The first day of what I have come to call, “my fact finding trip to Israel and Poland” began early. I’d not exactly slept that night. I was a little tired, but I was ready to go and explore. I was looking forward to a day in New York.
My mother and grandparents took me down to the Airport. It had rained through the night and the day was cool, the air slightly damp. My grandfather said, “wow, everything looks so clean.
Mom cried at the airport. I never understand why parents do this.
Going through security took about an hour, I had a coffee at the gate. My flight to New York was quick and I was to the hotel quickly enough. In the evening we gathered together and discussed the trip we were preparing for. We talked about the history of the Jewish People in Europe and the Middle East and we were introduced to our guides, who would become our friends.
There were a number of fine people who would accompany this Christians United for Israel Student Activist group. We were all excited about going to Israel, most of us were ready for the first leg of our trip as well. We would spend a week in Poland, finding the traces of Jewish life in Warsaw and Krakow. We would visit the where the Jews of Europe had thrived and would confront the places where these innocent people met their end. In Poland we would bear whitens to one of the great failures of humanity.
Irving Roth would join us in Poland. He was a born in Czechoslovakia in 1929. I would meet him that evening, when he would speak about his experiences. It was Friday, so we were joined by a Rabbi lit candles for Sahibs.
