News & Impact

July 6, 2012 Warsaw is 1000 times different than both Berlin and Krakow on the outside, and that was the first thing I noticed. It has much larger buildings, bigger lights and it is more like a classic city. But as we got more familiar with the synagogues and Jewish community I realized that it was more similar to Krakow than anymore believed it to be. In short, there was once a thriving Jewish population… then the war. Following the war there was racism with communism. And now it has a small Jewish community…similar to Krakow. However, this was put… Read More

Greetings from Jerusalem! We arrived just before sunrise, and the group is loving the rest and relaxation. We’ll post pictures and reflections tomorrow. Shabbat shalom!… Read More

Over the past few days we have traveled over 500 miles and through 500 years of history. We are still attempting to catch our breath, but at the same time stopping to smell the roses in each garden along the way. Tomorrow will be our final day exploring Warsaw and then off to Israel.  Enjoy the reflections and photos. July 4, 2012 Yesterday we arrived in Warsaw. The long drive across the countryside was relaxing and yet somewhat eerie knowing the unfortunate history of the visibly beautiful landscape. Going to the Majdanek concentration and death camp was a surprise for… Read More

I didn’t know what to feel as we approached Auschwitz Birkenau. There was no dramatic music or flashes of tears or terror. I felt a more subtle kind of fear. The kind that starts as a small chill at the bottom of my spine or as a fleeting shadow when I’m home alone. It was eerie and silent but haunting none the less. I realize how that there are stories, beyond the black and white photos that history books never told me. They never seemed to explain the way that gravel crunches under worn shoe soles, or how electric fences… Read More

  This is Peretz Wolf-Prusan, blogging in from Krakow, where we arrived from Berlin Friday morning.  We were met by our guide Kamala and whisked to the Stradomska Center for Dialogue where we learned a great deal about the revival of Polish Jewish life in a very short time with Dr. Karen Underhill, Taube Jewish Heritage Tour consultant and educator.  She took us on a walking tour of the Wawa Castle, Old Krakow, including the Main Market Square and the Cloth Hall.  I had been on similar tours with Holocaust trips, but never in late June!  Krakow is warm, OK,… Read More

Today we stood under the Brandenburg Gate and learned about the waves of history that have flowed through this gate.. from the Prussian Monarchs through the Nazi era and the fall of the Berlin wall. Including JFK and his famous declaration.   This moment truly illustrates our cohort of amazing students. After viewing memorials to the darkest times of history they continue to engage intellectually, support each other, and end each day with a smile on their face. They continue to impress us and those we come into contact with along the way.   Enjoy their words from our days… Read More