Marching in Community

Hello from Poland! This is Sarah Canavan, an HWS participant. I just
returned from dinner with the group at a delicious local restaurant in
Cracow-- we ate perogies!

Today was a bit of an emotional break from the stress of yesterday. We
spent the morning on a walking tour of Cracow visiting synogogues and
other relevant sites, had some free time in a main square in "Old
Town," and visited the park at the site of the former camp, Plachov
(which is the camp depicted in Schindler's List). Because I can't
leave out such an important aspect of the day, most of us Marchers
witnessed the world's biggest pillow fight this afternoon in "Old
Town." HUNDREDS of teenagers poured into the square with pillows and
had a huge fight. I don't know what it was all about, but it was quite
a sight. We finished the evening with a closing of Shabbat dinner and
ceremony.

Tonight, I mostly want to tell you about our group. It's fascinating
to me how quickly a group of strangers can become a family. Yesterday
was a trying day both within the group and within ourselves, which is
why we debrief each night. After walking through barracks and gas
chambers and torture cells and a room full of shoes, there were more
emotions than I could possibly convey. Personally, I experienced
overwhelming sadness, anger, fear, disgust, irritation, hope, love,
and a whole lot of others that I don't have a name for. A lot for one
day, right? As you can probably imagine, with fifty people all going
through these and other feelings at their own pace and in their own
way, it was a day to really test our relationship as a community. The fact that just two hours ago sixty people held hands and sang and laughed and
danced together in a middle of a square in downtown Cracow is a
testament to how wonderful my March family is. Last night's debriefing
session was an unbelievable show of solidarity, confidence,
compassion, and understanding and it has extended to full-group
discussions, one-on-one conversations in hotel rooms, shared thoughts
on the bus and a whole lot of connection between sixty random people
with a common desire to learn about the past in order to make the
world a better place. I can now honestly say that I have had a
conversation (even if just a short one) with every single person on
this trip, and I think most people can say the same. On a trip like
this, it's absolutely necessary to set aside discomfort and
differences while at the same time, remember them. Lynne offered us a
brilliant piece of wisdom this afternoon when she told us that if we want to understand each other it is essential to do two things: to forget the differences and to not ever ever forget the differences.

Yesterday I walked through one of the most terrifying places I have
ever been but being around these people made all the difference even
though I have only known them for three days. At the end of our
"March," and our day in Auschwitz-Birkenau we all joined hands and
sang songs and prayers for the people who died on the very ground
where we stood, for people who are suffering from injustice today, and
for people we love. We followed the ceremony with a beautiful Shabbat
dinner, and I am pleased to report that every table was a mix of
leaders, HWS Marchers and Nazareth Marchers. We have meshed more
beautifully than I could have imagined, and I know that the people
I've met on this trip will never leave me. I will always remember the
love and support I've felt coursing through the March community these
past days.

And as much as I love our leaders, they have scheduled a 6AM wake-up
call, so I'm calling it a night. Thank you for your support :)

Sarah