I just finished watching a rerun of Oprah. It was the episode where she goes to Auschwitz with Elie Wiesel, the author of the memoir Night. Elie Wiesel is a Jewish Holocaust survivor and the book is a complete record of his experience. I can't really describe what it was like watching that episode. I think the majority of people would watch it and feel disgust, they might even cry; the experience was different for me though. I mean sure, I had that reaction as well, but as I watched Elie Wiesel, all I could see was the face of my grandfather, the face of my father, my haritage, my people, my tribe, my family. Elie Wiesel described how 75% of the Jews that entered the camp were automatically sent to the gas chambers. Of those people, the vast majority were women, children, and the elderly.And then he goes on to speak of the political prisoners and that's when it really hits home. My grandfather was a prisoner there and as I watched I could almost feel what he felt, for the first time I felt like I could somehow imagine what it must have been like. I could see the place, I could feel the presence of all those who died, and I could feel him. It was the most magical and yet the saddest experience of my life.
I wasn't raised Jewish, I barely know any of the practices. but I think that is one of the most beautiful thing about Jewish culture, that it is not just about the religion. to be Jewish has nothing to do with religion, it has so much more to do with unity, with ethnicity and tradition. I feel such a connection with that aspect of my heritage.
Until next time!
Ellie
