Preparing for Journey

As I take time to prepare for my incredible journey I am dealing with the recent loss of my Safta (grandmother).

Last week, at the age of 89 my Safta passed away in Israel, where she resettling in 1957 after the war.

Like many grandparents my Safta was an incredible source of strength and wisdom for our family.  

In preparing for this trip I remind myself that

my

Safta's immediate family are just

a few of over six million that lost their lives in the camps of Europe and how others, even having survived, were never whole again.  My grandmother and her sister were the only survivors of their large family.

This trip will not be easy or pleasant.  We will travel to the places where

my

Safta and countless others lived, loved, and lost their lives.  We will walk their streets, dwell in their buildings, and see the chambers that lead to their deaths.

I believe that to fully understand something one needs to be educated about the topic.  For me, part of this education involves the hands-on experience of visiting the sites where these atrocities occurred and learning more about the lapse in social conscious that made these events possible in history. 

With that in mind I look forward to our coming educational journey and resolve to share

my

experience with others so that future

generations

can be gifted with knowledge and understanding.

I take this trip in honor of my safta.  For me, her memory will always be for a blessing.