The Lucky Ones – By Elizabeth Chappell
As we get off the bus and use the restrooms, I look around to make sure I have the kids that I’ve considered mine all week. They aren’t mine of course, but they have become mine this week. They’re calling me “Trip Mom” and I’ve been keeping an eye on them making sure they’re comforted, […]
Auschwitz Reflection – By Lacey Horvat
At first, when you enter Auschwitz, it does not feel real. The images are too familiar: the gate, the railway tracks, the brick buildings, the barbed wire. They have been reproduced so often in films, documentaries, textbooks, and photographs that some part of your mind recognizes them before you can comprehend where you are. You […]
June 26, House 88 – By Robin Sweeting
The house stands at 88 Legionów Street in Oświęcim, just on the other side of the camp’s walls. It is the former home of Rudolf Hoss, the commandant of Auschwitz I. From the garden, the family could see the camp where more than a million people were murdered. The house depicts the contrast between the […]
The Importance of Public Art and Discussions of Interpreting – By Malia Tschantz
As we visited the Ghetto of Heroes Square today in the heart of Krakow, I was reminded of the valuable assets of public art. We often think of art as something displayed on a wall, created in a classroom, or on exhibit in a museum. Walking between the space of 70 chairs brought a realization […]
Marching Down Freedom’s Road: The Importance of Love and Reconciliation
by Haley Landolina As a participant in an experience like Marching Down Freedom’s Road, it’s easy to feel inundated with information. Each day is packed with experiences that can’t be replicated: walking through numerous museums, standing in the exact places Civil Rights leaders stood, visiting memorials and gravesites, contemplating heartbreaking art and personal testimonies. As […]
Marching Down Freedom’s Road: Faces
by Kayleigh Gaborek Anguished, Distressed, Weeping, “Gone! All gone! Why don’t God kill me?” Frightened, Confused, Praying, “Lord, how come me here? Thou wish, I never was born” Wounded, Wrapped, Bleeding, “I’m only 15 and fearing for my life” Tired, Determined, Defying, “Why do you push us around?” Motivated, Blessed, Singing, “We Shall Overcome” Loved, […]
Marching Down Freedom’s Road: A Message of Hope, Resilience, and Courage
by Vada Epps Today was a day I will never forget, I had the opportunity to listen to Carolyn McKinstry speak, and it was an experience I will not forget. Her words carried the weight of history, but they also offered a message of hope, resilience, and courage. As a survivor of the tragic 1963 bombing of […]
Krakow Jewish Quarter – By Indie
Our tours of three of the seven synagogues in Krakow, our lecture with Jonathan Ornstein, and our walk around the Krakow Ghetto serves as a reminder to do something rather than just simply observe. Jonathan told us that around 90% of the Jews in Krakow died during the Holocaust. This fact will probably remain with […]
Majdanek – By Peyton
Majdanek is not a word heard very often when discussing the Holocaust and camps. I did not learn about Majdanek until my teacher went on the trip and brought his story back. But, even though it is not talked about as much as Auschwitz or Treblinka, it still makes and made an intense impact. The […]