OTHER VIEWS Building Bridges Curtain Call Jerusalem Iiirl hire lace curtains. They hung in nearly every house, even tl:ic–e that I felt would crumble at the slightest touch. The curtains represented a country struggling to survive nearly 10 years after Communism had left, a country struggling to accept its past and uncer- tain future. They made the houses comfortable, a comfort that is rarely found in Poland. Here, in this corner of the world, is where we would begin our journey. At first, no one could predict how we would react and how deep the hurt would run. We were a mixture, not a compound; and yet sifting in the cre- matorium early in the trip, we all helped each other and dried each other's tears. I looked around me. There were streaks on the walls where the gas had stained the surface and a cold, eerie feeling to each of the six sides of the cement box. I imagined the loads of pec, )le pouring in and I shivered. Yahrtzeit candles formed ). pyramid in the cen- ter and, despite my knowledge that the light symbolized life, I could only see them as fire β€” the fire from the stoves in the next room. I could not wait to walk out and felt guilty for all those who couldn't. For me, though, my nighttime thoughts settled on Treblinka, a camp where only 70 survived and hundreds of thousands perished. There was a cemetery where each gravestone repre- sented a community. Ten thousand here, 20,000 there, the numbers just kept adding up. To think of the hor- rors of these people: one pit for the old and weak forever burning, 13 cre- matoriums, hundreds Of wives watch- ing their husbands leave them. This was a death camp and no one left alive. I could not believe what I was hearing and could not wait to return home to learn more. I will always - remember. That night, we boarded a plane to Israel. Upon touchdown there, we knew that we had arrived at home. Cheers of joy echoed all around me. Before sunrise, we reached the Mediter- ranean, where we would have break- fast β€” the first good meal we had been given on the trip. Flags waved all Erin Kaufman, 18, of Farmington Hills, is a 12th-grader at North Farm- on High School and affiliated with ington Temple Kol Arni. 5/ 1 1 2001 38 around us as we drove to our first destination (and to a bit of sleep). Toppling Barriers Israel was the experience of a ERIN lifetime. We KAUFMAN began with an Special invitation to remember the Corn m en tag fallen soldiers at the air force base. It was a private ceremony and we were honored to attend. Even though most of the students were unable to under- stand the Hebrew, there was a solemn feeling that could be felt by all that were present. A tear can break any lan- guage b b barrier. The highlight of the week was a parry for Israel Independence Day hosted by the March of the Living. It began with representatives of each country announcing their presence in whatever language was most comfort- able to them. The multitude of able nations was incredible, and we were all Given a feeling that something greater was present. When a cha- sidic band took the stage and began to play tra- ditional songs to modern rhythms, Rachel Kohn, 16, of West Bloom- field and I began to dance in our own little space. Before long, a ring of men began to dance around us. We were lifted by the energy b. in the cir- cle as it rapidly grew β€” a display of the unity between nations, all there for a corn- mon goal. I was elated. The journey in Israel was special because Israelis didn't need white lace curtains to make a comfortable home for themselves. Unlike the Jews in Poland, Israel accepts them and makes them feel comfortable. They need only a smile, a handshake and a will to give so that Israel might live. I can only hope that, one day, Poland can evolve to a position where there is no need for white lace curtains. U that was built was evidenced by the sense of cohesion felt by all par- ticipants and par- ents. Jerusalem T he lives of50 Jewish youths have been touched forever. The 35 Metro Detroit and 15 Israeli Cen- tral Galilee teens who participated in the Federation-sponsored Teen Unity March of the Living built Jewish bridges on a number of levels that have left a strong imprint on their Jewish identity. Following the experiences of local survivors Mickey Milberger and Alex Kuhn throughout Poland personalized the story of the Holocaust and instilled a sense of shared fate with the Jewish people. Sharing the profound grief of Yom HaZikaron, and then the jubilance of Yom HaAtzmaut, with the people of Israel helped understand the price that has been paid for the Jewish people to have an independent national existence. Equally important were the bridges that were built between Jewish teens who may otherwise never have met. The Reform, Conservative and Ortho- dox teens from Detroit each observed their own form of Judaism during the trip, yet the interaction between the streams, which r,-pified this mission, Bridge Building An important bridge was built between Jewish Special teens from Amer- Commentary ica and Israel. Together, they discovered the common Jewish her- itage that was Europe and the Holo- caust, while the Detroit teens learned, through the cycle of Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut in Israel, how their Israeli counterparts grow up and live in a fundamentally different reali- ty from their own. The tearful farewell at the end of the two-week emotional journey attested to just how strong a bridge was built in so short a rime. Other bridges were built: Israeli par- ticipants from our Partnership 2000 region come from Nazareth Hit, Migdal HaEmek and the Jezreel Valley, and the teen unity mission was a chance MARK MYERS The March of the Living-Detroit Teen Unity Poland/Israel Experience, for teens of all Jewish back- grounds, ran April 16-30. The Jewish Federation of Met- ropolitan Detroit and two of its agencies, the Agency for Jewish Education and the Michigan/Israel Connection, sponsored the Detroit delegation of 35 teens and 16 staff members. Fifteen Israeli teens from the Central Galilee, Detroit Jewry's Partnership 2000 region, joined them. Rabbis Elimelech Goldberg of Young Israel of Southfield, Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel and Hal Greenwald of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit provided spiritual leadership. Southfield's Cookie Gonik headed the planning committee. These dispatches arrived after the group landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. A flag marking the countgside in Israel widened the understanding of Jewish diversity for all of the participants. A truly unforgettable joint Oneg Shabbat in Warsaw is but one of many examples of this Jewish unirv. The - Detroit contingent, together with their parents, met on the evening of May 7 ro process what they had expe- rienced. The strength of the bridge Mark Myers is community shaliach with the Jewish Federation of ietro- pclitan Detroit:c Michigan/Israel Con- nection ollice. for these teens ro interact for the first rime. Israeli and American Orthodox participants learned of each other's tradi- tions through joint observance during the mission. There was much that was similar, vet differences were felt. Several Jewish streams and back- grounds were joined ro make the Teen Uniry March of the Living one cohe- sive contingent. Many Jewish bridges were built through an experience that will last a lifetime. As the group often sang out joyously, Am Israel Chail, Long Live Israel!