In Jewish life and tradition, we hold pain and joy together. This tension lives not only in our rituals, but in the structure of Jewish time, where it is deeply tied to the modern story of Israel. We observe Yom HaShoah, then Yom HaZikaron, and then Yom Ha’atzmaut in close succession, a sequence that reminds us Jewish joy does not replace grief but lives alongside it.
Last week, our Gann students traveled to Poland alongside some of our faculty members. Each year, this trip invites our 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students to move beyond learning history to really feeling its weight and to begin understanding the legacy they now carry forward. Here is an overview of their trip with some deeply thoughtful insights and quotes from students:
The program began at the Polin Museum where students began learning about the 850-year history of Jewish life in Poland. From there, they visited Okopowa Cemetery (founded in 1806) which is one of the longest surviving Jewish cemeteries in Europe. The former director walked them through the grounds and students asked questions such as, “How do non-Jews in Poland feel about Holocaust trips like ours?” and “What is the standard Polish curriculum regarding Holocaust education?” to continue their exploration of pre-Shoah Poland.
The next day, the Gann group met with Konstanty Gebert, a journalist and former dissident, who spoke about Jewish life in Poland and the students worked through difficult and essential conversations about Jewish identity, memory, and civic responsibility. A highlight was gathering for morning prayers at the Nożyk Synagogue – this is the only active pre-war synagogue in Warsaw. A teacher chaperone reflected that “praying there on Rosh Chodesh reinforced a central theme of this journey: Jewish life in Poland is not only a story of destruction, but also of continuity and presence.”
A walking study of the Warsaw Ghetto followed, and students encountered it not as distant history but as something tangible. As they traced the Ghetto Heroes Trail and learned about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, students grappled with stories of leadership and moral courage under unimaginable conditions. They concluded at Umschlagplatz, the deportation site, where Rabbi Aaron Philmus led the group in singing “Ani Ma’amin” – a moment that we can only imagine was full of a sense of profound loss along but also deep feelings of peoplehood and connection. It’s no surprise that the students were said to have “processed the day with seriousness and openness.”
Day 4 offered students an opportunity to meet Polish students teens they had connected with virtually during their Poland preparation. Cole shared, “The school was extremely welcoming, and we quickly made friends with the students, sharing stories, language, and jokes. Shortly after our laughter echoed through the school halls, we made our way to the Jewish cemetery passing through the town center and their castle along the way.” In one of the more striking transitions of the trip, students went from happy connection to a feeling of devastating emptiness and loss.
Sophie described the open plot of land with barbed wire, wooden houses, and a watchtower. She shared, “The only time I felt like I could speak was when I shared about my great grandma Pola… it was difficult to get the words out. I wanted to run out of the camp yet found it difficult to peel my eyes away as we were riding the bus away. It was a difficult, emotional experience.”
In the late afternoon, they traveled to Kraśnik. Jordana shared, “Right as we walked in, we saw the “Ma Tovu” prayer written on the wall and sang it together. We then ventured into the actual davening room and saw beautiful paintings of the Ten Commandments as well as other biblical images. We entered the completely dark second building and circled around the bima lighting candles, singing a few slower songs, dancing to a faster one, and we ended with davening Maariv.. It was such a divine moment and perfectly showed the family that is Am Yisrael as well as was a great end to a day filled with so much sadness and evil.”
In Lublin, the group studied some Daf Yomi text – in that very place where Daf Yomi actually began. To continue their religious exploration of the area, they drove to Leżajsk to visit the Ohel of Rabbi Elimelech where they learned about his life and legacy and had a joyful tisch filled with stories and songs.
From there, they traveled to Auschwitz II–Birkenau, a landmark part of the Poland journey that feels hauntingly familiar through the pictures and stories – but for our Gann group, was a visceral experience that’s best described by the students themselves. For Avery J., “The first thing I felt was fear when staring at the gate. When we walked in, I noticed that there were no birds at all. At Majdanek, I saw birds flying over the camp, but at Auschwitz, it was quiet except for the wind and the people who were around us. After going to Auschwitz, I felt a sense of completion and relief as we walked out hand in hand.”
In the barracks, Maddy S. shared a deeply personal story about her family who perished there. She later reflected: “Today I was given an opportunity no one in my family has had before; to walk out of Auschwitz Birkenau alive. While there, I was able to tell the story of my great great uncle and grandmother, to speak their names and to remember them as people, not prisoners, for the first time in 82 years… The sentence ‘this is our victory’ was one repeated throughout our visit to Auschwitz, and as I stood outside, I felt the truth that claim holds. Knowing that I am the first of my lineage to walk out alive and knowing that I will continue to tell these names and stories, knowing that I, and others, will continue to remember, the Jewish people live on, and that is our victory.”
Just as the days and locations have been compressed here in this summary, so too have the stunning insights from our Gann students. Their journey through Poland was filled with somber and searing moments, enduring questions around identity and survival, and stark reminders that modern day Poland never returned as a Jewish center. It also featured life-affirming conversations with fellow Jews as well as non-Jews who have dedicated their lives to preserving the memory of our fallen ancestors. There were songs and prayers recited by the group that no doubt took on dimensions of meaning that won’t be forgotten. From kosher meals enjoyed together to friendships strengthened through emotional confrontation of our shared past, the Gann Poland trip remains a central capstone to the curriculum and a jumping off place for a lifetime of reflection and re-dedication to strengthening the Jewish people here and abroad.
Thank you to our chaperones for their tireless dedication, to our students for their remarkable maturity and insightfulness, and to everyone involved in this trip.
