KU Hillel Poland and Israel Leadership Trip 2023
Day 3 — June 7th
Written by Mimi Davis
After a long day of travel, we finally landed in Krakow, Poland. We got a much-needed night’s sleep, then in the morning we visited the Galicia museum to see the development of Jewish life in Krakow after World War II. The exhibit was emotionally heavy in its display of the disappointing and difficult times in Polish Jewish history, but also left us with hope for the amazing Jewish community currently in Krakow. Later in the day, we continued our tour of Jewish Krakow by exploring synagogues and historical sites around the city.
The next day, we spent the morning touring Auschwitz. It was indescribable to be standing in a place of such tragedy and it was a very emotional experience for all of us. We concluded our time at Auschwitz with a conversation led by Avi and Wendy acknowledging our duty always to remember this moment in history. After lunch, we visited the salt mines, which is a popular Polish tourist attraction. We learned about the significance of mining in Polish history and the impact it still has on modern Polish society. That night, we had the opportunity to go to the main square of Krakow, which is full of lively and unique restaurants and shops, to experience the vibrant community here.
The first few days on this incredible trip have been full of opportunities to be able to explore how this country full of deep rooted history has developed into a remarkable place to live for many, including the Jewish community. Talking to the Polish youth at the Jewish museum in Częstochowa has been my personal favorite part of the trip so far. Hearing from peers our age about their daily life and their perspective of Jewish tradition has been particularly informative and impactful. We also got a chance to attend a dinner with the Jewish community in Łódź where we learned their traditions and discussed how they view Zionism and the diaspora.
These jam-packed educational opportunities during the first few days of the trip have set us up for a great remainder of our time in Poland as we continue to Warsaw! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Day 6 — June 10th
Written by Kate Jacobs
On Thursday morning we woke up and ate breakfast at our hotel before we started a walking tour of the downtown Łódź Jewish Quarter. We began at a retired funeral home which is now being turned into a museum. Our guide, Milena, brought us into the Jewish cemetery where we saw the resting places of many important Jewish figures from Łódź. We learned about the Righteous Among Nations who are individuals that risked their own lives to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust. After a few days of heavy and difficult material during our tours of the concentration camps, it was refreshing to hear about non-Jewish people who fought to save us. After touring Łódź, we drove to Piotrków where we had lunch and met a few high school students. They joined us for a walking tour of the town and we learned about the ghetto that existed there during the Second World War. After a long day we boarded the bus to drive to our final Poland stop, Warsaw!
On our first morning in Warsaw, we visited the Jewish Historical Institute which is a museum that focuses on a group of individuals who saved documents during Oneg Shabbat by storing them in milk cans. Their efforts are known as The Archive. I was touched by a charcoal drawing of a little girl, sketched by her mother and saved for us to see now. After a lunch in the heart of Warsaw, we met with our guide for the day for a tour of what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto. During this tour we learned about the Warsaw Rising as well as the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We learned that the Warsaw Rising was an act of rebellion against the Nazis by non-Jewish Poles. After our tour we got ready for Shabbos at Nozyk Shul which has served Jews in Warsaw for generations. We reflected on our past week and got excited for the week to come! After services we ate dinner with some of the congregants and the Chief Rabbi of Poland which was a wonderful experience. During dinner the Rabbi shared many wise stories with us and made us feel very welcomed.
On our final day in Warsaw we got to visit the POLIN museum which uses both exhibits and architecture to tell the story of Jews in Polish history from past, present, and future. This museum was highly interactive and grabbed everyone’s attention; it was my favorite of all the museums we visited in Poland. We spent a few hours there and learned so much about the treatment of Polish Jews throughout modern history, but we could’ve spent days at this museum and still learned more! After touring the museum we headed to the Old Town in Warsaw where we got to explore the city in groups. This part of the town was bustling and full of people who were sitting in the square watching street performers, shopping, visiting churches, and there was even a wedding procession! After a few hours in the Old Town we headed to the airport for our flight to Tel Aviv!
AJC Global Forum here we come!
