POLIN: THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS

Although I expected the Museum of the History of Polish Jews was going to be a somber visit, I wanted to have the experience. Poland is a country sandwiched between Germany and Russia and has been invaded, occupied, and ravaged by expansionist nations throughout its long history. Poles have known cruelty and deprivation on a scale few countries have. The Jews suffered more.





The museum is situated on a grassy square that was the heart of the ghetto in World War Two. I approached it from the east, and found the huge modern museum is overlooked by a 36-foot high, black monument. This commemorates the persecution of the Polish Jews and the uprising in 1943 of the Warsaw Ghetto. It looks like a wall and symbolizes both the ghetto walls and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the first side was a bas relief of such misery, one cannot but be moved. It signifies the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis in July, 1942.

On the far side of the monument that faces the museum, is a black sculpture of the Jewish insurgents who rose up to fight their oppressors in 1943. Men, women and children are shown with guns and Molotov cocktails. These are the Heroes of the Ghetto after whom the monument is named. The irony here is twofold: some of the stone used in building the sculpture was stockpiled by the Nazis for their own monuments, and the Russians erected it in 1948. This dominating feature of the site stands on the exact spot where the first clash took place in the uprising.



The museum beyond is a vast glass-cladded, ultra-modern structure, angular and sharp. Visitors are dwarfed by it (left). I tried to imagine what the ghetto looked like from where I stood at the entrance (below). I've read quite a lot about this period in Polish history but, because the site is surrounded by apartment buildings today, I simply couldn't.












The previous day I bought my ticket online for about $7.60 Canadian. This proved to be quite a bargain; so did the audio guide at $3.30. I had to pick an entrance time that prevents lineups and staggers the flow of visitors through the displays.

The museum opened in 2013 and inside is the complete opposite to the exterior. There is not a straight line or a sharp angle to be seen. The walls curve and swoop, sometimes oppressing and sometimes freeing; at times dark and at other moments filled with light.

The image, right, is the entrance hall and the stairs lead down to the exhibits. Security is a serious business here and visitors go through the same process as they do in airports — metal detectors, scanners, bag searches, etc.

Down I went and started at the beginning of the Polish Jews' 1000-year history.

Poland had 3.3 million Jews, the largest Jewish community in the world at the time of the Holocaust. Their ancient ancestors had arrived from western and southern European persecution along trade routes and found a safe place to settle here about 1000CE. By 1500, many lived in organized Jewish communities with laws that protected them and peace from the religious wars in the west. This was their golden age in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It lasted until 1648.

The exhibits change from the medieval and later eras to exploring the Jewish way of life and the 18th century of learning and spiritual quest. They also explore the rise of anti-semitism in the Russian Empire. By WW1, a third of the Jewish population had emigrated, most to the USA.

The First World War left Germany and Russia in tatters and the Polish Jews enjoyed a second golden age. We see that cultural shift in politics and the arts, as well as daily life. It was brief.

The Nazis and then the Soviets invaded Poland early in WW2. This section of the museum focuses on how the Polish Jews experienced the myriad laws that separated and isolated them from their countrymen and women into ghettos — 600 across the nation. In 1942 the Nazis began to deport the Jews to Treblinka. In two months, 300,000 were transported from the Warsaw ghetto to their deaths. This exhibit is hard to see and I noticed several visitors in tears. Of 3.3 million Jews before the war, only about 300,000 remained in Poland, now a Communist state.

Many left for the new state of Israel. Those who stayed faced a Soviet anti-Semitic campaign in 1968 that all but eliminated the intellectuals and experts — they too emigrated.

Since the collapse of Communism in 1989, there has been a small renewal of Jewish life and this new museum has been part of it.

The exhibits put faces and names to the events in Poland for me. They tell the stories of real lives: the Jews' resilience and hope, the darkness they endured and despair. Reading took me part way there, but the excellent archival material and artefacts brought me to a whole new level of understanding.

I highly recommend putting a visit to the POLIN at the top of your list if you visit Warsaw. It was an amazing experience — so brilliantly done in every way.

The light shines in:

IMAGES:

© Photos by Pharos

All rights reserved

IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM

Part of the exterior of the Canadian War Museum

I was given a chance of a lifetime, thanks to Ottawa Tourism's assistance, to visit the CanadianWar Museum (completed in 2005) for two meetings and a private tour with the WW2 historian, Dr. Jeff Noakes.

Top of lookout with the hay
field to left and Parliament
framed by the building

On a beautiful September morning, I arrived early at the site on the banks of the Ottawa River. Outside, the building is long and low-slung with a roof that turns skyward at its eastern end and points at the Parliament Buildings in the distance. But the building above ground is the tip of the iceberg—much of the behind-the-scenes stacks, collections, archives, etc. are below the ground.

I followed the signs on the river side and climbed a twisty, long ramp to the lookout and found a hay field on the roof and a spectacular view of the Peace Tower. No happenstance! The roof was designed this way deliberately, and I found many other examples of brilliant architectural ideas inside.

After a discussion with the WW2 historian, he whisked me away for a tour. The interior of the museum is stark and austere with cement walls that rise at all angles. Initially I wasn't sure about this ultra-modern concept but soon discovered how well it worked. First, the walls didn't distract from the art that hung there, some of which is huge and needs big blank spaces. The mid-grey colour was the perfect background, and I thought it complemented the subject of war and military history. (Cheerful colours wouldn't work!)




There were two smaller galleries or spaces that moved me deeply. The first I saw was Regeneration Hall. High, narrow and angular with a window facing east, it contained the original plaster casts of some of the carvings that are part of the Vimy Memorial in France, commemorating the dead of WW1. There is no adornment or explanation: the magnificent sculptures speak for themselves of the horror and pain of war. Through the window visitors see the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill—no accident of design. I was quite overwhelmed.

The second space I wanted to experience is hidden deep in the heart of the museum. Memorial Hall is reached through a narrow twisting corridor whose walls press in on visitors. This opens into a bare rectangular space with a small window high in one wall. I was alone and felt the space was a cross between a dungeon and a Cistercian abbey—no accident either. At waist height on the wall opposite the window is a marble plaque honouring the Unknown Soldier. Every November 11 at 11a.m., the sun shines down through the window and strikes the plaque. Remembrance Day services are held here annually, of course, but need official invitations to attend. My brother-in-law was lucky enough to be invited and told me the experience was one of the most moving in his life. For me, just being alone in that sacred space was a once in a lifetime moment.

Next I browsed through the permanent exhibitions, which guide the visitor through all the wars Canada has fought from earliest times before we were a country to Afghanistan. None spare the visitor from the agony and heartbreak. I was struck that every artifact on display is connected to a Canadian Forces member at war and the story is provided. This focus on the human connection is evocative and often poignant.

In the WW1 section is a tiny, pocket-sized teddy bear with a letter in childish script next to it. The bear was given to a Canadian army officer by his 10 year old daughter "to keep him safe" when he left for the front. It was found in his pocket after he was killed and returned to the family with his personal effects. No one can fail to be moved by displays like this.





There is a huge gallery devoted to military vehicles—tanks, armoured cars, staff cars, torpedoes and an array of cannons and other field artillery. Even a CF 101 fighter jet! Here too, there are explanations that tell the story of the piece. I was looking for displays related to submarines as this is my area of interest, but all I could find was a German midget submarine collected by Farley Mowatt. There was one WW1, 18" torpedo that might have been used by Canada's first submarines in 1914, but the staff can't prove it, despite trying hard.


One battered jeep attracted me the most. It was used in a UN peacekeeping mission and demonstrates how dangerous they can be. Canadians have often been stuck between warring factions trying to keep them from annihilating each other and civilians. The bullet holes through the windshield need no words of explanation. Next on my itinerary was the big exhibition devoted to our peacekeeping missions on land, sea, and air. Very well done.

I also spent some time in the Military History Research Centre that houses textual and image records, a massive library, and ninety journals that the museum subscribes to. I was taught how to access the catalogues for each, so that I can continue my work at home. Technology is a wonderful asset for writers!

Before I knew it, I'd spent the whole day in the Canadian War Museum and, as I left, I vowed to come back. I highly recommend a visit for Canadians to learn about our contributions to maintaining peace with freedom and the human cost that goes with it.

ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2013. All rights reserved.

STAMP #2: Harrison Mills

Early departure to reach Harrison Mills, deep in the Fraser Valley (BC), for my 9:45am tee time at Sandpiper Golf Resort. Hazy sunshine all the way. Once through M. Ridge the traffic was light and the views of farms and fields gave way to lush countryside. Trees newly in leaf looked lime green and the sloughs were flat calm with almost perfect reflections.

Found Sandpiper easily and entered the estate on the banks of the Harrison River through gates and down a driveway with views of the golf course, the river, and a mountain backdrop. Whee!!! This is a little known gem deep in the Fraser Valley and the Pretty Estate Resort also includes the elegant inn called Rowena's and a fine dining restaurant, The River's Edge. More of the latter two in a moment.

Sandpiper's signature hole
© Photos by Pharos 2012

Greeted by Alan Goad, player's assistant, who gave me a tour of the estate before my round. It's been owned by the Pretty family for decades, but not turned into the resort till the end of the nineties. The huge family home is now Rowena's Inn on the River and it looks down river with spectacular views across the golf course.

 I played the back nine, which contains the four most divine holes, including the signature 15th, right along the river. The fairways were very green following our wet spring but the greens were in good shape, but challenging. The other holes I played had peekaboo views through sky-high, perfectly straight evergreens. Customer service was excellent and friendly. Not busy either. Worth the drive out for a game!

Lunch in The River's Edge with Summer Dhillon who takes care of the PR for Pretty Estate. Met the chef as well as the food and beverage manager, Sean. Both are new here and have plans to change the menu, which was good today. The Crepe Neptune, for me sans salmon, was packed with fresh prawns, mussels, and halibut in a rich white wine sauce. The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the 15th and the river, and a pleasant ambience inside. We sat beside the fireplace.

Rowena's Inn on the River
© Photos by Pharos 2012

Then a tour of Rowena's. I had already been inside one of the four cabins, which was one bedroomed, with a living room, kitchenette, and a jacuzzi bathroom. Its patio overlooks the view. What a place for a romantic getaway!! The inn is spacious and beautifully decorated and furnished with antiques, clearly with a loving eye and good taste. There are about six rooms with king-sized beds, all different. Most have that gorgeous view. The living room, drawing room, and dining room are huge. Behind the scenes is a large commercial kitchen because this inn caters for corporate retreats and weddings, and a conservatory where breakfast is served for guests.

Later I spent an hour with Judy Pickard, the coordinator of the Agassiz-Harrison Museum in Agassiz. In the old station, this is a treasure trove of history, including the railway, hop farming, the great flood of 1948, and dairying. They are just about to expand into a barn built by volunteers with recycled barn lumber. This will almost double the space for exhibits. The story of this area is rich indeed, and today is filled with friendly volunteers ready to explain it. The community spirit is alive and well here.

By the time I checked into the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, it was 4pm and clouds threatened showers; the wind was howling and the temperature had plummeted. I was given a suite overlooking the lake where wind surfers were out in force. The room is huge for one person, but I'm relishing the big desk to work at with free wireless and the view. Not sure I really need two bathrooms! This hotel has been here for over a century in one form or another due to the natural hot springs, first enjoyed by the First Nations people and later by the gold miners heading up the lake to the upper Thompson River and to the Cariboo in search of the mother lode.

The Hungry Chef is a new family restaurant about two streets back from the lake where I had dinner. Has a patio and windows right across the front. Its view is of the back of a hotel, an old cottage and a sleazy motel. Mid-week and out of season, there were ten seniors, and two families: one with two small kids and one couple with their MIL. Menu has burgers, sandwiches and wraps, pasta and pizzas. Cheap fare.

I had a "Rollo" - a pork slice on a bun with bacon and onions and a side of fries. The pork was overcooked but not by much. The fries were hot but not fresh cut; the onions were cooked but not caramelized as advertised, and the bacon was soggy.  True, it was mid-week and out of season, and may be it was the B team in the kitchen too. Not recommended, even at the price.

And so to bed.

Related articles:

• Stamp #1: Harrison Hot Springs, Bc (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)