Written by: Alexandra Friedlander On March 19, we all met at 7 a.m. at the Pittsburgh International Airport. The very generous United Airlines allowed everyone attending the trip to take all of their suitcases, with the donations, free of charge – that’s 30…
On Friday, we had several discussions about modern Germany, specifically regarding Jewish life. The day began with a panel discussion on contemporary Jewish life in Germany on which spoke three insightful women of different backgrounds – one who had emigrated from Israel…
On Thursday we started the day off at the Germany Close Up office where we were given an introduction to the nonprofit organization Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ARSP), one of Germany Close Up’s partner organizations that mobilizes young Germans in peace-oriented,…
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is expansive, a large plot in the middle of Berlin (adjacent to the site of Hitler’s bunker, the American Embassy, and other socially and historically significant buildings), a sprawling field of 2711 gray stone…
By Carolyn Linder ‘Joy’, ‘wonder’, ‘belonging’ and ‘connection’ are four words that evoke this summer’s Classrooms Without Borders Israel seminar for Jewish early childhood educators. A group of 24 Jewish early childhood educators, representing ten local programs, were selected to participate in…
It seems like unearthing Jewish history in Berlin has a lot to do with learning to interpret negative space. The Shoah destroyed Jewish buildings, communities, and people. There are holes in our hearts, in our family trees, and in Berlin’s urban fabric….
Our experiences today made me think about the art of being a historian, but even more importantly, it made me think about the art of being an extraordinary human. We are traveling through Poland with knowledgeable tour guides and Howard Chandler, a…
Today we visited Majdanek Death Camp on the outskirts of Lublin, central Poland. At the entrance to the camp is a gigantic rock that is raised in the air, cutting a striking image against the ever blue Polish sky. What I didn’t…
“Shall We Survive” Walls and wires have become our view. Hunger and sickness to a Warsaw Jew. Beaten and trapped in a common struggle, Forced to lie, cheat and sometimes smuggle. Some will run, many will hide, no way to tell how…
In just three hours, we managed to go through a hell that for some lasted months or even more, or even less. We have experienced this wretched place but as the survivor (Howard) with us keeps repeating “we at least have the…
On our second day in Poland, and after a morning touring the Warsaw ghetto, we headed to Treblinka. Howard mentioned that all survivors are survivors by luck. A thousand different strokes of luck. For Howard, his father told a lie to add…
Today we said goodbye to Jerusalem! After being surrounded by thousands of years of history and being surrounded by Jerusalem stone for four days, we went to the Jaffa lookout. There, the contrast of a breathtaking view of a modern city on…