After a good night’s rest and a filling breakfast, we headed out on the bus. We started today by seeing some of the remaining parts of the ghetto wall and street. We stood on the actual cobblestone of the ghetto streets. It…
The rest of our group landed this morning and we met them at Warsaw’s Jewish cemetery. We talked about how this cemetery is one of the happier Jewish historical sites, because many of those buried there died before the war. However, like…
Most of the group comes to Poland tomorrow morning, but those of us who were here already had a great time getting to know about Warsaw and its Jewish Community. First, we went to the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. It was…
Our amazing, insightful trip has come to an end, but the stories we heard are coming home with us. We finished our last day in Athens outside the Panathenaic Stadium—the site of the first modern Olympic Games. The stadium helps manifest the…
Today we saw the continuation of the idea from Avi – the absence of presence and the presence of absence – during our visit to the synagogue at Veria when we saw a whole Jewish community vanished in the Holocaust. On our…
As an educator who has the heavy responsibility of teaching genocide to middle schoolers, I’ve spent countless hours reading books and collecting resources and pictures about the history of the Holocaust. I’ve spent a significant amount of time looking at pictures of…
The Train Station In silence We walk toward the tracks A brief memorial tribute at the train station We hear the words of victims Songs are offered like prayers What a goodly thing If the children of the world Could dwell together …
I have found reinforcement to one of the themes of my 20th Century United States History course that WW II impacted and changed our country more so than any other event in its history. The economic, political, military and cultural changes that…
Sharing Stories to Build Community As we approach the halfway point of this revelatory journey, the camaraderie of our group continues to solidify. This morning’s four hour bus ride was quickly elevated to a teacher-to-teacher bonding experience, complete with college lectures, sing-alongs,…
When I was accepted to this program, I thought about all of the ways that I could use what I learned about in my classroom. Being in Athens was amazing and stopping in Volos felt mind blowing. The scenery and landscape were…
For as long as I can remember, I had always been told how remarkable it would be to witness Orthodoxy in the old country. Although Orthodox churches in the states are awe inspiring and beautiful in their own right, there was always…
One thing I’ve been completely blown away by is the fact that everything we do, somehow outdoes the last. Today we spent a good amount of time in the car but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable! We saw some amazing views…