Midreshet Amit

• LIVE TORAH:
• Academic Program
• Yimei Iyun
• FAQ
• Recent Shiurim
• View by Parsha
• View By Chag
• Search Database
• Ask the Rav

Like the linchpin in every good story written, the Polish forests witnessed it all. The linchpin is the one who knows and sees everything; the under rated character in the tale that ultimately makes the difference. History, however, is not a tale. It is not a story book that has an ending. Therefore, until the end of time, these Polish forests will be the only first hand witnesses of the Shoah.

The Polish forests heard every scream of a child before being shot into the mass graves. They stood as a safe haven for so many partisans and run-a-ways who, by some miracle, were sheltered by their cover. They felt the steps of every death march, trampling upon their roots for hours at a time. They housed the sounds of the barking German dogs during those week long searches, sniffing out those Jews who thought they could get away from the horrors thrust upon them. The Polish forests were the trees cut down to make the bunkers used in the concentration and labor camps, the wood used to warm the Nazis fire during those cold nights while so many Jews froze to death right outside. They acted as false hope, with the fresh air and the soft sounds of nature giving off comfort. They were that propaganda, portraying a beautiful scenery from the outside looking in.

Poland is full of forests. Every one of them has a different story to tell; every tree trunk soaked with someone else's blood. The trees are thin, so thin that it is possible to see right through even the thickest and biggest of forests. No strong branches to climb on, and with winter and snow seven out of the twelve months of the year, no leaves that could be used for warmth. It is almost as If the polish forests were working against us too.

Now, almost 70 years later, there are barley any survivors left. And the forests, they are quiet, full of shame. But these trees wont die out. They are wiser than us; they know and have seen story after story unfold from start to finish. May they never deny that we were here. May they never forget the Jewish culture that existed in Europe for 500 years. For only in a few short decades, the polish forests will be the only true survivors; the only true linchpin to our history.