Stevens Point Area Senior High 2023 - Poland

A PEOPLE DESTROYED, A PEOPLE REMEMBERED: REMEMBERING THE JEWS OF POLAND

Before World War II there were 3.3 million Jews in Poland, making up ten percent of the population. Ninety percent of those people were murdered during the Holocaust, and the rich tapestry of Jewish life in Poland was destroyed. With so few Jews left in Poland, and with communism making Jewish topics taboo, very little Jewish remembrance was done until after 1989. In Poland—a country that’s overwhelmingly Catholic—there are hundreds of non-Jewish Poles who are remembering their former neighbors in a variety of ways, including through: the arts, museum work, guiding, academia, and grassroots projects.

In July 2023, join Discovery Expeditions and Bridge To Poland on a journey to Poland. You will learn about the Jewish community of Poland, how it flourished, how it was destroyed, and how it is being remembered today.

Your Tour Director will be Leora Tec, an expert in Rescue of Memory in Poland. Leora has carefully curated an experience for Stevens Point Area Senior High students and chaperones that will immerse you in the history and peel back the curtain on the memory work being done today. As you get to know Poland and Poles, you will have an opportunity to ask difficult questions, such as:

• Who bears responsibility for remembrance of a people who were virtually wiped out?
• What forms can remembrance take?
• How do Polish people today grapple with history?

In addition to these important questions and others, participants will be introduced to Poland, its land, its cuisine, and its people.

Leora Tec’s deep connections to her colleagues and friends in Poland serve to create the intimate learning experience that is the hallmark of Bridge To Poland trips. A safe space is created to grapple with the questions, which are often more important than the answers.

Traveling with Discovery Expeditions means putting yourself in the hands of experts with over 20 years of experience in the field of educational tourism. We take care of the details so don’t have to!

Join us in July 2023 for an unforgettable journey.