By Daniel Reyzman

What is a Jew? A question that has plagued me for years. In People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn, the author gives words to a feeling I never quite knew how to describe. I’m not this. She describes many of Jews defining themselves in comparison to another identity and not being that. For almost the entirety of my life this is how I understood myself, a definition of not being something versus understanding who I actually am, what do I get the opportunity to be a part of? So often it seems the focal point to define us seems to be a history of horror, persecution, and death. But just as Judaism itself doesn’t have much to say on the topic of death, instead focusing on how to live, I think we must frame the question we started with not simply based on the darkness of what we share, but on the light that connects us. 

It’s an odd thing to know your entire life has been shaped through being part of a group you understand so little about. Since I can remember, the words “we are jews” in my family has been stated with such a sense of pride. Yet, in pressing for what does that mean exactly the response is silence. With time I’d discover why my family didn’t know the answer to the question, one of the largest perpetrations of antisemitism post-World War II. The Nazis tried to physically eradicate us, while the soviets decided to do this more subtly. To erase the Jewish identity. In my world they almost succeeded, but by a twist of fate in 2019 my path diverged from ignorance to discovery. And that brings us here to Maurer Koach Program and our trip to Poland.

Through an extreme act of gracious altruism of the Maurers and the Jewish Federation a group of 15 young Jews get the opportunity to go on a journey of discovery. At times I wonder if I truly comprehend how lucky I am to get this opportunity. In this land of the greatest darkness that has befallen the Jewish people, a light has been created in me. I participated in a Shabbat with Jews from all over the world just a few miles from the most notorious concentration camp. I have learned the history of our people spanning over 1000 years to this area, the origin of so many Jews around the world. My feet walked the ground that was soaked in the blood of so many lives lost not more than a generation ago; overwhelmed by the vastness of lost, but even more hopeful with the will of survival. Reflected on the Jewish lives that knew they would soon end, but left us messages of do not forget us, and do not forget what happened here. I have bound my arm in leather repeating words so ancient while connecting them to the modern world. All this through a rekindled friendship. I’ve sat over a glass of wine to the discussion of Judaism and what it means to each person, debating what is orthodox vs. reform. Where do the rules bend, where do they hold firm. I’ve listened to points of perspective from gentiles and faced our own potential points of contentions. I listened to the story of young girl who escaped war torn Ukraine alone and afraid, only to come to Poland and devote herself to helping people just like herself. I witnessed testimony that a place ravaged by war and potential extinction for the Jews, now serves as a refuge to those escaping the conflict next door. The nazis may have cut down the tree, but they didn’t rip out the roots, and now the Jewish tree of life grows again. It will always grow again.

But most importantly, above all these things is the group that I am on this journey with. The dialogue and the exploration, the comradery, the random hand on the shoulder, the faces I now look forward to seeing every morning. Each person comes with their own very unique path, unique story, and yet we are all bound by this thread that ties us all together. One thing I can say without a doubt that the identity of the Jewish people is resilience. But not a resilience of violence, a resilience of kindness.  What I’m learning is that what it is to be a Jew is Tzedakah, Chesed, and Pikuach Nefesh. These are truer and more alive than ever here in Poland. The journey of discovery continues, but now more than ever I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this group, this journey, to be a Jew. Just as the Chief Rabbi of Poland described the community here, I am a work in progress, a Jew in progress. 

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The Maurer Koach Program  (Koach means "strength" in Hebrew) is experiential and provides exposure and experiences that equip the cohort with tools to educate, lead, and advocate for themselves and others. It is currently in its second year. The program includes 8 monthly interactive sessions, where local, national, and international leaders address current approaches to understanding and combatting antisemitism as well as provide insights into Jewish life, leadership, and social justice. In addition to the sessions, the cohort takes a trip to Poland and Hungry to learn and experience historical moments. This blog is part of a series of reflections from members of the cohort while on this trip.