Poland, before 1939, was called "Polinyah" by Eastern European Jews. Poland, before 1939, was called "Polinyah" by Eastern European Jews. Polinyah meant "Here Lies God," it was the land of the most incredible Jewish community in the world. It housed hundereds of thousands of Jewish people thriving and living equally. But walking through the streets of Krakow, Lublin and Warsaw, and ghostly pacing through the death camps of Majdonik and Auschwitz, Polinyah should be translated into "Here Lies God's Ashes"....
All in all, I didn't leave Poland with hatred. In fact, when not focused on the destruction, I really like Poland. Especially Krakow, there was something about that city. I understand why so many Jews had settled there before. There was a lot of culture, including a 1,000 person pillow fight, which was quite a sight to see. But I can't say I wasn't happy to go back home.... I know that what Poland taught me the most was how to appreciate. How to appreciate life, Judaism, the stories, and above all: Israel.
Some Jewish historians say the Hebrew word for 'Poland' is pronounced as Polania or Polin in Hebrew.[/quote]
Same with my ancestors in Lipsk (which is why I'm, in a way--though I shouldn't be--baffled by some of the Anti Semites and other naysayers here)--we don't begrudge that we dealt in
Polinyah during the Diaspora. We could have had the misfortune of being in Russia Proper, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, etc. (all of whose website domains I honestly try to avoid, by the way--I don't avoid .pl because Poland is generally good about Jewish and other human rights, and has been throughout history).
