Collecting Stones for Rebuilding the Temple Altar

Collecting Stones for Rebuilding the Temple Altar

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Personal Thoughts

It has been a couple of weeks since I wrote on the blog. I thought I would give you a break from my intense tour of Krakow. I am in Kyiv studying, spending time with God, and enjoying my alone time.

The other day, I visited the Botanical gardens it was a very hot day. I found a couple of paths that were canopied with trees. What a refreshing spot to sit and enjoy the weather and the beautiful gardens. There were many grandmas and grandpas with their grandkids.

During my garden tour, I met two American women who attend a Ukrainian church in New Jersey. It was fun to pray with them and bless them, along with their Ukrainian host family.

I wonder, if I was in America, if I would be as bold about my Christianity as I am here. I guess maybe so, it has become a lifestyle for me.

Traveling to the garden was long and hot. I took one small bus, the Metro, (train) and an electric bus. Wow! It took 90 minutes riding around town. I enjoyed being out and about and away from my intense studying. And visiting the garden is worth the time. I found a less time consuming way home!

Personal reflection:
Krakow has changed me forever. It did not have the same impact as Israel, nonetheless I have changed. I loved Krakow, it is a beautiful city full of rich history. I highly recommend it as a must see!

Auschwitz: it is hard to imagine that a human being could inflict so much pain and agony on another. The trip is very educational, yet so oppressing. I wonder if this type of persecution will be experienced by Christians someday.

I also realized that as many times as Satan has tried to destroy God’s chosen people there is always a remnant that survives. Studying Matthew, the feasts and now doing an in-depth study of the Old Testament, I see all the different attempts to stop the Messiah from coming forth. As Christians, we know the Messiah came and fulfilled the Spring Feasts and will return to fulfill the Fall Feasts. Praise God!

I mentioned that I am making a few personal changes, this week I visited my favorite beautician and had my hair cut and styled. She cut off 8 inches! I could not believe it, don’t worry, I still have hair! It was fun to do something really different for me.

God bless each of you for your faithfulness. Kathy

Tour of Kazimierz, The Ghetto, and Schindler's Factory

Day 4 – Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter and Schindler’s factory

Today, I woke up as early as ever with the sun shining at 4:30 AM. I finished writing today's blog of yesterday’s journey. Did you get that? I am a day late on the blog.
I will be touring the Kazimierz and The Ghetto today. I have been to both of these places on the little golf cart on Monday. I know three hours of walking our guide will provide more historical details and enlighten me even further.

I want to see the Remuh Synagogue it contains the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe. This is a photo of the carving over the synagogue door.

I left the hotel at 8:30 this morning. I had to buy a ticket for the tour and I wanted to sit on the Main Square, drink coffee, and relax. I had about 45 minutes to sit and watch people and the busyness of the morning preparing for another day.

I strolled along to our meeting place. I took a few photos of the Square and the small church; waiting for the guide to arrive. Jacek was the same guide as my Tuesday trip: ‘The Royal Route Tour’. He is interesting and extremely knowledgeable. Rebecca was on the tour to Auschwitz yesterday with me. She is a nice young lady from Australia who is traveling throughout Europe on her summer break. There were two mature women from Sweden, it was great fun to listen to them speak Swedish, at one time in my life, I knew a little bit of the language. The married couple was a Jewish couple from New York! He is a Kohen*. This tour turned out to be surprisingly interesting. I talked to everyone and of course, I had tons of questions.

*Today one is considered a Kohen if he is a direct descendant of Aaron, the
brother of Moses! God blessed me once again with a new friendship.

Once again, we had a small and comfortable group. It was another hot day, with a breeze. We walked for three and a half hours, learning about the Jewish district and The Ghetto. There were so many facts, one I found particularly interesting was the small Jewish trading square had two roads leading through it. These roads connected the market square internationally.

There were 60,000 plus Jews living in Krakow pre-WWII. This was one-fifth of the city’s population. There are/were seven main synagogues in the old Jewish Quarter. The Jewish population today is only 200. The synagogues are used as museums and not worship centers.

We visited the memorial for the Ghetto; it is a large squared area that originally was the entrance point to the Ghetto. It is filled with empty chairs, the chairs are oversized. The chairs are symbolic of the Jewish furniture the Germans throughout in the square, while evacuating the Jews to the concentration camps.

The guard house still stands and is used for a flower shop today. Jacek told us that the ghetto was set up in such a manner that when the Jews entered, they realized they were going to die here. Now, I am unclear of all the facts regarding this, but the wall surrounding the ghetto appeared to look like Jewish tombstones. If that does not make one uneasy, I do not know what would.

We were able to go into the Remuh Synagogue. It is a very small synagogue and contains the oldest Jewish cemetery. The cemetery was used between the years of 1500 and 1800’s. The Germans of course desecrated it by using it as a place for garbage. Archaeologists discovered it many years ago and have restored it. Today, you find pebbles which people bring in to honor the dead. This tradition dates back to the time of the Wilderness wanderings.

A commemorative wall has been built surrounding the cemetery. In Jewish cemeteries they use symbols and sayings on the gravestones. Notice the different symbols the artists used in the wall.

The Kohen immediately washed his hands upon exiting the cemetery. He made the comment that he was not supposed to be in there. I did get a few pictures of him enjoying the sites of Kazimierz and The Ghetto.

We also toured Schindler’s factory. They only have a small part of the new museum opened. However, we were able to read the history of Schindler and his factory. I am sure many of you have seen the movie ‘Schindler’s List.’ If not, I would recommend you watch it. We were able to visit the original sites that were used in the movie!

Today was not as emotional as touring Auschwitz, but the reality of what happened has become real. It is no longer just a story or part of history on the other side of the world. I have seen the faces, their homes and where they died. I witnessed photographs of inhuman abuse of one another. I have seen photographs of Soldiers without a care; sending people to their deaths. Even the innocent children died because someone did not like them because of their heritage.

The point is; will this happen to us as Christians someday? Is the world safe or will we face concentration camps in the near future?

Tour of Auschwitz

Day 3 – Auschwitz and Birkenau

I awoke to another beautiful day in Poland. This morning I finished writing the article for yesterday and uploaded it to the blog. Uploading the photos was very slow, especially for the video.

Auschwitz is sixty-nine kilometers or about fifty-six miles from Krakow. It was a beautiful ride through the country. I am amazed at how clean Poland is, it is so much different than Ukraine. The buildings are maintained, painted and clean. They have beautiful manicured lawns, both in Krakow and the country.

We arrived at Auschwitz and the first thing we see is a sign stating, ‘Auschwitz Museum.’ This struck me differently; I found it almost offensive. The guide did not explain to us what was happening, I felt overwhelmed and lost, I suppose like the people who were brought into Auschwitz on the cattle cars (train cars). She gathered us together and herded us into an area to give us headphones and receivers. We were briefly introduced to our Auschwitz guide who instructed us to set our receivers to channel 1 and we were on our way.

We were given several other instructions. Smoking and eating is not allowed at Auschwitz. We were also told to be courteous and considerate of the memory of those who lost their lives there. We were instructed not to talk or smile during the tour.

I do not know how much knowledge you have about the Germans and the concentration camps, so please bear with me. My group was fairly uneducated of the how and whys. The guide made the statement ‘As people learn about what happened at Auschwitz; we will be able to change history.’ My thoughts turned to the persecution of Christians today and how it will worsen in the last days.

Satan has attempted to wipe out God’s chosen people from the very beginning, when God made the statement that the Messiah would come from the seed of Eve. He has tried to thwart God’s plan and kill the Messiah throughout the ages. Can you count the number of times; beginning with the Nephilim?

This camp was originally built for Polish prisoners and then expanded to contain Russian prisoners as well. Then with Hitler’s plan of purifying the world, it became a death sentence for the Jewish race.

We entered the camp and stopped at the first barrack where people were registered. Out of the million plus Jews brought to Auschwitz only about 2,000 were registered. The majority of Jewish people were marched straight to the gas chambers. Next to this structure was the arch under which they passed. The sign read ‘Work is the way to freedom.’

We walked down rows of barracks that contained prisoners in the past. These barracks now contain some of their photographs and personal items. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the buildings. There were many photographs telling the story of Auschwitz.

I had a difficult time viewing the two tons of hair which was on display. When the Jews entered Auschwitz their hair was shaved off. In fact when they discovered the hair after the Nazi’s evacuation, the hair still contained some of the gas they used for delousing. They had a bolt of material made from the hair. The material was used to make socks for the German soldiers being it was a very warm material.

There were shoes, suitcases, combs, shaving brushes, even toothbrushes on display. We saw household dishes, covers for bottles and jars, legal identification papers, and arrest papers. Seeing the children’s photographs, clothes and toys was very difficult to see and absorb.

There were several prison uniforms on display, with a winter coat, which looked like light cotton. The prisoner’s wooden shoes were displayed. When the prisoners arrived at the camp, they were forced to leave their personal belongings on the train deck. They were herded into two lines, men in the first line and women and children in the other line. A German soldier would stand there and point the direction or fate of that person. Usually the women and children were sent directly to the gas chambers. Those able to work were spared for the moment from the gas chambers.

Women had a very difficult time adjusting to this lifestyle and the majority passed away within two to eight weeks after their arrival. The children were unable to work and considered useless, the same was true for the elderly and the handicapped. These people were considered useless and valueless and were sent directly to the gas chambers. I cannot imagine this, I have a grandson who has special needs, he is the most lovable child and yet if he had been brought to Auschwitz his condition was a death sentence.

They had a display of talits. The guide walked right past them without a word. I was shocked! I complained on the survey they asked to me fill out. Maybe my heart is too sensitive toward the Jew and their beliefs.

We viewed the firing wall where thousands of men lost their lives. We toured the building where the court was held and the men were condemned to die by the firing squad. We saw the room where the women undressed and waited to be executed. The condemned were brought out two by two and made to kneel facing the wall. They were shot in the back of the head. Polish soldiers who had been found guilty would stand and face their accusers; who shot them in the forehead. The guide told us the ground was stained with blood fifty feet away from the wall.

The firing wall was located between two buildings, the court building also known as block 11, which had a jail in the basement and the hospital housing women and children on the other side. On this building there were wooden slats covering the windows. I am sure the slats did not muffle the sounds of the guns or screams.

The prisoners called the hospitals a death wish. No one wanted to go to the hospital. I will not cover the medical atrocities that were committed there.

We were taken to Birkenau, and only allowed to visit two of the barracks. Both barracks were holding barracks where prisoners were held for the first two months of their stay. It was ironic that there were metal rings attached to the walls. The barracks were originally built to house fifty horses not thousands of people.

Needless to say, we were emotionally exhausted. Returning to my hotel, I tried to write, but could not even think. I tried to relax and fell asleep for about two hours; Auschwitz is very oppressing.

In the evening, I went out to the garden to write and connect to the internet. I met a couple of people and we talked until midnight. The gal is from Poland and the gentleman lives in Welsh, he is a Jew. Our conversation is story for another day.

The Royal Route Tour

Day 2: Tuesday

I woke to sunshine pouring into my room at 4:30 AM. What a beautiful sight, now it is beginning to get foggy, the same thing happened yesterday, but the fog lifted eventually and the sun had full reign of the sky. I hope it becomes over cast, I will be outside many hours today and I do not have any sun screen! Oooops, something I had not thought about.

There is a change of plans because of a slight misunderstanding about my ticket and reservation. So I will visit Auschwitz tomorrow. Later this afternoon I will go back to the Town Square and join a walking group tour. Yesterday my tour was on a golf cart.

I left the hotel about 12:30 because I had to buy a ticket for the tour beginning at 2. I had no idea where the ticket office was. I am glad it left early, I asked for directions and people had me running in the opposite direction of the ticket office. The tour guide from yesterday took me to the correct street and pointed out the building.

I arrived at the ticket office about 1:15, purchased my ticket and decided to walk around and enjoy the sights, people and souvenir stands. As I was enjoying the sights I began to turn bright red, I was getting sunburn. The sun was hot and there was not a cloud in the sky. Knowing I would be outside for the rest of the day, I found a pharmacy and purchased sunscreen. I have no idea what this stuff costs, but here it was $20.

I am covered with sunscreen and ready to tour the city by foot. I was the first of our group to show up and with fifty or sixty other people gathered where we were to meet I asked around if anyone was there for the same tour. I met a woman from Ukraine and talked to her a bit. Then I continued my search for the group. I found them, there were three of us, and my comrades were husband and wife from England. The small group was very comfortable we could hear the guide easily. I really enjoyed making new friends and after the tour we stopped and had a fruit drink and rested our poor tired feet. Ok, my spirit feels like 20 but my body tells me differently.

I truly enjoyed our walking tour. We began at the Main Trade Hall and made our way down Grodzka Street leading to the zamek which is the Polish translation for castle.
It is better known as Wawel Hill, the Royal Castle, Treasury and the Cathedral. We discovered numerous churches along the way. Our first stop and history lesson was at All Saints square where we visited St Francis church and St Domican Church. Our guide is very knowledgeable about Poland’s history and had many great story and legends to share with us.

Many of Krakow’s historical buildings are original. Krakow was saved from most of the destruction of WWI and WWII. It was occupied, but by some strange phenomenon never destroyed. They were bombed with two bombs during WWII, the one bomb detonated but did not destroy a building, and the second bomb is buried and undetonated under the Royal Castle.

The history is very rich and as you can imagine some of the buildings are very old, many are of gothic architect; the Italian architect is unbelievable. Numerous buildings date as early as the 11th century. I will not bore you with all the dates, but Krakow is a very beautiful and old city.

As we continue our journey towards the castle, we pass many churches, the one that I like is St Paul and Peter’s church. The twelve apostles guard the door to the church, the statutes are life sized. We passed several homes of cardinals and bishops. They would mark there place of residence with a symbol of a hat. The sculptures were beautiful, but I got the impression it was saying ‘look, I live here’.

We arrived at the castle and heard many historical stories of the buildings and reigns of kings and their families. The castle was built in the 10th century and the treasury was built in 1502. Outside the castle is a statue of General Kascicihszko. The guide told us that he was friends with President Washington and Ben Franklin. I will include a photo of the General. It was a very interesting story. He also told the English couple that he was the first general to beat England, they laughed.

Leaving Wawel Hill we followed a beautiful park route which used to be the moat for the castle and the city boundary. We passed a beautiful building that served as residence for the SS during the war. We visited the oldest university in Europe and our next visit was another St Francis church. There is a beautiful stained glass window over the entrance of the church. I will include it with the story. At first glance, it appears it may be Moses. It is told that the artist used his uncle’s face who was the town’s beggar at that time.

Our tour brought us back to the Main Trade Center and beyond. We visited St. Mary’s and heard the story about the bugler. The trumpet has played every hour since the 16th century. I am including a video of the sound, (Please forgive me for the orientation of the picture.) Our last stop was the original main gate to the old city. It is beautiful. It is hard to imagine this city is so old; America is only 400 years young.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful tour filled with facts and information. I took brief notes for my photos and to remind me of what I saw. I am curious and want to research the history of Krakow a little more.

Tomorrow I will be visiting Auschwitz.