Famed Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel often said, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness,” reminding us that when the survivors are gone, it is up to the next generation to carry their voices forward. There is no more impactful and poignant way to do this than traveling to Europe to bear witness to the vibrant Jewish life of prewar Europe, the tragedies of the Holocaust, and the remnants of Jewish life that remain today.
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ has always been dedicated to supporting our educators in their efforts to teach about the Holocaust and combat antisemitism.
Through an application process, we formed a cohort of 6th through 12th grade educators from secular, day, and congregational schools along with one teacher from Ofakim, our partner community in Israel.
From December to June, the cohort met and learned together here in New Jersey. At each session we discussed ways that Holocaust Education has worked (and not worked at times) and what needs to be done to ensure that students in the next generation are able to really build a connection to learning about the Holocaust when it seems so far in the past from now.
After learning and exploring Holocaust Education themes together, we had the incredible opportunity to spend the week traveling to Berlin and Krakow to visit and study in remarkable places, where history unfolded.
The feedback from the teachers who participated in the trip reinforces why these trips are so important, and why there is nothing as impactful as making it possible for teachers to experience these historical places personally.
One of the teachers on the trip, Jenn Fraunberger, shared, “ Visiting sites of Jewish life, both past and present, provided lessons on resilience and culture, which is something I was not as familiar with and did not include as much in my current lessons. I specifically appreciated the balance between historical education and cultural exploration; walking about the Kazimierz neighborhood in Krakow and ending with Shabbat at the JCC.”
Sarah Silversten, Assistant Religious School Director at Temple B’nai Jeshurun said ” I am beyond grateful to Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ for making this possible and to our leaders and teachers who made this trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Sarah added, “What a gift to spend a week with a group of dedicated educators, learning and traveling together. Bearing witness and learning about places that we had only read about or seen pictures of is priceless. I think each of us felt a deep responsibility to take in everything we could and think about how we will use our experience to enhance our teaching. Beyond the benefits of witnessing history firsthand and gaining that unique experience, each of us left with a cohort of colleagues and friends who we can rely on and partner with to develop curricula to bring what we learned to our students for many years to come.”
Dr. Samara Grossman, another trip participant, shared how meaningful the trip was for her: “I have never been to Berlin. Seeing memorial after memorial, honoring Jewish lives, LGBTQIA+ lives, differently-abled lives, and the impact of the Cold War was intense and memorable. If you walked by, you might think it is art. If you walked by, you might not notice. But each installation taught about what was before, and the destruction of what was to come and how the systematic unraveling of a society can happen right in front of your eyes… if you walked by, you might not notice.”
For Samara, visiting Auschwitz was a profound experience. As she explained, “We have all seen the pictures. I have been to camps. I have seen the Arbeit Macht Frei (“work will make you free”). You can’t feel this in a picture. We walked the path, the steps, and then I got to the women’s barracks. These beds were not replicas; they were THE bunks. This truth comes with great responsibility to teach and learn and bear witness… you simply can’t feel it in a picture.”
Please find two reflections from educators:
What the Ground Remembers, by Ricardo J. Cristão
Reflections from Federation’s Educator Mission to Berlin and Krakow, by Jenn Fraunberger
Learn more here about our Holocaust Education Department and about future educators’ opportunities.
This trip was generously funded by the Wilf Family Foundations.