LIP

tury is just as startling. In 1990,
"Chmielnik looked like a town that
was never going to come back. The
buildings were boarded up and
closed:" Horse-drawn wagons out-
numbered cars.
In June, the newly paved rynek
bustled with activity. Cars con-
stantly circled the plaza.
Throughout the journey, Speiser
and her family discussed the
controversies of Jewish heritage
tourism. Greenspun questioned
Chmielnik's motives.
"Give money to the synagogue?"
Greenspun said. "Look, more than
60 years ago they took our homes,
they took our belongings:'
Speiser argued that a renovated
synagogue could teach children
about tolerance and influence
future generations. "Even if just one
child learns something:' she said,
"it's worthwhile."
While Chmielnik would like to
attract tourists, Krawczyk acknowl-
edged, that is not the primary
reason for sponsoring a Jewish
festival. "We're doing this for the
culture, for the education, for the
tolerance between nations."
Numerous government agencies
sent representatives. A minister of
Poland's president gave survivor
Mijer Maly an award for foster-
ing peace. City officials praised
survivor Joseph Kalish for help-
ing finance the cemetery's partial
restoration. An iron fence adorned
with stars of David encloses a cir-
cular memorial formed of broken
tombstones.
Seeing the Israeli flag and hearing
Girl and Boy Scouts sing in Hebrew
made Greenspun's heart race. "I
never thought the Jews would ever be
accepted back here,' Speiser said.
"I gained a strength from being
here, even after that first visit.
When we were in Buchenwald,
I went up to my father and said,
`Dad, I don't know how you did it. I
don't know how you lived through
this He said, `Don't you ever say
that. I brought you up to be a sur-
vivor."'

Suzy Hagstrom is author of "Sara's

Children; The Destruction of Chmielnik,"
which records the remarkable survival

gN

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of five siblings in Nazi Germany's death
camps. The San Diego journalist accom-

panied Speiser and Greenspun on their
trip to Poland and Germany.

A longer version of this article is
available at JNonline.us.

September 25 • 2008

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