Two Jewish Elon students traveled to Poland with Chabad on Campus over spring break to explore their past and be inspired to shape their future.
Julia Feber ‘28 and Olivia Edelstein ‘28 traveled to Poland to experience an eye-opening and life-changing immersive journey traversing through cemeteries, death camps, ghettos, and other vestiges of Jewish life and loss.
The Living Links trip is organized and led by Chabad on Campus International and brings students from across US colleges and universities together.
This past spring break, two Elon Jewish student members of Chabad at Elon had the privilege of joining this life-changing trip.
Throughout the journey, Feber and Edelstein visited multiple sites around Poland, including the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery and Ghetto, Majdanek Concentration Camp, Sbilatowska Gora Children’s Forest, Sobibor Extermination Camp and locations around Auschwitz.
Participants heard stories of those who lost their lives and saw firsthand the locations where so many horrific acts took place. But it wasn’t all sad.
They also visited former synagogues, Jewish academies and danced together and rejoiced.
While in Auschwitz, participants heard a Holocaust survivor share their story while seeing the very places they were speaking about in real-time.
“So many walked through those gates never to leave – but we walked out, singing, because the Jewish people are still here. We are strong, we are proud, and we will never be silenced,” said Feber.
While students may learn about the Holocaust in academic environments, nothing can compare to seeing cemeteries, death camps and ghettos in person. By learning about the past, Feber and Edelstein were able to reflect on the past and become even more empowered to strengthen their Jewish identities.
“This trip inspired me to feel more proud than ever that I am a Jew, it made me feel emotions I have never felt before,” said Edelstein. “But most importantly, it reminded me that I am blessed to be alive as well as every Jew in the world who will carry on the legacy of coming out of tragedy, to never forget and continuing to stand strong together every day of our lives.”
Students left this trip inspired to be proud Jews and bring more light into the world.
“I want to thank everyone who made this journey possible, for teaching me what it means to be Jewish, for helping me reconnect with my culture and for giving me the responsibility of being a living link to our history,” Feber said.