SAN DIEGO (Press Release)— More than 20 high school seniors from San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA) have recently returned home after an action-packed and enriching month studying in Poland and Israel. The experiential learning program run by Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss) gave students a firsthand view of both the horrors of the Holocaust and the beauty and resilience of Israel as the country continues to rebuild after the October 7 attacks.
The first leg of the trip took place in Poland, where students learned about the rich, diverse Jewish life in the region pre-WWII, and how that population was annihilated due to the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. Arriving in the country on Yom Hashoah, the annual day when Jews worldwide commemorate the victims who perished in the Holocaust, the students visited Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Krakow, where they walked through ghettos and concentration camps, saw gas chambers, and even toured Schindler’s factory, where Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews.
“I think it was important to be at the site where everything happened because it’s a feeling you can’t experience anywhere else,” said SDJA student Emily. “Until I was standing at those concentration camps, I didn’t fully grasp everything that happened during the Holocaust. It became so much more real, and I had a new appreciation for Yom HaShoah that I couldn’t have when I was in San Diego.”
After Poland, the SDJA students traveled to Israel, where they joined the entire country and paused for a collective moment of silence on Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. One day later, the mourning seamlessly transitioned to celebration as the country observed Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. For many of the students, having these experiences back-to-back and the mix of emotions that came with them was transformative.
“It was amazing to be in Israel for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut because you can really see what the country is about,” said Mark, another SDJA student. “This is a country that is defined by going from fighting with passion to celebration and the happiness of having a state and being together as a People in our native land. Being here and seeing how many people are affected by Yom HaZikaron, how everyone knows someone who is fighting or has fought in the Israeli Defense Forces themselves…to see then how that commitment translates to a passion for the country on Yom Ha’atzmaut was really special.”
The students spent the rest of the trip traveling across Israel, learning about the country’s history and immersing themselves in its culture. The class hiked the ancient fortress of Masada and learned about the Jewish Rebellion, visited the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation, and explored the World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem, in addition to lighter activities like snorkeling in Eilat, floating in the Dead Sea, and spending time at Israeli beaches. Both the educational and recreational activities were instrumental in creating what is sure to be a lasting bond between the students and Israel.
The Poland and Israel programming was run by Muss, Jewish National Fund-USA’s premier college-prep, study abroad in Israel experience, which blends fully accredited secular classes with a unique experiential Israel studies program and provides students with the knowledge, skills, emotional resilience, and pride they need to confidently advocate for Israel and the Jewish People while on their future college campuses, even amidst surging hate and ignorance.
“I’ve spent my entire life learning about my religion and Israel,” added Mark. “Being able to connect with it in person and experiencing everything you’ve seen in pictures and textbooks is a really special experience that changes your perspective.”
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Preceding provided by JNF-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel.