Reflection of my time in Poland while on Year Course

Reflection of my time in Poland while on Year Course

By Zeke Lehrman, Year Course 2024-2025

Standing here today, in Poland, the land of our ancestors, in the shadow of death camps, mass graves and the greatest manifestations of evil known to the 4.5 billion years of this earth, where our people were brutally enslaved, trapped and murdered. I can honestly say that this has been the most intense, and emotionally charged experience of my life—as a Jew, as a Zionist, and as a human being. The Holocaust, with its unspeakable horrors, is beyond comprehension. Every time I try to understand or rationalize the unimaginable suffering, I find myself overwhelmed, caught in a deep spiral of pain in my chest. There are no answers, no reasons that can justify such a tragedy.

But there are lessons—lessons that echo through our very existence as Jews. The Holocaust is not just a part of Jewish history, but of world history. It is a cry from the heavens—a call to us to live Jewish lives, to embody the very values that make up being a Jew- , kindness, love, gratitude and dignity. To not take any moment for granted. Moreover, on middot, a core tenet of Jewish values is that man was created in God’s image, and that each soul, each life is equivalent to a world in itself. We lost an unfathomable amount of worlds due to the precise deliberate failure and neglect of recognizing the divinity of humankind, and the sanctity of life. The Holocaust serves as the greatest reminder to treat everyone equally, and fairly – as created in the image of God, because we are all sacred. And it is this understanding that brings us here, to honor those who perished, but also to bring Jewish life back to where it once thrived.

When we sing “Acheinu” or “Hatikvah” amidst the mass graves, the camps, in the cold, standing where millions were brutally and unforgivingly robbed of the opportunity of life. We reclaim something that was taken from us. We restore Jewish life to what was once the heart of the Jewish world—our tradition, our people, our resilience. L’dor vador they say, in every generation they rise up against us and we still feel that today, with Oct 7 and skyrocketing levels of antisemitism lurking in the background. Nonetheless, It is a privilege, a profound honor, to be here, to be alive, and to continue the journeys of those who were denied.

Soon each and every one of us will get on a plane to Israel, and continue on with our years, making life long memories in the place where they so desired to. The place that they had prayed to reach for but were denied the opportunity. It is on us to make memories for them, to live because they couldn’t.


As we step back into the land of Israel tomorrow, keep in mind a name, or a story and hold that with you, understanding that we are fulfilling their individual and collective prophecies. That we get to live outwardly Jewish, and express our values, traditions and life, in Israel, in Zion.

Our takeaway is that we must ensure that it is never forgotten. We carry the responsibility to teach future generations, to educate them about the past, so that we can build a future where hatred and genocide have no place.

May we honor the memories of each life lost by living our lives with purpose and integrity, and may we never forget that it is through our continued commitment to Humanistic, and Jewish values and identities that we answer this call of history. Thank you.