Monday, October 5, 2009

The Trip to Poland

Several people have asked me about Liat's upcoming trip to Poland (she needs to be at the school in another 25.5 hours...) so I thought I would give a brief explanation.

It has become an almost standard part of the high school experience that, in their senior year, many Israeli teens go on a trip to Poland, under the authority of the Ministry of Education. They are considered part of an official Israeli delegation.

This year, the trip will last for one week and will include such sites as Warsaw, Lodz, and several death camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Majdanek. They have had many hours of preparation for the trip, including visiting several Holocaust museums here in Israel, listening to the personal stories of several Holocaust survivors, and participating in a number of activities designed to prepare them emotionally for what they will see and experience in Poland. They have been assigned books to read, and some of the students on the trip are responsible for preparing a ceremony for a specific stop on the trip (Liat and her group prepared a ceremony for Warsaw, site of the famous ghetto).

There will be, of course, a number of teachers on the trip, not to mention a security force there to protect the students. It all seems very well planned out and organized.

If you'd like to read a little bit more about the trip, go to this website and scroll down to question number 11, which deals with the trip.

4 comments:

Joansie said...

What a memorable trip this will be for Liat. It sounds like it is very well-planned which has to be reassuring to you.

stampingground said...

Thanks for explaining. This will be an education in itself. She'll be fine.

Elizabeth Delisi said...

Did I ever mention that my dad and his mom were in concentration camp in Austria during WWII? I imagine seeing those camps will be a life-changing experience for Liat.

Jill L said...

What a great experience it will be for her.