THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407080251
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
It took fortitude to make the trip to Poland and look at camps where millions of Jews died at the hands of Hitler.
``I think about it every day,'' 17-year-old Ellisha Greenhood said. ``The trip definitely is not fading from my mind. It will make a difference in the rest of my life.''
Greenhood was one of 6,000 teen-agers from 51 countries who participated in ``The March of the Living'' in April. They spent a week in Poland going from the site of one concentration camp to another and then a week in Israel.
``Every one was depressed - really depressed - after Poland,'' she said. ``They plan the second week to show us what a wonderful place Israel is.''
In fact, Greenhood said, she now thinks she'd like to spend a year in Israel and live in a kibbutz.
``I've always been real interested in Judaism, and I think I would like being in Israel for a year,'' she said.
Ultimately, she wants to attend Boston University ``because I love Boston and the cold weather'' and plans to be a physical therapist working with handicapped children.
Meanwhile, she said, ``Zionism has become very important to me.''
Greenhood is very conscious of the fact that her generation will be the last to meet survivors of the Holocaust.
``It's important to pass on the message,'' she said. ``It makes me really mad when people say the Holocaust didn't happen. After seeing what I've seen, no way anyone can day it didn't happen.''
Greenhood showed the snapshots she took in Poland. They show piles of eyeglasses, piles of crutches and prostheses, stacks of suitcases - thousands of suitcases that bespeak the deception of the Jews, Greenhood said.
``They thought they were going to relocations, so they took everything they needed to live,'' Greenhood said.
Before Greenwood journeyed to Poland, she found it ``hard to imagine 6 million Jews dying.'' But she has no trouble now that she has seen 840,000 pairs of shoes still piled in one extermination location.
``They say it would take seven years to say all the names of people who died,'' she said.
Although she had not been a person who cries very often, Greenwood said, ``I've cried since I got back. It made a difference in my life.''
Name: Ellisha Rose Greenhood
Nickname: None
Hometown: Portsmouth
Birthdate: Dec. 27, 1976
School: Rising senior at Churchland High School
Parents' names: Maryann and Stewart Fleming and Charles and Kathy Greenhood
Brothers and sisters: Allison, 16; Aaron, 12; Max, 5; Molly, 4
Pets: Sahara, my dog
Favorite subject: English
Favorite food: Pasta with Parmesan cheese
Favorite restaurant: Brutti's (owned by the Greenhoods)
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Favorite movies: ``Enchanted April'' and ``Like Water for Chocolate''
Favorite musician: Tracy Chapman
Favorite sport: I'm sure that hiking would be my favorite, but because there is rarely a chance around here to hike, biking is my favorite.
Favorite magazine: Sassy and Newsweek
Last book read for fun: I'm in the middle of three books: ``All Quiet on the Western Front,'' ``Giovanni's Room'' and ``Why the Jews?''
Favorite television shows: Seinfeld and Talk Soup
Last smart thing you did: Decided to stay home this summer.
Last dumb thing you did: Pushed ``start'' twice on a machine in the genetics lab where I'm a volunteer worker and messed up the whole chromatograph.
Pet peeve: Complainers
Heroes? Golda Meir
Worst habit: Biting my nails
Last vacation: Poland and Israel for ``The March of the Living''
Favorite way to spend the day: Reading and writing in a serene setting, or with my friends
If you had 15 minutes on national TV, what would you discuss? The education system in the United States
When I get older, I want to be: A good person who makes a difference - hopefully with the disabled. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Ellisha Greenhood
by CNB