A trip to Poland is an extremely special opportunity for most American Jews. None of my family or friends have had the amazing opportunity to travel to Poland. Before I even left for Poland I felt that I had a responsibility going to such a meaningful country. Since so few people have the chance to visit Poland and learn about life before, during, and after the Holocaust first-hand, I feel I must help educate those who can’t go. I must share my experiences of learning about the Shoah by visiting the places where it actually happened. My expectations for Poland were very high. Although our trip was mainly focused on the Holocaust, much of my time in Poland was spent learning about pre-war Jewry and the modern Jewish community in Poland. Learning about pre and post-war Jewry enhanced my knowledge of the Holocaust and made the trip a lot more meaningful for me. Before leaving, I learned a lot about the Holocaust just like most teens do but in a classroom. Not only did this help me understand what I was going to see in Poland but made me realize how special it is to see and learn about the Shoah first-hand.

It was very hard for me to emotionally prepare for this trip because I did not fully know what to expect. I do not know anyone who has gone and have only seen a few pictures of what the concentration camps look like today. I did know that I was very excited and anxious to start exploring, learning and fulfilling my responsibility as a Jew visiting Poland. My trip to Poland was an amazing journey where I traveled through my ancestors past. My time spent in Poland will change my life and Jewish identity forever. I learned so much about my family’s past during the time of WW2 and the hardships that they went through. This trip taught me so many important things. The first is that I am extremely lucky to able to practice Judaism so freely in such a big, Jewish community. I have so many Jewish friends in which I met through my many Jewish communities like my synagogue and USY (United Synagogue Youth). Traveling to so many places in Poland where being Jewish and practicing Judaism openly was a death penalty, made me understand how lucky I am to be living in a generation and in a country that accepts Jews and I can practice Judaism openly and freely with almost no worries.

I feel the most important thing to draw from such a meaningful trip like this, is how this trip really influenced me. I feel that this trip mainly influenced my Jewish identity and Jewish lifestyle. Now, everything that I do that is Jewish, I will do with pride for all of those who can’t. For all of the young kids, that got their lived cut short. Every Jewish practice that I take part in, I will always also be doing it for the estimated 1.5 million children that were killed in the Shoah and the overall 6 million innocent Jewish lives that were taken. I will also not take for granted all of the Judaic practices that I do and the communities that I take part in. Since I now realize how lucky I am to be able to practice Judaism freely, I will not take for granted the Jewish practices, and communities that I take part in and belong in.

The other question that I feel is very important to ask after a trip to Poland is, “What are your personal takeaways and conclusions?” I feel the most important takeaway from this trip, is the realization that I now have a Jewish Responsibility. This responsibility will grow with me as I continue to discover the world of Judaism and my Jewish identity. But, it starts here, after this amazing and impactful trip. I now know that I have a responsibility to spread my first-hand experiences seeing, and standing where the horrors of the Holocaust really happened. I need to inform others that don’t have the chance to travel to Poland or really learn about the Shoah as in-depth as I did. I feel that if every Jew that travels to Poland, takes part in their “Jewish Responsibility” we can make sure that stories of the survivors will live on, the horrors of the Holocaust will never die out, and something like this will never happen again. I also feel it is my responsibility to inform others about the pre-war and post-war Jewry. Everyone only hears and visits sites about the Shoah when they travel to Poland. I was lucky enough to spend a whole week there and be able to see what the thriving Jewish community was like before the war, and what the small but mighty Jewish community is like now in modern Poland. I feel that if I can spread my knowledge on the pre- and post-war Jewish communities, then that will help me fulfill the Jewish Responsibility and help others understand the Holocaust better. All in all, this trip has definitely been life changing and has shaped my Jewish identity by exposing me to my ever growing “Jewish Responsibility.”