“I’m so glad that I was privileged to visit Poland for the first time on a trip like this, where I learned so much about the other side of the story and had the opportunity to meet such a caring part of Polish society” said one of the participants of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) study visit to Poland organized in partnership with the Forum in July 2018. Emphasizing the educational aspect of the visit, she appreciated the opportunity to meet and bond with people in Poland who in various ways care about Jewish heritage and memory. The week-long stay was very intense, including meetings with important representatives of the Jewish community in Warsaw and Krakow as well as important representatives of Polish authorities and public figures, including Anna Azari, Ambassador of Israel to Poland, and Ryszard Schnepf, former Ambassador of Poland to the USA. The group had in-depth site visits to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, the Grodzka Gate – NN Theater in Lublin, the Belzec Museum and memorial, the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in Markowa, and the Memorial And Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as guided tours of Warsaw and Krakow Jewish sites. The AJC delegates also met with Polish alumni of the Polish/Jewish Exchange Program and had a moving Shabbat dinner at the Krakow JCC.
We would like to thank Polish Friends of the Forum for supporting the AJC group’s visit to Poland.
