On Shabbat in the European Diaspora, with love for the Fraenkelufer Synagogue in Berlin by Ilana Goldstein
What is the greatest resistance against the forces that attempted to fully eradicate us? The most fantastic sign of resilience to the erosion of Jewish identity? Kabbalat Shabbat in a flexibly egalitarian shul in the heart of Berlin on a sweet July evening. A congregation that rewards its children for saying Kiddush with white chocolate. […]
A City Rebuilt, A Spirit Renewed by Sarah Grand
On our first day in Berlin, I found myself engaging in much more personal reflection than I expected. With a train ride from Nuremberg, a bus tour, and a group dinner being all that was on the schedule, I had prepared myself for a comparatively calm and restorative day. Upon arrival in Berlin, I found […]
Unbuilding the Reich: Lessons from Nuremberg by Naomi Grossman
On Wednesday we spent the day in Nuremberg, where the theme of the day focused on the questions that were asked after the war. First, how do we bring these war criminals to justice? Then, how do we start to move forward in a society tainted by this recent history? We started by visiting the […]
Roots and Return: Munich’s Jewish Story by Sam Resnick
Yesterday was very impactful. Specifically the synagogue. What fascinated me was the discovery of the stone that had the Ten Commandments. Some sailor discovered it while sailing on the river. I enjoyed learning that when the Jews came back to Munich after the war, it wasn’t just German Jews. It was Russian, Polish, Hungarian, and […]
A Heavy Reminder, A Deeper Resolve by Dori Tabachnick
This morning, as I awoke, the emotions from yesterday overwhelmed me like a rising tide. We visited Dachau, and I am still processing what I saw there. Today, we are traveling to Nuremberg, where the Nazi party rallies once took place. I anticipated that this journey would be emotionally challenging, given the persistent presence of […]
Reality and Denial by Robin Cooper
Yesterday on social media I encountered a Holocaust denier. He spouted ugly words on my post about Dachau, laughing at the deaths of millions of Jews. I struggle to understand how anyone can willfully reject reality on this level. The evidence is there. Anyone who truly wanted to know the truth could find it. There […]
Breaking Bread, Building Bonds by Ben Grossman
We started our first day by having the opportunity to introduce ourselves which was certainly a good ice-breaker. This was followed by our visit to Ohel Jakob Synagogue where we had our group lunch and got to know each other even more. After lunch, we had the pleasure of meeting with a representative of the […]
Layers of History: Munich’s Living Memory by Samantha Kaplan
How does a country move on after such a tragic event? Is it better to rebuild by looking to the past or by looking to the future? Those are the questions that struck me today as we had our introductions to GCU, Munich, and the Munich Jewish community. As a city, Munich chose to look […]
Storytelling as Resistance By Zach Smith
How do you stand up to hate? As an English teacher in Pittsburgh Public Schools, I watch many of my students wrestle with this question. For some, their communities have been plagued by persecution and injustice for generations. This summer I attended the Poland Personally Seminar through Classrooms Without Borders, and as a result, I’m […]