“Read, record, remember. This is our responsibility.” These were the first words spoken by our spectacular guide, Betsalel Steinhart, as we began our journey through Poland for March of the Living with Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.
From the very start, Betsalel set the tone: the Shoah, he said, was like a destroyed garden, devastated beyond comprehension, but one that left deep, living roots behind.
Though the losses were massive and irreversible, those roots remain. And because they remain, we remain. We grow. We thrive.
Over the course of our week, we focused not just on death and destruction, but on life—the lives that were saved, the legacies that endure, and the communities that continue to blossom. We dug deep into the personal stories of survivors. We didn’t look away from the tragedy, but we gave even more space to the stories of resilience, survival, and hope.
Our Mission had the exceptional honor to travel with Mark Schonwetter and his beautiful extended family. One of the most moving days was when we visited the town where Mark was born. As we drove through pouring rain, he shared his story from the front of the bus. When we arrived at Mark’s childhood home, we were welcomed like celebrities: a police escort guided our bus through the narrow streets, and television crews waited to capture the reunion.
We saw his home, the very bushes where he once hid, and a memorial garden that incorporates a wall from a neighbor’s original house, lovingly built to ensure Mark’s story would not be forgotten.
We also met the descendants of the neighbors who helped Mark, his mother, and his sister survive. The connection between them all was powerful and deeply emotional.
That day brought the concept of bearing witness to a whole new level.
We celebrated this extraordinary reunion at Brzostek’s Town Hall, where they literally rolled out the red carpet for us. The people of this town have done more than just remember. They’ve restored the Jewish cemetery, built a memorial in the woods where a mass grave of 250 Jews (including Mark’s father) was discovered, and honored the reunion of Mark and his sister with those who helped them survive.
It was a day unlike any other in my life.
Throughout the trip, Betsalel often returned to one word: hope.
Because hope, he reminded us, is the most powerful tool for survival. Nowhere did that feel more true than during our visit to the JCC of Krakow, a vibrant, living expression of Jewish life in a city where nearly all of it had once been erased. As Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of the JCC, told us: “We need the good stories. This JCC is a great story.”
It truly is. Much like Field of Dreams—“build it and they will come”—this place has become a joyful center for Jewish life. They now have a preschool with 21 Jewish children and have provided essential support to over 400,000 Ukrainian refugees. The JCC is the heart of Jewish life in Krakow, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds, including many who are only just discovering their Jewish heritage.
Walking through its doors was unlike anything I could have imagined when I first pictured our time in Poland. To say I was inspired doesn’t come close to how deeply this place moved me.
Describing our day at Auschwitz as “joyful” isn’t quite right, but being there for the March of the Living—surrounded by 8,000 people from around the world, united in one voice declaring “we are still here”—was profoundly powerful. Marching through Auschwitz draped in Israeli flags was a bold act of remembrance, resilience, and defiance against anyone who ever tried to erase us.
I walked alone along the train tracks from Auschwitz to Birkenau. Police officers lined the route, facing outward, protecting us. The tracks themselves are overgrown with weeds and grass—never to be used again.
While it was disappointing that the ceremony had to be cut short due to torrential rain and lightning, there was something strangely fitting about being soaked to the skin, running through the mud to find the bus.
At least I could leave that place. So many never did.
I felt every emotion on this journey. I never expected to be crying from laughter just moments after being gutted by grief. But with the extraordinary group of people on this Mission—compassionate, present, and full of heart—I experienced it all.
My deepest thanks go to the Federation staff who worked tirelessly to make this trip happen, not only in planning but in the moment-to-moment care of every detail along the way. Thank you to Julie Rosenberg, Rebecca Pollack, and Ilyse Shainbrown for caring so deeply.
I’m not sure words or photos can ever truly capture what this journey meant to me, but I hope I’ve done it justice.