My Promise by Hallie Leach
Their names are listed on the wall or on stones in the ground, on memorials or written in books. In the silence, you can hear their screams for justice, for peace. Their stories are seared into my memory and inscribed upon my heart. I cannot promise them the justice they deserve, but I can and […]
Terezín and Lidice by Elizabeth Weiden Philipbar
When I first applied for the CWB Vienna- Prague 2023 teacher study tour, I wrote how I hoped we would be able to travel to Lidice, knowing that it was within driving distance of Prague and Terezín, places that were confirmed destinations for us. The massacre at Lidice on 9 and 10 June, 1942, was […]
Written Words by Alison Doyle-Hoover
As an English teacher, I deeply value books and the written word. Books teach us about people and things we may not otherwise ever be able to encounter. Today, standing in the Strahov Monastery Library (an experience only possible with CWB), I was again reminded of this. There are some 280,000 books in the library, […]
Arrival Prague by Dr. Josh Andy
After an afternoon in Česky Krumlov, we arrived in Prague. It’s been ten years since I first studied with CWB here and 20 years since I first visited as a graduate student. As a few teachers and I walked along the river and meandered through the Old Town and Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, we looked […]
“Vienna’s Echoes: A Journey through Holocaust History”
In Vienna’s heart, a tragic tale unfolds,A chapter etched in history’s pages, untold.Amidst the grandeur of its streets so fair,Lies a sorrowful past, a burden to bear. Once a hub of culture, vibrant and alive,Vienna, oh Vienna, where did your innocence thrive?But dark clouds gathered, casting shadows deep,As the Holocaust’s horrors took their grievous leap. […]
A reflection as we left Austria: by Meg Frank
One thing I learned that will change my teaching immediately is that Austria was not taken over but joined Germany before the war. As our guides explained, right after the war Austria was called Hitler’s first victim. Even though this wasn’t true, Austria embraced this role which allowed them to deny culpability in the mass […]
“Files and Phone Calls at the Wiesenthal Institute” by Deborah Schwarz
I snapped a photo of an exhibit that shows Simon Wiesenthal in his tweed jacket, his thick framed glasses on his desk table in front of him. The exhibit on the ground floor of the Wiesenthal Institute displays Mr. Wiesenthal surrounded by loose papers and files stacked on top of each other. He seems jovial […]
“Courage” By Kristina Rhoades
In foreign lands, where shadows did creep,Hitler’s presence cast a chilling sleep.His Eagle’s Nest, perched on high,A symbol of oppression against the sky. From its vantage point, the eagle surveyed,A nation gripped by fear, lives betrayed.Blinded by hate, Hitler’s heart aflame,He sought dominion, to tarnish their name. But in the darkness, resistance arose,Defiance kindled, courage […]
CWB Vienna Prague 7/7/23 by Elizabeth Weiden Philipbar
It has certainly been an intense day as we left Vienna to make our way towards Salzburg. Our first stop was at Hartheim Castle (Lern und Gedenkort Schloss Hartheim) one of the six euthanasia centers and the only one in Austria. Until August 1941, the center killed over 18,000 people under the T4 program who […]