Poland 2019: 7/2/19 blog by Emma Stewart
After a good night’s rest and a filling breakfast, we headed out on the bus. We started today by seeing some of the remaining parts of the ghetto wall and street. We stood on the actual cobblestone of the ghetto streets. It was an odd feeling, standing on those streets. It almost felt as if […]
Poland 2019: 7/1/19 blog by Emma Stewart
The rest of our group landed this morning and we met them at Warsaw’s Jewish cemetery. We talked about how this cemetery is one of the happier Jewish historical sites, because many of those buried there died before the war. However, like every site in Poland, the war left its mark on the cemetery. We […]
Poland 2019: 6/30/19 blog by Emma Stewart
Most of the group comes to Poland tomorrow morning, but those of us who were here already had a great time getting to know about Warsaw and its Jewish Community. First, we went to the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. It was the second monument of its kind and was built right in front of […]
Greece 2019: 6/26/19 blog by John Frasca
Our amazing, insightful trip has come to an end, but the stories we heard are coming home with us. We finished our last day in Athens outside the Panathenaic Stadium—the site of the first modern Olympic Games. The stadium helps manifest the pride Greeks have in their country, and this 19th century site ignited a […]
Greece 2019: 6/24/19 blog by Shawn Whelan
Today we saw the continuation of the idea from Avi – the absence of presence and the presence of absence – during our visit to the synagogue at Veria when we saw a whole Jewish community vanished in the Holocaust. On our trip to Poland, the cataclysm was extremely visible and immediate. One cannot even […]
Greece 2019: 6/23/19 blog by Alyssa Betz
As an educator who has the heavy responsibility of teaching genocide to middle schoolers, I’ve spent countless hours reading books and collecting resources and pictures about the history of the Holocaust. I’ve spent a significant amount of time looking at pictures of cattle cars or cargo cars used for transporting Jewish persons from various countries […]
Greece 2019: 6/23/19 blog by Nancy Aloi
The Train Station In silence We walk toward the tracks A brief memorial tribute at the train station We hear the words of victims Songs are offered like prayers What a goodly thing If the children of the world Could dwell together In peace The words are more poignant More painful Somewhere over the Rainbow […]
Greece 2019: 6/22/19 blog by Jim Lucot
I have found reinforcement to one of the themes of my 20th Century United States History course that WW II impacted and changed our country more so than any other event in its history. The economic, political, military and cultural changes that were direct results from the outcome of World War II are and continue […]
Greece 2019: 6/21/19 blog by Jessica Yates
Sharing Stories to Build Community As we approach the halfway point of this revelatory journey, the camaraderie of our group continues to solidify. This morning’s four hour bus ride was quickly elevated to a teacher-to-teacher bonding experience, complete with college lectures, sing-alongs, and genuine human connections. The emotional honesty of community members in Volos, Ioannina, […]