Kim , Bring Me back an Acorn from Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bring Back an Acorn for me in Zion

Oak trees near ruins of Krema III gas chamber

Ruins of undressing room at Krema III with oak trees in background

Poster at the ruins of Krema III; oak trees in background

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 A request to my daughter Kim as she prepares to go on the journey of the March of the Living.

"Kim , Bring Me back an acorn from Auschwitz-Birkenau,  Bring  Back an Acorn for me in Zion."

Dearest Kim

I have been to Auschwitz twice in my liife. The first as a 19 year old simply to say Kaddish
and tick of " been there and done that" . 20 years later , somewhat more mature and better   informed about my relations murdered in Auschwitz , I took 5 days leave from a 3COM subcontractor journey in Europe and traveled to Auschwitz and the Forest of Rumbala where o 

many of my relations died.

At Auschwitz  I was walking down the gravel road towards the Krema III gas chamber when

 a man from the Golders Green, clutching something close to his heart , came up to me with tears streaming down his face and  asked if I would take an acorn with me.  Very puzzled and somewhat concerned about the affect a visit to Krema III would also have on me,  I said ok. When I got to the crematorium I saw oak trees that victims waited under for their turn in the gas chambers  Everywhere you dig your heel in grass you find white ash from the chimneys. I realized that the calcium, sodium and potassium even some carbon of the victims remained in the ashes and those ashes had been taken up by the oak trees for nourishment. Some tiny portion of the victims resided in the acorns. I thought if I could get some acorns out of the camp I would have liberated some of the elements of the victims, many of my relations,  all these years later.

 I gathered two  acorn  and put it in my pocket. I am not going to say here whether  those acorns made it to South Africa and later Israel. I will say that there is a beautiful oak tree in Kirstenbosch Gardens, high up on Devils Peak / Table Mountain . I smile every time I recall how I lovingly encouraged one to grow to a small  sapling  and often visited my Auschwitz oak when I climbed Table Mountain every fortnight for exercise. I will occasionally inspect its leaves and even softly spoke to it , watering it with my tears. My climbing buddies thought I was crazy and 

always asked "what, why , when" but this was between me an my Auschwitz Acorn.

 Later I read victims made tea from the acorns or ate them raw. One said if there had been any 

grass we would have eaten it, too

The other acorn was on permanent display in  Yad Vasem for years. ... it was recently given to  the Israeli Vulcan Agricultural Institute to grow into a sapling for me and perhaps in Autumn of 2014 , Kim , Jonathan, Lesleigh and I  , the only living residents of the Drues/ Shabelstok 
.Fialkov families will plant in somewhere in Yad Vashem and water it with our tears,.  

 Kim , Bring Me back an acorn from Auschwitz-Birkenau,  Bring  Back an Acorn for me in Zion.

Love you to bits
Dad
xxx

http://stephendaroriontheholocaustx1.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/a-letter-to-my-daughter-kim-before-she.html