Poland trip 2004: the experience of a lifetime

It is amazing what you can learn, see and do in a week, but on the JFS trip to Poland I discovered this. We finally arrived at this famous camp [Auschwitz] and got to see the train tracks where hundreds of thousands of people were brought in for what was to be an inevitable death. This site was once again huge and very powerful, to try and imagine numbers and what a horrible life those must have had being there. But this day was special as we met a survivor with his daughter returning to Poland for the first time. His stories brought tears to some and a smile to others to know that there were survivors to tell the tale. Shabbat was for me an incredible day as I have never observed it properly. Everything we did was enjoyable. We went to synagogue, had discussions, sang and danced. In the evening we had our leaving ceremony, which was incredible. We sat in a candle-lit room in the synagogue and each person got a chance to express their thoughts about the trip, which was amazing to hear as everyone had something different to say. But overall the general consensus was that this trip was moving, powerful, emotional, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. All in all, I would advise any student to go on this trip if possible. It is simply a one-off trip which you can’t get in museums or by watching videos. The group you go away with is incredible and the sites you get to see are just breathtaking. There is no experience quite like this! JFS received a grant from the AJR towards the participation of JFS students in the annual Poland educational visit. These are excerpts from an article written by a child who took part in that visit.