit sleepy but excited to be out in Jerusalem. While walking we have so many beautiful buildings to look at, but we don’t stop, we keep walking until we all arrive together to a small courtyard. Here we split into the two Jewish History classes. We learn about David HaMelech, (King David) and Ir David (the City of David), the place where we sat at that very moment. We went to different areas to get different views of the area that surrounded us, knowing how different it looks now to how it looked back in the time of King David 3000 years ago, but also knowing that it was still the exact same place.

            In Jewish History class we have learned about more than just King David’s reign of the Israelite Kingdom from ~1000-960 BCE. There was also two other famous rulers, King Saul and King Solomon. All three kings had many great accomplishments during their respective reigns, as well as all making a few mistakes too.

view of "Area G" at Ir David, excavated houses in Jerusalem from the time of King David

King Saul’s Accomplishments:

King Saul was the first king of the Israelites and so his biggest accomplishment was being the first king to rule over and unite all of the tribes. At first he brought stability and peace throughout the tribes, which is what they needed desperately after years of war and chaos depicted in the Biblical Book of Judges. King Saul also builds a strong military and economy.

King Saul’s Failures:

King Saul was a pretty good king up until he made some very bad choices, which were his biggest failures as king. He disobeys God when God instructs him to wipe out all of the evil nation of Amalek, leave nobody alive and keep none of their belongings and property, just simply wipe them out. King Saul doesn’t kill Agog, King of Amalek, and he also takes war booty and plunders property. Then, after doing all of this, King Saul does not do any tshuva and repent for these sins. Then, as if it couldn’t get worse, he has a statue of himself build and then runs away. These are all big failures as a leader for King Saul.

King David’s Accomplishments:

King David was the second Israelite king, following the reign of King Saul. King David had many accomplishments. He was a poet, a scholar, a musician, warrior, and the people loved him. He unites all of the tribes and establishes the capital in Jerusalem. King David was also a great general and won a lot of wars.

King David’s Failures:

The main failure of King David that is extremely notable is that of the affair with Bathsheba. By impregnating a woman, having her husband Uriah deliberately killed in war, and taking her as his own wife, he made God very angry with him. This behavior certainly did not live up to God’s expectations of him.

King Solomon’s Accomplishments:

King Solomon is the son of King David and he becomes king after David. Solomon's reign is the height of Israelite power, sort of a "Pax Israela" period. Everything about this period of time is an accomplishment for King Solomon because this means he is doing something right. It is a time of prosperity, success, and stability. It was also the greatest extent of territory controlled by the ancient Israelites. King Solomon is also responsible for having The First Temple built, and The Temple (Beit HaMikdash) is the most important institution in Jewish History.

King Solomon’s Failures:

As all kings did, King Solomon also had many failures too. Although The Temple is the most important institution in Jewish History, the way in which it was built was definitely not good. King Solomon used slave labor to build it, and not just any slaves, but the slaves were the Israelites he ruled over! In addition to using the Israelites for slave labor, King Solomon also had many failures because he didn’t follow the rules of what a king could and could not do as king of the Israelites. He had 1000 wives, and not just any wives, but foreign wives, which was not allowed. He amassed excessive wealth and horses, but the biggest sin he committed was the worship of foreign gods. Yes, King Solomon did avodah zarah!!

Choosing the Capital

King David chose Jerusalem for his capital for many reasons. First of all, it had the 4 Ds that any civilization needs: Drink, Defense, Dinner, and Dollar. In addition to the 4 Ds always needed, it had 2 more: DC and Divinity. That means it was a very central location between all of the tribes (like D.C.), and a good location. It was also the location where many holy things were said to have happened, such as the binding of Isaac, the midrash of the two righteous brothers who give grain to each other, and Adam making the first sacrifice to God. Jerusalem was also neutral territory, meaning it was not previously inhabited by any of the Israelite tribes. In fact, before taking over Jerusalem it was inhabited by the Jebusites. It had so many good things going for it; you can see why King David would choose Jerusalem for his capital.

"Warren's Shaft" at Ir David leading down to the ancient water system and Hezekiah's tunnel

Archaeological Findings

We got to learn about and experience firsthand the archaeological findings at Ir David, especially Hezekiah's famous water tunnel that we walked through. It was significant because it was built to protect the water source from invasions and enemies during battle in 701 BCE. We also learned about a sign that was discovered and moved to a museum in Istanbul. The sign was significant because it was marking the spot where the two teams digging the ancient tunnel met in the middle when the it was being made, since they had began digging from two different sides and met in the middle.

the end of Hezekiah's water tunnel at Ir David

Being able to see these sites and learn about the stories in the Tanach in the very places they are said to happen, to learn about King David and the City of David in the City of David itself was so fascinating. It gives you a different perspective on the lesson and on the Tanach in general. If you learn in a classroom or in America about something that happened so long ago and in a place that is so far away from you, it doesn’t hold as much meaning as being able to see the space you are learning about while doing the lesson.

Walking through a water tunnel that is 2700 years old is an experience I can say is completely new to me, and it was amazing. Walking in the dark with cold water up to my knees, guiding myself forward by running my hands along the damp, cold walls of the carved out rock we were walking through was immensely powerful. Thinking that 2700 years ago, people dug that tunnel out by hand is absolutely amazing to me. The fact that the tunnel is still there and that we could go walking through it to this day is such a special thing. I will never forget the City of David and my trek through the ancient water tunnel.

Sataf: Judges, Caves, and Dates

By Talia Raider-Roth,      11^th grade,           Ohio

In the morning, we all started our journey bleary eyed but excited. As our muscles began waking up, we gathered behind the chader ochel as one of our Jewish history teachers Evan began to speak. He spoke as Moses shouting “Follow me Jews! I will lead you to the promised land!” We laughed and began to walk as he led us out of the kibbutz.

As our muscles began to wake up we were greeted by the scenery of many olive trees and greenery. We walked further out of Kibbutz Tzuba and saw a clear blue sky and mountains covered by bushes. We soon saw cacti blooming with prickly fruit and the vineyard of the kibbutz.

We continued to walk and soon we felt the oncoming heat of the day. We reached a water break and both our class and Evan’s class sat down together. We learned that we were sitting on top of a mountain that the ancient Israelites had lived on. They had to live on top of this mountain because the Philistines, who the Israelites had much tension with, had technology, such as chariots, that were more advanced than the technology of the Israelis at the time (~1200 BCE). To counteract the Philistine’s innovative chariots, the Israelites stationed themselves on top of the hills which the chariots could not go up.

As we split into our separate classes our teacher Josh told us about many other problems that the Israelites had to solve when creating a nation in Eretz Yisrael. They needed a government, a leader who could help unite the Israelites, and a document/Brit to follow. The 613 commandments given to Moses at Sinai became the Brit they followed. Joshua was chosen by God to lead after the death of Moses. He was a good leader who was also the military general who fought side by side with the other Israelites. Aside from Joshua, eventually judges (shoftim שופטים) were appointed by God as temporary leaders.

One of the main problems that they faced, however, was Avoda Zara, the worshipping of foreign gods (a.k.a. idolatry).  Farming was necessary to create a working society because they could not trade with the Philistines, but rain was an infrequent occurrence that was never-the-less necessary to grow food. Other nations/religions prayed to their gods for rain. If it did not come, they sacrificed their children. God told the Israelites that child sacrifice was not allowed and they were to abstain from it. This left the question as to how the Israelites could get enough rain for their crops. The necessity for rain created a new type of farming: terrace farming. Terrace farming is composed of multiple layers of dirt in a step-like formation. This meant that when it rained or, more frequently, when the snow from the mountains melted, the water would trickle down to all the different levels and all the different crops could be watered without resorting to Avoda Zara!

After a half hour break, in which we re-enacted the Israelites breaking down the walls of the city Jericho, we walked towards the cave that we soon began to walk into. There was a small stream down the middle and as we climbed over slick rocks, the cave got steadily darker. At the very end, Josh helped us up a four foot rock until we were all inside the back of the cave. In the back there was a slightly bigger stream of water and four walls of gorgeous rock. We then turned off all of our flashlights and were surrounded by darkness and the arms of our friends. We sang Hinei Matov and as all our voices joined together in the black of the cave, an atmosphere of community and warmth surrounded us. It was one of the most beautiful NFTY song sessions that I have ever been a part of.

After we clambered out of the cave, grins on our faces, we said good luck to Evan’s class who was going in after us, then walked over to a shady area and sat down. After we were given dates, תמרים tamarim in Hebrew, we broke into groups of four different judges that had been assigned in class: Devorah, Gideon, Yiftach, and Samson.

We acted out the different stories of each one according to the chapters we read in the Book of Judges in the Tanakh. Josh then explained to us that the stories of the Judges is actually a downward spiral. Deborah was just and brave, Gideon was a strong warrior who followed the word of God, Yiftach was a good warrior as well, but sacrificed his daughter, and Samson was strong but had no other redeeming qualities. The Judges cycle is described in all four stories in five steps:

1. The Israelites do Avoda Zara (idols)  2. God sends other people to take control of Israel
3. Israelites cry out for help
4. God appoints a judge and the judge leads the Israelites in battle
5. The Israelites return to God and are restored to power in Israel

After finishing our conversations we started to finish our walk. We walked down what felt like hundreds of steps until we finally saw the bus in view. Sweaty, tired, and happy we climbed onto the bus and set off for Tzuba. This trip taught us a lot. It taught us about how important water and agriculture is when setting up a new society. It taught us about the struggles of our ancestors and the many wars they fought. It was a long, fun, and rewarding trip that I will remember for many years to come.

First Tiyul:  Tel Gezer

by Dani Pattiz,     12^th grade,      California

Kitat Yarden entering the ancient water system at Tel Gezer

We spent our first Jewish history tiyul of the semester at an initially unimpressive archaeological treasure trove known as Tel Gezer.  Driving through the countryside to Gezer, it seemed to me like an impossible feat for historians and archaeologists to randomly discover Tel Gezer.  After walking to the top of Gezer, however, the historical importance of the site became clear.  The tel - an artificial hill composed of generations of civilizations piled atop one another - is home to architecture, language, and, most importantly, ancient culture.

walking up the ascent to a look out point on Tel Gezer

            Over the millenia, 27 different societies have called Tel Gezer home.  Because of its central location on a major highway, Gezer was alternately conquered by the Egyptians and the Mesopotamian civilizations.  As a result of the revolving door of conquerors, societies came and went much more quickly than in other regions.  Among the first civilizations to make their home at Tel Gezer was the Canaanite people in circa 2000 BCE. A technologically, linguistically, and otherwise advanced people, the Canaanites are remembered for a number of things - not least their pagan traditions.  The Canaanites based much of their society on agriculture, but living in a dry area meant that they often did not get the rain that they needed to grow.  In times of drought, they prayed to their god Baal for rain, and offered him sacrifices to ensure his goodwill . . . human sacrifices!

students in Kitat Yarden stretched out across the Canaanite defense wall at Tel Gezer

            As they wandered through the surrounding area, the founders of the Jewish people Abram and Sarai encountered the Canaanite people.  As righteous people and followers of the God of Israel known in Hebrew as יהוה, they knew of the sins of the Canaanite people and did as the commanded in the Tanakh: they walked through the Canaanite city, refusing to settle there, despite the luxuries of advanced society.  In true biblical fashion, Abram and Sarai (later re-named Abraham and Sarah) were not tempted by the easiest path, but stayed true to the commandments of their God.  So the story goes.  However, those with a modernist viewpoint on biblical events question this narrative.  After all, the Canaanite city allowed its citizens a plush existence, and Abram and Sarai’s life as nomadic shepherds certainly left some comfort to be desired.  Even more importantly, the land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) is repeatedly referred to in the Tanakh as “the land of Canaan.”  Is it possible that these righteous ancestors succumbed to the temptation of life among pagans and murderers?  

Alex and Joanna enjoying our first tiyul to Tel Gezer

Regardless, the ancient Hebrews at some point settled in Gezer (whether alongside the Canaanites or long after them). Archaeologists have discovered artifacts left by both the Canaanites and the Hebrews, and have commented on their differences.  While the Canaanites left a sacrificial altar with the bones of murdered children, the Hebrews left an ancient calendar.  The calendar is written in a whimsical rhyming pattern, indicating that it was created with the express intent of helping educate children and teach them the months of the year.  

replica on display at Tel Gezer of an ancient Hebrew calendar that was discovered

Of course, education has always been an unalienable value of the Jewish people.  If Abraham and Sarah did indeed simply walk past the Canaanite city, the contrasting artifacts and the tales that they tell paint a wonderful, moral picture of the ancestors of the Jewish people.  The truth, however, is often much more complicated, and it is entirely possible that they lived among those who both sacrificed and cherished their children.  On Tel Gezer, that ancient treasure trove of historical discovery, two (or possibly one) societies with totally polar traditions are separated by nothing more than a biblical story of questionable reliability and a few layers of dirt and stone.

Life Over Death

by Arielle Kolodzinski,     11^th grade     New York

The first thing I saw this morning was lichen growing on a tombstone in what was once a thriving Jewish shtetl in Poland, a true Kehillah Kedoshah, Tykocin. In 1941, all the Jews in the village they were born in, lived in, laughed in, fell in love in, and built families in were herded into the town square. The 1,400 or so remaining Jews were then forced to march into the forest in the second picture on the outskirts of their community. There, one of the Nazi  Einsatzgruppen shot every one of these people- mothers, fathers, children, babies- systematically, leaving them to fall backwards into pits, mass graves they’d just dug for themselves. There they were murdered. In under 48 hours, there was no one left. Tykocin today is a Christian village. There is not a Jew left to speak for the shtetl which once was.

Still, before there was death, their was life. The synagogue of Tykocin is still standing. After the fall of communism, the Polish residents of the town took it upon themselves to restore it to its former beauty. Under no obligation, they took it upon themselves to honor and remember what had happened to half the population of their village. This afternoon, we had the privilege of having a mincha service in the restored synagogue. We brought Jewish voices back to a place where the Germans tried so hard to silence them. We finished the service with joyful singing and dancing the hora. Today, we brought back life into a place overshadowed by darkness. The Jewish people live. Am Yisrael Chai.

The Houses Across the Street from Auschwitz

There are houses across the street from Auschwitz. We could see them from inside the camp, from outside the barracks. From the courtyard where roll call took place. From the bare dirt ground where Jews were shot if they lost their striped caps, or for no reason at all. If we can see out, they could see in. Did they know what they were seeing? How could they not? They were living across the street from hell. Could they not smell the fire rising from burning flesh? Who were the people who lived across the street, seemingly an ocean, which widened the gap between the land of life and the pits of death, from just few meters to thousands of miles? Mothers, fathers, children- monsters? There were screams and there was silence. Did they feel that the ground they walked upon was haunted? We walked through the town of Oswienciem (Auschwitz is the German name for this)  and we heard the echoes of death, not the laughter of the children on roller blades along the river. They were there yesterday and they were there in 1944. Life went on outside Auschwitz. Just beyond the gates, Arbeit Macht Frei, the world remained. Day and night- it is impossible that the day wasn’t aware of the darkness. They saw it. What could they have done? Did they care? Did they ignore the cattle cars for their own comfort? Were these people really people? Were they as torn between life and death as I was walking through their town? They saw humanity at its indisputable worst every day. They swallowed it and moved on. We can’t move on nearly 75 years after Auschwitz was liberated, and we never will. Yet they could close their eyes and move on all along.  In the face of death, could you have simply gone on living?

Note- at the time Auschwitz I and II were operational, the houses didn’t quite go up to the camps. However, the idea of their proximity and the inevitability of civilians facing the reality of the camps stands.

Rosh Chodesh Adar with Women of the Wall

by Dahlia Locke,     11^th grade,     Brooklyn NY

Let me start by saying that the Women of The Wall are my favorite organization and I have 
been following their work for over a year now. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I heard we would get the opportunity to participate in their service. We had been warned about the Haredi protesters but I hadn't anticipated the impact it would have on me. What struck me the hardest were the young girls who covered their innocent faces with scarves while the 
attempted to drown out our service with deafening shrieks.

It hurt to see these girls being impacted and engrained with such hate. Beyond religion it 
stunned me how many women were against their own rights. Did they not want to have the same connection with God a their male counterparts? How could they accept the reality that they couldn't chant the Torah they swore by? Jews are born into adversity as it is, so one would assume we would look past our differences and support each other. As naïve as it may sound it was the unrealistic reality I had hoped for. However, the disappointment I felt towards my own people shifted to pride as I became empowered by the members of the WOTW who met their opposers with such dignity and grace. Although I still haven't fully processed the event I was immediately grateful that Heller High had taken us on such an 
important and memorable trip.