FEBRUARY 9 • 2023 | 9

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Jonathan Ornstein, director 
of the Krakow JCC since 2008, 
told me that the Holocaust sur-
vivors who belong to the JCC 
had asked that their dues be 
devoted to helping Ukrainian 
refugees. 
While visiting the Remah 
synagogue, a small ornate shul 
built in the 1600s, Emhoff 
spoke with a survivor who 
spent three years hiding in the 
Polish forests as a young boy. 
He told Emhoff that “the trau-
ma of these young children flee-
ing violence in their homeland” 
reminded him of his own past. 
“I have to say, meeting the 
Ukrainian refugees hit me 
pretty hard,
” Emhoff told me 
later. People “literally opening 
their homes, their wallets, their 
clothes off their back, for people 
fleeing violence,
” he added. “I 
think it’s a great lesson to bring 
back home.
”
We only had time for a 
quick conversation — I was 
initially allotted a scant five 

minutes but managed to stretch 
it to 10. After a walking tour 
of Kazimierz, we headed to 
Gorlice, a town of about 30,000 
people two hours southeast of 
Krakow, where Emhoff’s family 
is from.
This was the most emotional 
part of the trip so far. He got to 
see the house where his family 
likely lived, and people inside 
waved to him. He met with the 
mayor and other community 
leaders, and visited the Garbacz 

Memorial to the Jews who per-
ished in the Holocaust — likely 
including some of his own 
relatives.
The White House said 
Emhoff learned of his roots in 
Gorlice only last year, while 
viewing records at Ellis Island. 
His great-grandmother and 
great-grandfather both likely 
lived here, and records indicate 
his great-grandmother had 
several siblings, and that some 
members of her family did not 

survive.
Asked how he would describe 
the visit to his parents, Emhoff 
said, “probably a lot of tears.
” 
But he said the pilgrimage was 
“definitely positive,
” adding: 
“Everyone wants to know where 
they come from.
”
Earlier, in the coffee shop, 
he had told me: “I love being 
Jewish.
”
“I think we need to express 
that pride and talk about who 
we are and show who we are,
” 
he said. “
And get people to 
understand that and don’t be, 
don’t shy away, because I think 
some people do.
“You can’t live with fear,
” he 
continued. “No matter how 
much you think things might 
be bad, you have to live without 
fear. 
“
And that’s one of the things I 
keep saying, live openly, proud-
ly, without fear.
” 

Laura E. Adkins is Opinion Editor of the 

Forward, where this was first published.

C

ommunity is something 
that everyone is a part 
of, or has been a part of, 
at least once in their life. 
Within my 
life, the Jewish 
community is 
the foundation 
that continues to 
bond my con-
nections with my 
family, friends 
and everyone I 
surround myself 
with. I attend Frankel Jewish 
Academy, where I am immersed 
in a thriving environment of 
other students who share the 
same common ground as me: 
Judaism. 
Judaism looks different for 

all of us. Some may choose to 
be Conservative, while others 
may choose to be Reform or 
Orthodox. There are endless 
ways to express your Judaism, 
and this aspect of community is 
what allows us to recognize how 
our differences can connect us 
even more to each other. 
I have been fortunate enough 
to attend Jewish schools for 
most of my life, and it has had 
a substantial influence on my 
identity today. While growing 
up in a Reform household, I had 
been diving deeper into Judaism 
in my studies. This has shown 
me that there is more than one 
way to be Jewish. 
Because of my schooling, 
my family often implies that I 

possess a stronger connection to 
Judaism. However, I do not con-
sider this to be true. Although I 
have had more experience with 
a Jewish education, I do not 
feel that my Jewishness exceeds 
theirs. I believe that the aspect of 
religion is defined by one’s own 
interpretation and perception. It 
is up to you to determine how 
much of an influence Judaism 
has on your life. 
This is the specific ele-
ment that contributes to the 
true beauty of a community. 
Although we share the similarity 
of being Jewish, each individ-
ual’s way of expressing their 
Judaism and integrating it into 
their lives is the component that 
unifies us the most. 

On a daily basis, I see how 
different we all are from one 
another. However, in actuality, 
we are all quite similar. Not only 
has Judaism shaped our indi-
viduality, but it has also laid the 
groundwork for the creation of 
various communities, such as 
my school. Communities like 
these remind us that Judaism 
fulfills a purpose within our 
lives. 
What matters is not how con-
nected you feel to your religion; 
it is how your Jewish identity 
influences your everyday life 
and shapes the person you have 
aspired to become. 

Andrew Eisenshtadt is a junior at 

Frankel Jewish Academy

Andrew 
Eisenshtadt

U.S. EMBASSY BERLIN

Emhoff, right, speaks with 101-year-old Margot Friedländer during a 
meeting with Holocaust survivors in Berlin, Jan. 31, 2023. 

student’s corner

Finding Unity in Community

