Post Scripts to yesterday's posting
Prague, Czech Republic
I forgot to mention two things I had in mind to tell you.
On our way home from Terezin, we talked about what we had seen. We recalled our early morning tour of Prague with Joseph. He had described how during World War II, he came home from school, one day, to find a deep hole where his home had been. Fortunately, his entire family had been out of the house. He said that he and his family were able to move into another home. The bombing continued and again he had the experience of coming home from school and finding himself homeless. Once again, he and his family "moved into another home." It suddenly struck us that he could move so easily into a vacant home because of the homes abandoned by Prague's Jewish residents who had been imprisoned in Terezin or sent to the death camps.
The other thing I wanted to describe is the beggars.
Every city has its homeless. In Prague, they beg on the streets. Those with musical talent perform on the streets. Others, typically older men, beg. The thing worthy of note is how they beg. It seems to be traditional for beggers to get down onto their knees and then all the way into a sitting position, resting back onto the feet. A hat is placed on the sidewalk in front of them. Some clasp their hands in prayer. Others put their heads down onto the sidewalk in front of them. It is a brutally painful position, especially on a cobblestone sidewalk or street. One beggar at least has a dog that he lies across. For all of that, passers-by seem to have become hardened to seeing them and by the end of the day, not many have much money in their hats.
Love,
Janet
I forgot to mention two things I had in mind to tell you.
On our way home from Terezin, we talked about what we had seen. We recalled our early morning tour of Prague with Joseph. He had described how during World War II, he came home from school, one day, to find a deep hole where his home had been. Fortunately, his entire family had been out of the house. He said that he and his family were able to move into another home. The bombing continued and again he had the experience of coming home from school and finding himself homeless. Once again, he and his family "moved into another home." It suddenly struck us that he could move so easily into a vacant home because of the homes abandoned by Prague's Jewish residents who had been imprisoned in Terezin or sent to the death camps.
The other thing I wanted to describe is the beggars.
Every city has its homeless. In Prague, they beg on the streets. Those with musical talent perform on the streets. Others, typically older men, beg. The thing worthy of note is how they beg. It seems to be traditional for beggers to get down onto their knees and then all the way into a sitting position, resting back onto the feet. A hat is placed on the sidewalk in front of them. Some clasp their hands in prayer. Others put their heads down onto the sidewalk in front of them. It is a brutally painful position, especially on a cobblestone sidewalk or street. One beggar at least has a dog that he lies across. For all of that, passers-by seem to have become hardened to seeing them and by the end of the day, not many have much money in their hats.
Love,
Janet
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 2:41 AM
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