Shem Olam Faith & the Holocaust Institute for Education, Documentation & Research

print

Student Trips Overseas

The majority of the participants to the trip to Poland are high school pupils. Shem Olam is involved in this procedure in several ways. However, there is also the question of whether this is in fact the correct age and stage in life to embark on such a journey. Shem Olam believes that the trip to Poland is more beneficial at a later stage, preferably when the students are in university and college - with a capacity for in depth learning and better equipped with a desire for knowledge and emotional maturity and a desire to inquire/query and reflect.

For the past number of years Shem Olam has run a joint project with the "Nefesh Yehudi" organization which sends out as many as 2000 students a year on weekly trips to Poland.

These trips are in conjunction with different student associations or with active student bodies working on campuses.

The students undergo suitable preparation in Shem Olam. A fascinating program has been set up including Jewish history from the years of prosperity to the years of decline in the Holocaust. The trip which follows combines knowledge, insight, depth and sentiment/emotion. Much time is dedicated on the trip to fundamental issues such as the nature of Good and Evil ,Faith, the capacity to give , values etc.

It seems these trips start a process which will eventually result in students returning to Israel as students about to embark on life's challenges, after having been enriched with a scale of moral and spiritual values. Moreover, the majority develop a sense of duty and a desire to be more socially committed. This process continues after returning to Israel with a series of meetings and a variety of activities + travel to communities and other historical sight- seeing tours.

Concurrently, there are also half week seminars in different communities around the world.