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Marching back to the Future

After my son, Dylan, came back from The March of the Living (where he along with 10,000 other Jewish teens traveled to the Death Camps in Poland for Holocaust Remembrance Day, and then to Israel for Independence Day), he, and his friend Michael made a slide show which they not only presented to their youth group (Kulanu), but Michael then posted to Youtube.

You don’t need sound for this — however, the music does add to the 9+ minute experience. The first half (when they are at the camps in Poland) is very hard and depressing, however the mood does brighten up when they reach Israel. (Apparently the Israel half of the trip was added into the original Poland trip some years back when it was discovered that the kids had some trouble adjusting back to the world after viewing the camps.)

After watching the slideshow, I’m sure that you’ll understand why.

The Perfessor

Home the world Traveler

My son Dylan has returned home. He arrived on Sunday morning at around 5:30 in NY, and was back with us by 7:30. He was not tired, but wired (he had slept on the plane), and then spent part of the day at his friend Michael’s house working on some project that they were given to the kids by their group leader.

Later on, he joined the rest of us as we visited both sets of his Grandparents for Mother’s day, (a belated happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms) and to a party at a neighbor’s. He regaled all of us with stories of his travels, and presented many of us with very cool gifts. Later on he began the arduous task of catching up on two weeks worth of back homework (from which he was not excused), eventually succumbing to jet lag and crashing out on the lounge chair.

I’m so glad he went, and very happy that he has returned to us. Needless to say, my beautiful daughter is now making noises about being allowed to go on a family trip that the Temple is offering to Israel for next February. While we are not certain that she will be able to go, we are beginning to seriously consider it.

Some of the posts that they made were on a special web page that the youth group put up to document the trip, while photos of some of the gifts he brought back are here. Among the things (and gifts) he brought back were a Polish McDonald’s Happy Meal (I wrote a book about fast food toys back in 2001, so it is fun to collect foreign toys)

He also brought back some coke bottles and cans from Israel, as well as a Spider-Man Dredel for me. Now how cool is that? Anyway. While I’m glad that he went, I’m equally glad that he’s back, and I’m certain that his journey around the world is just beginning. Of course, now my daughter is looking at a family trip to Israel that the Temple is offering next year…

Happy Birthday Dylan

Yeah, it’s my kid’s 17th Birthday (May 1), and he is in Poland. How cool is that for him. Here is what he had to say:

As some of you may know it was my Birthday today and it was an amazing birthday. The march was fun and can only be described as a huge market place where you are even trading the clothes on your backs to kids who barley speak English. Here is a picture of me with an Israeli kid, named Aaron (I don’t know the spelling), who I traded the blue MOTL jacket for his white hoodie. Since that was the coolest thing that people were trading and most of the Israeli kids didn’t want to trade so I was getting mobbed by everyone else.

Also just a note for my parents this does not mean that you aren’t getting out of celebrating my birthday when I get home!

Funny kid, eh? When he gets home little does he realize that he’s gonna have two weeks of chores that he needs to catch up on performing.

The Perfessor

March of the Living

During WWII thousands of Jews were forced to march between Auschwitz to Birkenau in what has come to be called a Death March. Jews were starved, beaten, and shot. When they arrived at the Death Camp the were then gassed, given lethal injections, and killed by the thousands. Some 15 years ago Jews decided to change all this and rename what happened here, truning it into an act of affirmation. Now renamed The March of the Living, the event brings together thousands of Jewish Teens from around the world to bring life to a place were there was once only death.

I mention all of this because this year, my son, Dylan is among those teens.

He is just one of 10,000 Jewish teens from all around the world flew into Poland (yeas all on the same day, all at the same airport, literally landing within minutes of each other for a full day). the Teens are then shown around one of the camps, and then marched to another camp. Then, as week later, they are flown out (again all on the same day) to Israel, where they will stay for a week. While in Israel they will be present for Israeli Independence day (the 60th anniversary of the birth of the nation).

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