YCDSB - The Holocaust in History and Living Memory

Today, we participated in a communism tour of Nowa Huta, a district of Krakow built as a gift to the Polish people by the Soviets. We learned of the lifestyle of those is communist Poland, rode ...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/nowa-huta-july-24th.html

Today we started off our day with a visit to St. Pope John Paul II’s birthplace in Wadowice, Poland, and then onto the mountain resort town of Zakopane. In both places I had a lot of fun tr...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/today-we-startedoff-our-day-with-visit.html

I have read books, seen pictures, and watched documentaries. I have experienced the shock of seeing the horrors of the Holocaust in photos and films, yet all the emotions I felt during those tim...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/auschwitz-july-21st.html

Today was a sunny and enjoyable day. In all honesty, it was pretty relaxing compared to the past couple of days. PG15 took to the streets of Krakow and we visited many stunning sights during a w...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/walking-tour-of-krakow-july-20.html

I have seen pictures on the Internet. I have read books upon books. But nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed today at the Majdanek, the former concentration and death camp, locate...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/majdanek-july-19th.html

Today we witnessed Treblinka, a once nightmarish locale plagued by the horrors of the Holocaust.  When we first arrived at the former camp, however, we were greeted with a lovely scene of tree...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/treblinka-july-18th_28.html

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews thoroughly taught me about the lives of Polish Jews, and their treatment over many centuries. Before our visit I had a general understanding of how the J...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-museum-of-history-of-polish-jews.html

       We ended our day learning about Jewish heritage in Warsaw, by visiting the Nozyk Synagogue for Friday Shabbat service. The synagogue survived the Holocaust and the war because it was ...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/shabbat-service-july-17th.html

DR. JANUSZ KORCZAK One of the sites we visited today was the Jewish Cemetery.  Here, we saw a statue of Dr. Korczak.  Seeing this statue reminded me of his heroic story, refusing to let orph...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/jewish-heritage-tour-in-warsaw-july-17th.html

Today, on our bus ride from Berlin to Warsaw, we watched a movie called, The Pianist. This holocaust-related movie takes a realistic and grim view of the time in history our course is focu...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/warsaw-experience-july-16th.html

In all honesty I had no idea on what I should have expected for today. All that I knew was that we would be going on an excursion to Ravensbruck, the site of a concentration camp for women and c...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/ravensbruck-july-15th.html

Following our visit to the Haus of the Wannsee Conference, we headed to the Jewish Museum Berlin where we participated in workshops titled: Jewish Life and Traditions and The Jewish Response to N...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/jewish-museum-berlin-july-14.html

Beginning on May 9, 2015 twenty five students from the York Catholic District School Board enrolled in a two-credit experiential learning experience to learn about the Holocaust and the lessons humanity must learn from the past. Students engage in literary works, media assignments, historical documentation, and a two-week field study to Germany and Poland to expand on their understanding of genocide and to carry out a mission of bearing witness. Here are some of our students' reflections:

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/reflection-at-ravensbruck.html

Today we had the opportunity to explore several historical sights in Berlin, and were encouraged to reflect on our own thoughts and expand our knowledge. Our lengthy day began at the location of...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-haus-of-wannsee-conference-and.html

Our first full day in Berlin began with a group visit to The Topography of Terror.  This documentation centre sits on the land where the Headquarters for the Secret State Police and the Reich S...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-13-berlin.html

Hallo aus Berlin! After traveling across the Atlantic, we arrived in Berlin ready for our walking tour.  Jacob M and Daniel P will be reflecting on their experiences learning from our two awes...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/willkommen-in-berlin-july-12.html

Max Eisen Journal Reflection Having the opportunity to listen to Max Eisen’s testimony was truly inspiring. The amount of devastation he had experienced brought up so many emotions within m...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/bearing-witness-to-max-eisen-july-7_12.html

     Today, I had the great fortune of hearing a speech from highly respected, Max Eisen. Max, a Holocaust survivor and educator, shared his amazing and heart wrenching story to us of his exp...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/bearing-witness-to-max-eisen-july-7.html

Today students continued their study of the Holocaust, preparing for English seminars based on the different literary works being read, IDP prayer services that will bring our community together ...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/tuesday-july-7.html

Today begins the intensive preparation for our field study and in-depth experience of the events that took place in Germany and Poland over 70 years ago.  Those events have shaped the present fo...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/monday-july-6.html

Starting to understand that our greatest mission is to bear witness Building community around the YCDSB's Holocaust Education Week piece On May 9, May 23, and June 6 students and te...

http://ycdsb-hhlm-pg15.blogspot.com/2015/07/early-classes.html