Sicily: Mafia Territory

Gun shots, Pizzo's and Mafia initiations...

No, I'm just kidding, no gun shots.. but you can definitely feel the presence of the Mafia when visiting Palermo, Sicily.  When we got there we grabbed a late night bite to eat with some of the people on the trip.  We ordered in one restaurant and our food came from another, pretty sketchy, men coming in and out.  It might just be because we have been studying the Mafia all semester and have been paranoid.

Pizzo is the tax that IS STILL PAID BY 80% of businesses in Sicily to the Mafia.  It is a tax that is collected by Mafia members in order to have a business in Palermo.  We met with an anti-mafia activist on Saturday and a man that owns construction businesses in Sicily decided to stop paying the Pizzo and he was walking around with two body guards.  The mafia tries to instill fear in him on a daily basis.  I couldn't imagine living like that every day of my life.  He made the right decision though.  Slowly, but surely, the mafia is being refused. 

Friday morning we woke up early and visited the town of Cinisi where Pepino Impasado was killed for fighting against the Mafia.  We had watched a movie in class about him and now his brother runs a memorial in his honor.  It was really cool being able to talk to him and see how the Mafia affected him and his life.  After Cinisi, we talked to the anti mafia activist and then got gelato, which was UNREALLLLLLL!

Saturday morning, the rooster crowed and we headed to the fields! Our job you ask? To tie vines to a metal line to help the growing cycle of the wine buds! Such a cool experience.  Salvatore helped us farm and we had a great time out in the fields for three hours.  They then made us an amazing lunch full of wine, lasagna, bread, and sandwiches.  We then hiked this amazing hill where there was a castle.  The view was breathtaking. 

We visited Portella Ginestra which was where a massacre occurred against the farmers by the Mafia. We talked to some survivors which was really cool. Beside the fact when he was talking he told us how much he loved Obama and that we need to elect someone just like him because he gave people healthcare that didn't have any. Our teacher was wide eyed and shocked. All of us were shocked but laughed it off.

Sunday, Professor Piambino allowed us to sleep until 8:45! We headed to Segesta where there was an ancient Greek theater and a temple.  There were so many stray dogs and cats, we played with them because I miss Mollie.  After Segesta, we went to Mondello Beach near Palermo where we drank beer and played beach games.  It was a relaxing end to the trip! Lastly, we had an amazing seafood dinner.  I had swordfish pasta which was out of this world!

As you can see, Sicily was filled with Mafia education and relaxing sun bathing time.  I had the best time. Sicily is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. 

Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps

"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to the humanity where the nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe."

This inscription was placed in multiple different languages as a monument to Never Forget.  The monument is located in the massive camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

For most people that know me, they know that I have wanted to visit these concentration camps my whole life. The Holocaust is something that is very important to me and my family's history. Being Jewish is something that I am very proud of, and visiting this camp only highlighted this fact about me.  

It was a cold day in Krakow, Poland as we set out to our private tour van. On the way to the camps we watched a documentary about the Holocaust and it was very informative.  When we arrived we met our tour guide Helenia, a Polish woman that spoke English pretty well.  She is very knowledgeable.  We entered Auschwitz first, as Auschwitz-Birkenau was a five minute drive from this camp.  It was museum-like, with tickets and exhibitions. There was a lot of people.

Arbeit Macht Frei is written on the gate in which you enter the camp.  It means "Work will set you Free" which is very powerful.  We learned that the camp was built in 1940 to hold Polish political prisoners originally, but then used for a camp during WWII by the Nazis in 1942.

 These are the brick barracks inside the gates where the Jews would stay.  It was very quiet and serene almost.  Inside these buildings now, are exhibitions with different parts of the Holocaust.  For example, in one of the barracks are all the shoes and hair taken from the Jews when they entered Auschwitz.  This was a very powerful and overwhelming image. They were striped of all their dignity before coming into the camp.  This was very hard for me to comprehend.  The fact that we had the freedom to come and go as we pleased to these camps and my ancestors did not have a choice.  My question is always WHY. I will never get an answer because there is no answer for insanity.

                                         Not Everyone wore glasses...

                                          Talit taken from the Jews

                                        People's suitcases

 Gas pellets that were dropped into the gas chambers and gave off gas that would usually take 15 minutes to kill.

 Nazi meeting room

 Usually fit two to a bed, I could barely fit in one, let alone have another person next to me!

                               This photo was taken of the HALT sign on the edge of the camp.

 

 The photos speak for themselves.  Visiting was very hard but very important for my family and ancestors.  I loved Krakow, Poland and the surrounding areas.  But this was a sad part of the trip.  

Never Forget.