Loading...
An article today, in the online Israeli newspaper HaAretz described a poster designed by an Italian artist  contains a swastika and a mickey mouse head on the body of a naked woman.  You can see the article here:
http://tinyurl.com/34twgyd

From the article:

"The work - NaziSexyMouse by Italian artist Max Papeschi - is part of a series works that blend iconic American cartoon figures with images of warfare or destruction.

Papeschi explains on his website that the series - which he dubs Politically-Incorrect - is meant as commentary on the United States, revealing all the horror of this lifestyle"

"Art

...... [ Read the rest of this story ]

After being back for a few weeks, I can look back at our trip with some objectivity. 

Our time in Poland was exciting, different, fun, and inspiring.  We saw many beautiful things and many horrific things.  There were moments on this trip that I laughed harder than I had in months.  There were other moments where my brain struggled to make sense of something senseless.  And there were other moments when I was so drunk off Zubrowka that I remember having a 2 hour long conversation with Sarah, eating 7 ryby cutlets, and passing out facedown in my cot.

I'm so grateful that I decided last minute to come on this trip.  It changed my life in many ways, and I am proud to be able to come back to America and testify to the things I saw there.  I wouldn't have traded those two weeks for anything!

Well, seeing as how I've been back in the States for a week and a half now (but only actually *home* for 5), I figured I'd do a general reflection on adjusting back to life in the States. The short version: I miss Poland. Here's the long version. Poland was great. Everyone has asked me how Poland was, and that is what I tell them. I am also telling everyone I know to go there in the next 2-3 years, before Poland adopts the Euro. 


I miss being in Krakow. I miss all the little cafes, and the ease of getting something simple to eat. Trying to find something simple to eat at is a chore here in LA - I have to get into my car, drive out into the Valley or Hollywood, and then park and walk. So much easier to just leave Nawojka and walk a kilometer. I also miss being able to legally drink, although that is beside the point: even if I could legally drink, I'd still have to *drive* places - which is just plan inconvenient. I also miss how cheap Poland was. I miss being able to buy food in Zlotys, and the quality was typically higher anyway. I miss Polish food. Well, some of it. I like having real cheeseburgers again and sodas that aren't over-priced and undersized, but

...... [ Read the rest of this story ]
I have been back two weeks now, and the experience of traveling in Poland still permeates my day to day experiences. Experiencing the electricity of being a Jew in Kazimeirz in Crakow followed by the intense, complexity of Auschwitz has left me out of balance. Things that seemed so clear relatively understandable became muddy, complex and far more nuanced, despite the grotesque scale of the holocaust. Yet in other ways, I feel calmer- I was reminded of lessons learned (and possible forgotten long ago), especially about keeping things in context , or as the title of the book says "Don't sweat the simple things" . Yet things still need to be addressed and reflected upon. 

In keeping with this idea, here are a couple of links that were just sent  to me. You will see places that we just visited (the sounds and scents are still with me). These films are provocative, both for good and bad and will make you thin
...... [ Read the rest of this story ]
There's an old Borges tale, 'Utopia of a Tired Man' I believe it's called, in which a man travels to a civilization of dream-like bliss and perfect forgetting. Just as the man is leaving the faultless, hedonist world, he asks his guide about a sort of broken chimney stack in the distance. The guide is at a loss for words at first. But something clicks in him eventually, and he tells the man this place houses the remains of a lethal gas chamber, 'invented centuries ago by some philanthropist believed to be named Adolf Hitler'. I believe it's critical, in reading Borges' lesson, to first carefully consider the distinction between the Past and History. So often the past is hardly more than a series of shadows, whispers, and vanishings. While history, on the other hand, is a story of heroes and unmistakable victors. 

I know too well about the shadows of modern Europe, the millions of whispers forever lost to its past. I know about Polish Shtetls vanishing overnight. About the anonymous Jews who were wrongly condemned for their charity in the Ghettos, only to be crudely buried in Kashimeirz, finally redeemed though still not recognized. I know about the local Galic
...... [ Read the rest of this story ]

The last week of the trip was such a whirl-wind of activity that I found myself falling asleep before I could type on the blog.  So you aren't overwhelmed with text, I'll only post a few days at a time:


22nd


We took a six hour drive to Kazimierz Dolny and had lunch at the gorgeous Villa of Severyn Ashkenazy. The quaint secluded setting reminded me of the beautiful homes in Carmel and I feel in love. First, we had a delicious lunch of borscht, freshly picked salad, and pirogi which were to die for (I don’t normally like pirogi).


After lunch, I was given two seconds at his piano (a cute baby grand Steinway) before a friend of Severyn’s took us to a windmill with a picturesque view of the Vistula. The boys posed in front of the windmill with their Don Quixote pose and I was tempted to play “Man of La Mancha” on my phone.

...... [ Read the rest of this story ]
Well... a few days later and I can't believe I'm finally back home, settled in (well, sort of... minus the brutal jet lag!) and the experience of a lifetime is over. Every time people ask me how the trip was, my response is usually... "life changing".

 I can't entirely put my emotions into words, but I realized that what we experienced on our adventures were unlike any trip I had ever gone on. This excursion to Poland was one of the most educating experiences of my life. I learned about myself, I learned about other people, I learned how to cope with certain things, and most importantly I learned about a really important historical tragedy firsthand. 

My biggest emotion of all right now, is simply gratitude. Yes, there were times I was homesick, times I would kill for a good home cooked American meal, but what I see now is that not only did a tremendous amount of hard work get put into this trip, but the memories I was able to attain from this trip are irreplaceable. I have no regrets about this trip, and I really wouldn't have done it any other way... because had it been any different, I wouldn't be feeling how I feel right now. I
...... [ Read the rest of this story ]