The Passing

Gill Scott Heron

I learned early Saturday morning

And I wept

His music and words

Had touched my soul

Had lifted me up

Many late nights and

Early mornings

When much younger

I had a first date

And he sang to the room

But it seemed like he sang

Just to us

And we stayed on

For a second show

That date soon became

My lifelong mate

And still you would 

Croon and remind us

Of what was right

And how to live,

Think, and challenge

I am so thankful

You made such music

That I saw you

Not once or twice

But many times

And that I will always have

Your songs in my life

Your revolution is over

The world's will never be

But I hope you have

Found a little slice of

Peace and happiness

You so deserve

For all you have done for others.

Gil Scott Heron Dies May 27, 2911
(For more information see-Washington Post, NPR, CBS News, Chicago Tribune)

Pearl Harbor Day

I watched Monday Night Football as usual
They reminded me it would be Pearl Harbor Day
They said to thank those of that generation

I walked into the ICU and there he was
A shadow of himself but just the right age
Unable to understand or relate his secrets

But then his brother came and told all
13 brothers, all served, all survived
And my patient-the most special of them all

Behing the German lines he served
Scouting out targets, the most dangerous of spies
Directing the bombs to arsenals and more

So I said thanks, to his brother first
And later I crept in quietly
Held his hand in mine.

He had given much for so many
I was happy that I could repay with my hands
In some small way.

And days later when the fog cleared
And he spoke again and walked
I smiled even more.

Journey Back-Poland 2 (Krakow)

Stara synagogue

Jewish Cemetery Krakow

Krakow is a city rich in history with an impressive castle, a magnificent and imposing central square, and one of the oldest universities in Europe (counting Copernicus and Pope John Paul II as graduates).  A thriving Jewish community emerged though they were "relocated" to Kazimierz by King Kazimierz the Great in 1335.  Here they lived, worked and played until the death knoll tolled in 1939 with the Nazi invasion of Poland.   The first full day of our "Roots Adventure" would explore   a critical slice of the history of Krakow by tracing Jewish life there-from economic and intellectual pinnacle to ghetto to deportation and then on to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Today, one can still visit more than 7 surviving synagogues within a few city blocks. The Stara (old) synagogue has been lovingly restored and now serves as a museum.  Most evocative for me was the cemetery-which sustained extensive damage at the hands of the Nazis but now has a serenity that pays tribute to the contribution of Jews to Poland and Krakow.  In addition, pieces of damaged and desecrated tombstones found throughout Krakow (the Nazis classically used them to build roads) have been fashioned into an evocative memorial.

Krakow's "Wailing Wall"

Kazimierz has now become one of the most fashionable districts of Krakow and side by side with Jewish historical sites are cafes, art galleries, restaurants and expensive apartments.  I also learned of a fascinating connection to NYC through General Kosciuszko-who fought in the Revolutionary War (for which he is honored by a bridge between Queens and Brooklyn) and then exported those radical ideas to his homeland to foster an uprising against both Russia and Prussia.  

Memorial at Plaszow Concentration Camp

We then followed the plight of the Jews across the Vistula River to Podgorze, the site of the ghetto.  Here I heard the inspiring tale of a pharmacist (non-Jewish) who refused to move his store after the Jewish resettlement and then served as a conduit for black market supplies, secret meetings of the Jews and escape! (The Pharmacy under the Eagle)  This was the first of many heroic stories we would hear of "ordinary" individuals who would try and save people from the Holocaust.  The main square of the ghetto is now marked by a striking sculpture of empty chairs which contrasts strikingly with the frenetic traffic of a thriving Krakow whizzing by.  Other than this memorial, the ghetto has otherwise been erased by modern Krakow with just two small remnants of the ghetto wall still standing (most who survived life in Krakow's ghetto were deported  east to Belzec).  The final stop in our exploration of Jewish life in Krakow the Plaszow Concentration/Labor camp.  This small but deadly camp was located adjacent to the ghetto and run by a brutal, sadistic commander.  As the Soviet's approached near the end of the war, the camp was abandoned and the remaining prisoners marched to Auschwitz.  Today, the site is a designated park inhabited only by trees, wildlife and a striking sculpture that looks away from Krakow toward Auschwitz-Birkenau. 
In just 4 hours, I had followed a history that spanned hundreds of years.  We all study the Holocaust but somehow, tracing the history of this long-standing, thriving Jewish community (65,000 pre-war) to complete decimation gave me greater insight and of course, great sadness.
But our day was barely half over-now we departed for Auschwitz-Birkenau...

Coming Soon

Been traveling and teaching for two weeks then the requisite hell week catching up on return but have some wonderful things to share and know that life has begun to return to a "normal" rhythm so the blogs will soon flow again.  Look for:
Travels with Mom I: Roots in Polish villages
Travels with Mom II: A Sobering Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau
Return of the children: It's summer and the kids are back in town

Worldwide medical community: the beauty of coming together

MarianPlatz, Munich June 2010

Exercising Your Brain

If you are between the ages of 40 and 65 and sometimes wonder if your brain will make it through another day (without forgetting an important name, what you went to the basement to retrieve, etc), take heart-you are not alone! Take heart, it seems that close inspection reveals that while there may be many of these little slips, the middle age brain is doing more than fine.  In this regard, we who are "middle-aged" often feel isolated in our forgetfulness, constantly worried about the threat of dementia so I was thrilled last week to tuned into NPR and listened to Barbara Strauch (NY Times science writer) talk about her new book, The Secret Life of The Grown-up Brain. 

She relates that studies show that "in this middle span, we get higher scores on all our tests in a whole range of areas, including inductive reasoning, verbal memory, vocabulary -- we're better in that span than we were in our 20s." Middle age wisdom then is , "Because the brain sees connections, it sees the full picture."

For me this all makes perfect sense-I often feel like I "get the whole picture" and understand the solution to problems (or diagnoses with patients) in an instant but then may have to write it down so I don't forget it before I can put into action.

And the imporant lesson is that we really must keep exercising our bodies and our brains-beyond crosswords and books.  She even advocates at least a little of intellectual conflict to "juice the brain".  Maybe that explains why I am enjoying my blog so much-it does keep me on my toes.

I read the following excerpt from the book and now know I will get the book (available at all the usual palces like Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, etc):

Indeed, despite long-held beliefs to the contrary, there's mounting evidence that at middle age we may be smarter than we were in our twenties.
How can that be? How can we possibly be smarter and be putting the bananas in the laundry basket? Smarter and still unable, once we get to the hardware store, to remember why we went there in the first place? Smarter and,despite our best efforts to concentrate on one thing at a time, finding our brains bouncing about like billiard balls? (Viking Press, copyright 2010)