We all needed some hope and inspiration today. I knew it would come with spending the day with students. When we arrived at the school you could just tell how excited and nervous these middle schools kids were. Little did they know so many of us were counting on them to lift out spirits. They did not disappoint. These incredible kids, still learning English, bravely and proudly led us on a tour through their city highlighting significant places that belonged to Jews before the war. What struck me the most is how these Polish Christian kids handled the Jewish narrative with such care, as if they realized that this too was their history.
They pointed out homes were Jews had lived, the one's with the balconies. They pointed out the shoe making shop that is still a shoe shop but now owned by a Polish family. They took us to the Jewish gravesite that was recently desecrated. The students are involved in an effort to secure the site with a fence. Over 2000 Jews, 35 precent of this small town were rounded up and taken the notorious death camp Treblinka.
On the lighter side of things, I really connected with a group of young students that I think were perhaps fascinated by the rare appearance of man of color in their community. They asked to take a picture with me. It was fun and unforgettable.
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| Steve Becton with students from Blonie, Poland |
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