Standing in the check out line at the grocery store this morning, a small gray haired woman stood in front of me. As she began to load her food onto the counter she pushed the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows as she worked moving the food from her cart. A row of numbers on her left outer forearm caught my eye. The image of those 5 numbers tattooed neatly up her arm in aging blue gray ink has lingered in my mind today.
During the Holocaust only concentration camp prisoners belonging to Auschwitz were tattooed with serial numbers. SS authorities began tattooing prisoners in the fall of 1941 as a means of identifying the massive number of prisoners housed there. Today, these indelible marks serve as a testament and poignant reminder to us all of not only the systematic brutality of the Holocaust but of the strength of the survivors.
As little by little she emptied her cart I had to tear my eyes away from the numbers on her arm. I couldn't stop wondering about her experiences, and feeling awed at what she must have witnessed in her life. This country has seen a lot of war and turmoil, it seems like destruction has been a common theme throughout Polish history. I'm not a historian, or very well versed in those areas, but what I have seen here is the amazing resilience of people, the ability to rebuild and begin again.
Just before she finished checking out the gray haired woman turned and met my eye. She gave me a kind smile and a friendly greeting unaware, I'm sure, of the thoughts that cluttered my mind at that moment.
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. (William Ellery Channing)
1 comment:
What a touching experience. It must be amazing to be there in Poland. I still can't believe that the Holocaust happened so recently that the survivors are still alive.
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