A butterfly was caught in the window of a gas chamber. How it got there, and how it continues to survive there, I don't know.
In Poland I felt like there was a piece of glass between me and the rest of the world - something that was keeping me from being able to reach out emotionally and connect with or be a part of the rest of the world.
When the plane landed back in Israel that barrier shattered into a million pieces - 6 million to be exact - and I swept all 6 million shards of glass up and buried them all individually into the holy ground of Israel. I found myself making many vows (privately, to myself only): To never cut my hair, after seeing the clothing and sea nets that they made out hair taken brutally and painfully; To put others before me, because by making sure that I act humanely, I win against Hitler; To choose my words more carefully, as I've seen they effect people just as much as blood and war and death can, if not more. I vowed to face the world as it is, because pretending or ignoring lead to suffering.
I vowed to never forget that I'm strong and can handle it.
I vowed to move through this life with eyes wide open, taking it all in. Nothing is to be forgotten and nothing overlooked.
I'm no longer a butterfly contained by the glass in a window. The window is open and it's my time to fly.
