Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on February 11, 2010 by The Director of Digital Media
A poem inspired by the 2010 Pardes Poland trip by Cheryl Stone:
MAJDANEK
Breathe deeply my dear Breathe We have long since been forgotten Breathe They will not remember
The guard tower watches over us Protecting The city pulses nearby
But we are already dead Breathe
The light brushing of blue on the walls on the ceiling small, crisp, cool sky Visions of poppies, peonies, lilies springs first blooms
The chimney looms over our last home Ashes burn the sky
Why the charade? Why the antechamber to hell?
Are their hearts too soft? Can they not just throw us into the pits?
Yes, their hearts are the Devil.
They do not do the work themselves Our fathers, our brothers do the work for them
Breathe deeply my dear Breathe One last breath
So glorious it was to live
Why did they not tell us? Why did we not know that every moment could be would be the last
Were the words buried in those ancient texts that only only old men understand?
And here we stand naked before our sisters before evil before God
Breathe It was a miracle
Pardes trips to Poland are run in partnership with Heritage Seminars. The Claims Conference has provided trip scholarships for qualifying Pardes participants, as well as subsidies for program components directed at Jewish educators.
