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Today, while touring Rabka, Mr. Barmore explained that during the Holocaust, after the deportation of Jewish families, gentile citizens from the area took advantage of the empty homes, moving in to houses that had been emptied. For me, this story created a very powerful image- all I could imagine was a family moving into a house already full of another family’s pictures, furniture, and family momentos. It is heartbreaking to think that so many Jewish families left there homes, thinking they would get to come back, only to not only never see their homes again, but for them also to be disrespected by those unaffected by the Holocaust.

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Today in Rabka i learned

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Today we toured the town of Rabka. Just a ordinary polish town that is a perfect example of what was commonplace when the Nazis invaded Poland. The Nazis would come in take the jews out of their own homes and send them to concentration camps or prisons near by. When the whole family was sent away all that was left was the house which would later be moved into by another family, and the family would be forgotten. Much like the stairs that led up to the synagogue in Rabka their stories would be covered up until one day many years later they are uncovered by ordinary citizens like Narcyz who are interested in the history of where they came from and their stories are told to the world.

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Today at the cemetery Ms. Sussman told us how hard it used to be to get to the area. The walkway we followed today did not exist a few years back, and I think it is so important that we are now able to pay our respects so easily and can find the cemetery with new signs that were put up.

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I found it extremely inspiring and powerful that the Jewish cemetary in Rabka Zdroj had become more accessible and visible over the years partly due to our schools visits. Now there is a clearing, path, and sign detailing what happened to the Jews living / hiding there. I also remember a comment by either Narcyz or Michal about how some of the Jews hiding there came from big towns to Rabka because they thought they could hide better. That was very sad to think about.

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Out of all of the cemeteries we visited on this trip, this may be the most grusome of them all. In the town of Rebka, Poland, hundreds of Jews were selected to be sent to camps or stay in the town under Nazi control. Many Jews were taken to the forest and murdered just because of their religion. No one is certain of where the bodies are buried in the forest which adds to the haunting nature of the cemetery. What the Nazis did in Rebka happened all over Europe as Hitler enforced his solution to annihilate the Jews.

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We have visited many cemeteries on this trip and every time we go in one, I can feel so much energy and peaceful vibes that I appreciate a lot. I feel like by opening my heart in a place where so many people are resting can really give you the full experience and understanding of what took place. I think it is interesting that such a small town can have so much history both good and dark. This cemetery marks the place where victims of mass murders are laid. The big blocks that lay on the ground in memeory of the people give an image of mass murder in my mind. The forest was very beautiful

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Today as we were touring the small town of Rabka, our guide Narcyz was telling us a story about after the war, his family and himself included moved into a small house that use to belong to a local Rabbi. Mr. Barmore made the connection that his family moved into a something that resembles the end of one persons life, but at the same time is the start of someone else’s new life. This stuck out to me because when he moved into his house he was unaware that the previous family was forcefully removed from their safe haven and taken away. Immediately when he made the realization of what occurred, it sparked a continuous interest that he still pursues till this day. Realizing that the history of some places is left unknown for so long made me realize how little people were educated on this topic immediately after the war which is devastating. Growing up learning everything that has happened gave me a special insight that allows me to see things in a different way. I feel privileged to have the chance to learn all this history in school because hearing Narcyz’s story made me realize not everyone gets this opportunity.

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Another lesson you cannot learn in a history textbook. During this entire trip we’ve been to many cemeteries all over the place. The amount of death that is described in books is one thing, but seeing all these graves puts the numbers on a much more personal level. Also in most of the cemeteries what scares me, is that they cannot determine how many bodies are buried, people can only estimate. Also most of the time the people do not even get a proper burial. The word “sad” does not describe the amount of life lost in the Holocaust, Jewish or not.

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It amazes me how you never know how much history has taken place right where you are standing. The small town of Rabke seems peaceful, but it has a dark past. During the war, the Germans rounded up the Jews of the towns in groups and shot into mass graves. Today we had the chance to visit the town as well as the cemetary where the bodies were buried. It baffles me that so much horror could take place in such a peaceful, little town. It really goes to show how far the Holocaust reached, and that it impacted more people than we may ever know. I always find these stories especially painful because these people suffered just like the others, but their stories are never shared or remembered. It is wonderful that the community is becoming aware of their history, and their story deserves to be shared.