Open Mic

Our day started out with a walking tour of Prague. The tour was based on the Charles Bridge where we saw another beautiful view of the city. On the bridge many famous buildings were visible and our tour guide pointed them out to us. The tour guide also showed us the statues on the bridge and explained their significance to Prague.
After lunch and a short shopping break, our tour continued. The focus was on the Jewish community in Prague especially in the time of the ghettos. We started in a synagogue that was converted to a museum. There were many artifacts from the ghettos and information about the history of the Jewish culture in the Prague and the Czech Republic.
We then moved on to a memorial of those who perished during their time in the Jewish ghettos. The memorial was a large, bare building. On the walls were listed the names of all the Czechs who perished in the ghettos. It was moving to see all the names and it was a subtle reminder to us all of our visit to Auschwitz. Outside the memorial was a Jewish cemetery. Our guide explained many of the Jewish traditions of death and burial.
Our tour ended with a visit to two synagogues. The first was the oldest active synagogue in Europe. We then moved on to the Spanish/Moorish synagogue. Our tour guide explained the Moorish influence and pointed out the differences in the two synagogues.
We returned to the hotel and later in the evening we started the closing ceremonies for the trip with “Open Mic”. For those who have never attended the GYFs, Open Mic is an opportunity for all the delegates to share their experience(s) of the trip. We were asked some specific questions about activities on the trip and everyone was given the chance to put their two cents in. We often got off topic, but at some point during the evening every delegate had explained how our trip had effected their life and what they would take away from the experience.
For the first time on the trip, we received homework. Everyone seemed a little disappointed, but when Rod explained what it was, our opinions changed. We were asked to write anything from one sentence to a paragraph about the impact the GYFHC had on our lives. We all left in silence and found our own areas around the hotel to reflect and write. With this second to last day and the opportunity to share our emotions and reflect together on the trip, we the delegates have been able to grow even closer. We thought saying good-bye would be hard before, but after all the sharing today, it will be even more difficult.

By Maria Sewell

Meeting with a Prince

Today was our first full day in Prague. We were able to experience the city through an historical tram ride from the station Klamovka to Prazsky Hrad. It was a 50 year old wooden tram, equipped with our own personal accordion player, who played the Great American Classics “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “The Chicken Dance.” Looking outside the windows, we saw a city where new and old come together. There are small “mom and pop” stores right next to headquarters of major corporations like AstraZeneca and Canon. Ancient churches and monuments are scattered throughout Prague. We passed by the famous Charles Bridge, a 650-year-old stone bridge that was graced with the presence of Harry Potter ads and a Subway restaurant. Construction dots the landscape of this fast-growing city, with gigantic cranes towering over the skyline. This fast-paced renewal of post-Communist Prague, however, has brought out the darker side of modernization, made evident by never-ending murals of graffiti adorning Prague’s buildings.
At last we reach Prazsky Hrad, otherwise known as Prague Castle. Outside the castle, we waited entirely too long for people to exchange their money at awful rates. We walked by the Royal Garden, a beautiful arrangement of blooming flowers and entangling vines created in the 16th century. Within the walls of the castle, the dark, ornate spires of St. Vitus Cathedral stand tall against the bright blue sky. Started in the 10th century, construction of the cathedral was delayed by constant warfare and financial strains. It was not fully completed until 1929 and is comprised of styles from the Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque periods.
Prague Castle is still used today as the center of the Czech National Government. Mathias Gate, a beautiful entryway built in 1614, leads the way to the Presidential Complex. President Vaclav Klaus has his main offices within the sprawling complex, and the Ministry of Finance, among others, is located nearby. When President Klaus is at home in Prague, the Presidential Flag flies. This flag bears the coat of arms of the city of Prague and of the territories of Bohemia and Moravia.
The castle itself is situated on a hill that overlooks the entire city, with a gorgeous view as far as the eye can see. We can see a few skyscrapers throughout the city, and the cranes we saw earlier reveal the future locations of ever more modern structures. The windows of the castle were made in the Renaissance style, and actually have a storied history. In May 1618, two Catholic emissaries sent to visit with the Protestant King of Bohemia were thrown out of a window of the castle in what came to be known as the Defenestration of Prague. The two men were saved by landing in a pile of horse manure, but this event would be the immediate catalyst igniting the Thirty Years’ War, a brutal religious war between the Catholic and Protestant states of Europe whose ferocity would not be matched until the Two World Wars nearly three centuries later.
After lunch, we took a 45 minute bus ride to Melnik Castle. Prince Jiří Lobkowicz is the current owner of the castle, which had been taken from his family by the Communists in 1945, but was subsequently returned to him in 1992 following the fall of the Communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. The Prince is a member of the Order of Malta, a Catholic organization that is considered a sovereign entity and has observer status within the United Nations.
The Order conducts humanitarian efforts throughout the Czech Republic and the entire world. This includes providing spiritual support for families who have members with Alzheimer’s and providing handicapped children with transportation to nearby public schools. In addition, the organization has operations in Afghanistan and in regions that were affected by the December 2004 tsunamis in Southeast Asia. One of the interesting things about the organization, however, Today was our first full day in Prague. We were able to experience the city through an historical tram ride from the station Klamovka to Prazsky Hrad. It was a 50 year old wooden tram, equipped with our own personal accordion player, who played the Great American Classics “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “The Chicken Dance.” Looking outside the windows, we saw a city where new and old come together. There are small “mom and pop” stores right next to headquarters of major corporations like AstraZeneca and Canon. Ancient churches and monuments are scattered throughout Prague. We passed by the famous Charles Bridge, a 650-year-old stone bridge that was graced with the presence of Harry Potter ads and a Subway restaurant. Construction dots the landscape of this fast-growing city, with gigantic cranes towering over the skyline. This fast-paced renewal of post-Communist Prague, however, has brought out the darker side of modernization, made evident by never-ending murals of graffiti adorning Prague’s buildings.
At last we reach Prazsky Hrad, otherwise known as Prague Castle. Outside the castle, we waited entirely too long for people to exchange their money at awful rates. We walked by the Royal Garden, a beautiful arrangement of blooming flowers and entangling vines created in the 16th century. Within the walls of the castle, the dark, ornate spires of St. Vitus Cathedral stand tall against the bright blue sky. Started in the 10th century, construction of the cathedral was delayed by constant warfare and financial strains. It was not fully completed until 1929 and is comprised of styles from the Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque periods.
Prague Castle is still used today as the center of the Czech National Government. Mathias Gate, a beautiful entryway built in 1614, leads the way to the Presidential Complex. President Vaclav Klaus has his main offices within the sprawling complex, and the Ministry of Finance, among others, is located nearby. When President Klaus is at home in Prague, the Presidential Flag flies. This flag bears the coat of arms of the city of Prague and of the territories of Bohemia and Moravia.
The castle itself is situated on a hill that overlooks the entire city, with a gorgeous view as far as the eye can see. We can see a few skyscrapers throughout the city, and the cranes we saw earlier reveal the future locations of ever more modern structures. The windows of the castle were made in the Renaissance style, and actually have a storied history. In May 1618, two Catholic emissaries sent to visit with the Protestant King of Bohemia were thrown out of a window of the castle in what came to be known as the Defenestration of Prague. The two men were saved by landing in a pile of horse manure, but this event would be the immediate catalyst igniting the Thirty Years’ War, a brutal religious war between the Catholic and Protestant states of Europe whose ferocity would not be matched until the Two World Wars nearly three centuries later.
After lunch, we took a 45 minute bus ride to Melnik Castle. Prince Jiří Lobkowicz is the current owner of the castle, which had been taken from his family by the Communists in 1945, but was subsequently returned to him in 1992 following the fall of the Communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. The Prince is a member of the Order of Malta, a Catholic organization that is considered a sovereign entity and has observer status within the United Nations.
The Order conducts humanitarian efforts throughout the Czech Republic and the entire world. This includes providing spiritual support for families who have members with Alzheimer’s and providing handicapped children with transportation to nearby public schools. In addition, the organization has operations in Afghanistan and in regions that were affected by the December 2004 tsunamis in Southeast Asia. One of the interesting things about the organization, however, is that they adhere strictly to Catholic doctrine, although they don’t actively proselytize their religion. For example, the Order runs a maternity hospital in Palestine, but refuses to conduct abortions at the hospital. After learning about the Order, we were given a tour of the beautiful castle by none other than the Prince himself. The property was first built in the 9thCentury and was originally built of wood. Ownership of the castle was determined by the unification of two of the territory’s seven ruling clans. The castle was controlled by the Bohemian queens and princesses until the 15th century, but ownership continuously changed, especially during times of war. The current family took control of the castle in the 17th century, although they lost control during the Communist era. Overall, the day was one of the more exciting, albeit busy, days of our trip to Eastern Europe. We learned a great deal while getting to experience the sheer beauty of Prague during our first day in this elegant city. is that they adhere strictly to Catholic doctrine, although they don’t actively proselytize their religion. For example, the Order runs a maternity hospital in Palestine, but refuses to conduct abortions at the hospital.

After learning about the Order, we were given a tour of the beautiful castle by none other than the Prince himself. The property was first built in the 9thCentury and was originally built of wood. Ownership of the castle was determined by the unification of two of the territory’s seven ruling clans. The castle was controlled by the Bohemian queens and princesses until the 15th century, but ownership continuously changed, especially during times of war. The current family took control of the castle in the 17th century, although they lost control during the Communist era. Overall, the day was one of the more exciting, albeit busy, days of our trip to Eastern Europe. We learned a great deal while getting to experience the sheer beauty of Prague during our first day in this elegant city.

By Prateek Kumar and Sarah Buonacore

Seeing Prague on the Vltava River

After a very early morning departure, we left Krakow for Prague via train. After arriving in Prague, we were treated to a dinner boat tour of Prague on the Vltava River. It was a lovely evening & a beautiful way to see Prague on our first day here!

Polish Dancers

We thought you'd like to see a few pictures of the Polish dancing from Monday. Enjoy!

En route to Prague

All delegates are safely aboard our train to Prague. We greatly enjoyed our time in Poland, and will post more from Prague!

Birkenau

The endless roads of the Polish countryside led us back to the town of Oswiecim this morning. We arrived at Auschwitz and entered through the gates of Birkenau, our eyes heavy with the burden of yesterday's beautiful and terrible knowledge, switfly and sadly studied the barracks behind the barbed wire of intolerance. Some were empty and some were no longer standing. Others contained remnants of their former functions; triple-stacked children's beds and holes in stone once used as toilets. Several of the delegates remarked on their odd state of mind, on how it was so peculiar standing in the middle of a vast camp of death and seeing butterflies, wildflowers, and the sun in its quiet benign blue sky, shining hot upon our brows and backs, contrasted with the cool green grass beneath our feet. There was a contageous sadness that stirred among us. Our guide, Sebastian, began talking about irony; about how soap dishes were installed in the camp sinks while the prisoners were never given soap; about how one man survived in Birkenau for over a year and a half while upon his transfer to another camp, he perished over complications from a broken leg. After lending our ears to more survivors' stories and walking to and from the memorial site, we lunched and then attended a lecture given by a Polish historian. He said he wished us to see Auschwitz as a mirror; to see the humanity of the tragedy within its brick walls. "This crime was committed by people - by human beings," he said. Ninety-five percent of the six million people the country of Poland lost to the Holocaust were civilians. It was possibly only until that moment that some of us realized the depth of what took place where we stood over sixty years ago. "The floor we are walking on is filled with human suffering." It was more truth than we could ever hope to hold in our naive hands, let alone comprehend.

The day closed on a much lighter note. We watched and performed traditional Polish dances. It was a good way to end the day: happy to be with friends, amongst the beauty of Krakow and and grateful to be so free and alive.

-By Taylor Riley

Auschwitz, A Day of Remembrance

“Arbeit Macht Frei.” Work makes you free. These words passed over our heads as we entered the gates of Auschwitz. We walked along the rocky, dirty road where prisoners were herded like cattle 65 years ago. We stood in the largest of 9000 camps, where prisoners were subjected to hunger, thirst, punishments, medical experiments, torture and extermination. The dirt road is lined with rows of brick buildings that had different uses in the past. Hans Frank, Governor-General of Nazi-occupied Poland, voiced that “Jews are a race that must be totally exterminated,” and it is recorded that one million Jews were killed at Auschwitz. The tour guide gave us the approximated statistics that one million of the 1.5 million killed at Auschwitz were Jews and most of whom suffocated in the gas chambers immediately following their arrival.

We were led to a building that houses artifacts that were found during the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviets on January 27, 1945. On the liberation day, only 7,500 prisoners were found, while 130,000 had evacuated prior to the Soviet invasion. Records state that approximately 232,000 children were deported to Auschwitz, although only 650 were liberated, and 450 were under 15 years old. The building contained two tons of human hair and seven tons were discovered during the liberation. The delegation viewed an obscene amount of glasses, crutches, false legs back and leg braces, pots, pans and suitcases that belonged to Auschwitz victims. The exhibit contained over 40,000 pairs of shoes. Original outfits of the prisoners were on display and marked with the prisoners’ numbers and a distinguishing mark to categorize each person as a Jew, homosexual, Jehovah’s Witness, Soviet prisoner of war, gypsy, antisocial, political prisoner or criminal.

We were informed of the average day of a prisoner that consisted of sleep until 4 or 5 in the morning, work and eating 1500-1700 calories. Some of the buildings’ interior walls were lined with pictures of prisoners, taken by the Nazis upon arrival, which displayed their names and information.

Many of the students were disgusted to learn that only 10% of those who participated in the administration of Auschwitz were charged with crimes against humanity. We passed by Block 10, which is a building characterized for its medical experiments. Some experiments consisted of sterilizing Jewish women, experimenting on twins and triplets, and attempting to alter eye color; most of these experiments were performed by the “Angel of Death”, Dr. Josef Mengele, the highest-ranking Nazi official to escape justice. We then entered Block 11, also known as the “Block of Death”, which housed the camp prison, starvation cells, and a suffocation cell called the “dark cell”. One record states that one day 39 prisoners were placed into the “dark cell”, and the following day only 19 remained alive.

The tour concluded with a walk through of the gas chamber and crematorium. With our silent steps, we entered the room where 2000 deportees were killed with the arrival of every train. During use of the chambers, the door would be locked and Cyclone B, a granulated gas, would be released into the chamber. After 15-20 minutes, the chamber was opened and the corpses were stripped of their gold teeth, hair and jewelry. Prisoners had to move the corpses through a door into the crematorium where the corpses were burned until they became ashes that were poured into the nearby rivers. Many students became numb with the realization of the horrors that took place at Auschwitz as they entered the same room that thousands of victims never exited.

- By Monica Colon

“All of us have studied the Holocaust in school but could not fully understand what happened prior to setting foot in the camp. Seeing the site of such atrocities makes us wonder how something like this could have gone on for so long. Having visited Auschwitz I, we have a greater understanding of George Santayana’s famous quote, ‘The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.’”

-Prateek Kumar

Our Day in Krakow

After a five hour bus ride we arrived at our next destination, Krakow, Poland. Once we arrived, we walked through the Old Town of Krakow to get to the restaurant for lunch. Our short walk through the Old Town showed us the drastic differences between Krakow and the city we just visited, Warsaw. While Warsaw has more skyscrapers, Krakow has a preserved medieval charm. Lunch gave us the opportunity to converse with three Polish students who had joined us from the nearby town of Gliwice – and who are part of the PTPI Gliwice Chapter. We discussed the various cultures and differences and discussed our interests.

After finishing lunch we walked to Wawel Hill on which the Royal Castle is located. The tapestries and sculptures in the castle dated back to the 17th Century. The tapestries were created off three major themes: mythology, the Bible and nature. The castle was designed by two Italian architects and it took 12 years to build. The castle served as Nazi headquarters during World War II. Afterwards we went to St. Mary’s Basilica in the main market square of Krakow. The Basilica serves as the highest point in all of Krakow. They blow the bugle every hour and have one of the largest bells in the world. The alter is opened and closed every day and depicts the three wise men, the resurrection and the twelve apostles with the Virgin Mary. The stained glass window is one of the oldest in Europe, as Krakow was spared during the bombings of WWII.

As the day wound down, we were given the chance to explore Old Town in Krakow and shop for souvenirs. After an enchanting visit in the Old Town, we got together in small delegation meetings to prepare for tomorrow’s start of our two day study tour of Auschwitz.

-By Carolyn Hill