There once was a world...

I have been fascinated by the world of the Shtetl. Partly because it's the world my father grew up in (See Genesis) and partly because it contrasts so much to the communities we live in today.

I only recently got round to reading "There once was a world", by Yaffa Eliach which is an exhaustive account of life in the Shtetl of Eishyshok. The book was published several years ago to critical acclaim, as it brought the Shtetl alive rather than describe it in its death. Where the destruction of the Shtetl is mentioned, it is clear that the AK (Armia Krajowa - or Home Army) finished off anyone the Nazis hadn't already killed.

I was shocked to read this as I had previously only found glowing accounts of them. They were supposedly run by the Polish Government in exile, they were behind the Warsaw uprising, and there is evidence that they supplied arms to Jews during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. In fact, apart from Yaffa Eliach, I couldn't find any mention anywhere on the web of AK atrocities against Jews. Can anyone enlighten me?

Happy Anniversary

Today Miriam and I celebrated our six month wedding anniversary.

By "celebrating" I mean we took a look at our calendar and said, "Wow, we've been married for six months." I'm not sure if there are any traditional gifts or customs for the occasion, maybe someone can enlighten me, but we're spending the day going to someone else's Sheva Brachot.

What amazes me is how quickly the time has gone by and how words such as "guest lists", "food tasting", and "table arrangements" no longer form part of our daily conversation (what a relief!).