Poland is special because my mother and grandparents are from Silesia which is now a part of Poland. The picture here is a generic countryside that looks like the pictures in our family album.
As I was reading Wikipedia I couldn't help but be very proud of the Polish people. Their history is riddled with war and oppresion like many places, but the Poles seemed to try to fight back.
I wasn't aware that 6 million Poles died in WW2. The major concentration camps were in Poland. They estimate that 3 million of the Poles who were exterminated were Jews. However there was a group called Armia Krajowa that was supported by the exiled government during the war. They, with the help of millions of ordinary citizens risked their lives over and over to save Jews. By nationality the Poles represent the largest number of people who rescued Jews. According to Wikipedia to date 6,135 Poles have been awarded the title of "Righteous Among Nations" by the state of Israel, more than any other nation.
I suppose I'm particuarly proud of the Poles, because I'm proud of my grandparents. They were German, but made of the same stuff. Omi and Opa never talked about the war but my mother told me stories. For example, Opa built a secret opening in the middle of the stacks of hay in the barn. Like many families in the area, Omi and Opa sheltered Jews on the run. My mother and uncle would "play" lookout. If they saw soldiers they would run and tell Omi and Opa. The Jewish family would then hide in the hay in the barn. Soldiers (either Russian or German) would search the house from top to bottom and stick long poles into the hay. They were lucky. During the war years they were forced from their home twice--once in the dead of winter with my crippled great grandmother, but they were never caught.
I can't imagine how that would feel---knowing everyone you love would be shot if you were caught? I love that my grandparents did this. I love that the world is not just full of goodness, but full of goodness of this quality.
It is hard to imagine the courage it would take to always do what was right in that situation. I hope I would measure up.
ReplyDelete