EMET’s Second Annual Poland Trip: Emotions, Growth, and Nonstop Inspiration

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Earlier this month, EMET Outreach held its second exclusive trip to Eastern Europe. It was a life-changing experience for each of the thirty-seven students from Baruch College, Stony Brook University, and Queens College who participated.

This trip is not a vacation by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it merely a history lesson. Described by many as an “emotional roller coaster”, it’s strategically crafted to instill in students a deep appreciation of their heritage, and give them a profound sense of purpose as Jews. Destinations are chosen to give students an emotionally charged experience, and while they travel, staff and students engage in discussions to decompress and internalize what they’ve seen.

Led by EMET’s Co-Founder Rabbi Mordechai Kraft, Campus Director Rabbi Reuven Kigel, and the popular Rabbi Dovid Delman, students explored their heritage, discovered rich Jewish historical sites, and witnessed the sites of tragedies experienced by millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

Morgan, a student from EMET’s Stony Brook program, said, “The point of the trip was to learn about my Jewish heritage and to learn in-depth about the Holocaust. I knew that I would be learning things that were never taught to me in school and I was very excited to visit the sites and get the feeling of being in someone else’s shoes who went through the tragic event. What I didn’t know I would be getting out of it would be the pride I feel to be Jewish and the privilege I feel to even be alive today.”

Another student who attended the trip, Esther, described her trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau. “On Friday, my EMET family and I walked through gates that read “Arbeit Macht Frei”, Work makes you free. Yet, there was no work. There was no freedom. There was just death. After hours of trudging through agonizing horrors, 44 young Jews walked out, somehow feeling more alive than ever. We took our flag, grabbed each other’s hands, and danced with a rollercoaster of emotions. We sang “Am Yisrael Chai”— the Nation of Israel lives.”

Staff and students were joined by Elisha and Leah Wellerstein, strong supporters of EMET’s mission and work. Elisha described the incredible growth he witnessed by students. “Many have taken on higher levels of commitment. Some will attend yeshiva, others have committed to marry a Jew, started davening, saying tehillim, or putting on tefillin. The trip was such a success.”

Celebration amidst tragedy

While visiting Auschwitz, the group came across a Holocaust survivor in his eighties. Tragically, he’d been taken to the camps at age twelve, and never celebrated his bar mitzvah. They spent Shabbos together, and sang and danced with him as a belated bar mitzvah celebration. It was truly a glorious event which encapsulated the emotions experienced throughout the week.

Elisha said that the entire group was inspired on many levels. “One big theme was that as Jews, we should not just be candles, we should be bonfires. That theme played out throughout the trip, as we visited graves of tzaddikim and other holy sites, which inspired all of us that we can do more.”

He says that he appreciates more than ever how fortunate we are these days. “We take for granted the freedom we have as Jews today. The people who died [in the Holocaust] would have given everything up to have the choices we have. We should really treasure these choices and make the right ones.”

This year’s EMET Fellowship has been generously dedicated in memory of Mary Libby Schwartz a”h. Throughout her life, Libby was extremely dedicated to education. It’s a great z’chut for her neshama that through support so many Jewish students have been able to become educated about their heritage and discover their history in a way that inspires lasting growth.

Following the excitement of this trip, a second highly anticipated trip will take place in August for 40 students, primarily members of EMET’s flagship Fellowship program in Forest Hills.