Blog commitment, I'm on my way!

Okay......I have invested a couple of days putting up a FEW of my pictures (first stop Poland) and hopefully relaying my experiences throughout my trip onto this BLOG! I have a bit more to cover in Kracow, especially the Jewish Ghetto. I hemmed and hawed about going to Poland, but.....it was a definite life altering experience for me. I felt so connected in Poland. I can honestly say it is comparable to my 6 month stay in Israel in 1979. I will continue to blog...it's a lot of work, but I'm finding it fulfilling. Ghetto, Muszyna, Vienna, Italy & London will be coming up soon My next BIG step is putting up my ART WORK.......

JEWISH KRACOW: KAZIMIERZ

REMUH SYNAGOGUE

Front entrance into the Synagogue

On the iron gate leading into the Synagogue

The original synagogue was founded in 1553 but was destroyed by fire with a replacement being built in 1557. The building's current architecture can be traced back to 1829 when restoration work was undertaken.

The smallest synagogue in Kazimierz it has an atmosphere all of its own. A cobbled courtyard with white walls greets visitors to the Remuh; these walls contain stone tablets commemorating deceased Jews, some of them victims of the Holocaust.

Inscription at the front of the Behma

Hand painted screen that is surrounding the Behma

Shabbot Candles

Screen that is surrounding the Behma

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A wall entering a Jewish youth & day care center that focuses on the Arts.

Jewish musuem...Kracow has come a long way

Gates surrounding the Oldest Synagogue in Kazimierz

The oldest synagogue in Poland, the original building was built at the beginning of the 15th century, however, it was rebuilt in 1570 under the careful guidance of an Italian architect, Matteo Gucci.

Kazimierz, regardless of nationality or religious persuasion, it's worth pointing out that Kazimierz's history spans centuries. It was originally established in 1335 and named after its founder, King Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great), who intended it to rival the established city of Krakow.

It remains one of the most culturally significant Jewish areas in the world. In 1495, the Jews who were expelled from Krakow settled here, and Kazimierz became a mixture of Christian and Jewish culture.

During the war the Nazis did all they could to destroy and ruin Kazimierz. After the war, decades of communist neglect left Kazimierz a crumbling ruin. It became a dark and dangerous place, a district to be avoided after nightfall.

With its beguiling streets, unforgettable and unique atmosphere, synagogues and museums, as well as its cafés, bars and art galleries, Kazimierz is a place that anyone who comes to Krakow must visit.

Kracow Cemetery

The tin roofs on top of the headstones are for placing stones.

Since ancient times, it has been the custom to mark the grave with a stone or monument. After Rachel died, "Jacob erected a monument on Rachel's grave" (Genesis 35:20). The marker or monument serves to identify the grave so that relatives will find it when they visit, honor the memory of the deceased, and identify a place of burial so that kohanim (priests) will avoid it as required by Jewish law.

From the 15th Century.

In WWII, the Nazi's up rooted the Headstones and smashed them into pieces. After the war the Jews built a wall around the cemetery using the broken Headstones. In some what of an effort to make a Wailing Wall, for those who had been up rooted.

BACK FROM EUROPE.....Part I POLAND

First leg of our trip was Poland. It was all about Rico's family (who came from Poland) and following our Jewish roots throughout the country. I arrived in Krakow and thought I had just stepped back into time. Many of the buildings were varying shades of grey, with bursts of color in the doors and windows. Krakow is somewhat cosmopolitan, with glimpse's into the past. All I was thinking and feeling about was being a Jew in Poland during WWII, and at one time the largest Jewish population in Europe. Most of them were deported to various concentration camps. Every step I took, I wondered who stepped here before me?