Through the Eyes of Children: Poland during the Holocaust and Today | A trip not about touring, but connecting - connecting to history, connecting to people, and understanding that each one of us has the power to make a difference.
Children experienced the Holocaust in a unique way. Some had their identities changed and lived with new families, others became the young providers for sick parents and siblings. 1.5 million children were killed in the Holocaust. Amidst the tumultuous landscape, children still created adventure, experienced the ups and downs of friendship and love, and some even wrote it all down for future generations to serve as witnesses to their tenacity, creativity, and spirit.
"I would enthusiastically recommend this program. I believe that nowhere else would a traveler get the experiences that you provided." - Traveler, 2018
Trip includes: Warsaw, Warsaw Zoo, Treblinka, Tykocin (where we will help restore a Jewish cemetery), Bialystok, Krakow, Schindler's Factory, Auschwitz-Birkenau; meetings with a survivor, rescuer, and local educators and students; and Shabbat dinner in Krakow.
Flyer (PDF)
"I would definitely recommend this trip to others. Absolutely. The trip gave me a much needed moral clarity about what matters in the world, in politics, and in human relations." - 2018 Traveler
Itinerary (subject to change)
DAY 1, Saturday, July 4 - Arrive Warsaw | Meet group, Welcome Dinner, optional evening walking tour
DAY 2, Sunday, July 5 - Warsaw | Warsaw Ghetto, POLIN Museum
DAY 3, Monday, July 6 - Warsaw to Bialystok by bus | Treblinka, meet with rescuers - Righteous Among Nations, Overnight in Bialystok
DAY 4, Tuesday, July 7 - Bialystok | Visit Tykocin, volunteer work to maintain Jewish cemetery; tour provided by local students
DAY 5, Wednesday, July 8 - Bialystok to Krakow by train | Tour Krakow Jewish heritage sites; visit Galicia Jewish Museum, Schindler’s Factory
DAY 6, Thursday, July 9 - Krakow | Kazimierz District; afternoon visit to Auschwitz
DAY 7, Friday, July 10 - Krakow | Morning visit to Birkenau, lunch at the Oswiecim Jewish Center. Optional afternoon walking tour in Krakow. Closing dinner with live Klezmer music.
DAY 8, Saturday, July 11 - Depart Krakow
This trip is geared toward those who want an in-depth and meaningful experience with other open-minded travelers. Pre-reading materials will be suggested, and a pre-trip meeting will be held in Seattle in late May. For those researching and exploring their own family histories, we are happy to help make suggestions or connections. Clock hours are provided for Washington State teachers. Custom extensions are available. Please note: Each day’s schedule is quite full. Please consider extending your trip if you want more personal exploratory time. This trip includes a significant amount of walking.
Costs
$2995 (per person, double occupancy) | Single room supplement: $590
$500 deposit is due upon application.The deposit will be applied to the payment balance. Payment due in full May 1, 2020. Costs are based on a group size of 15 and include: accommodation in 4- and 5-star hotels, breakfast daily, 4 lunches, 3 dinners, land transportation, all guides, and entry fees. Cost does not include airfare.
Scholarships for Teachers - To apply for scholarship funds, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To be eligible, you must currently be teaching in a classroom. Scholarships range from $500-$1000. Deadline for scholarship application - January 1, 2020.
Questions? Email Ilana Cone Kennedy, Director of Education at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
APPLY NOW
Deadline for application: February 1, 2020.
From past travelers:
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this experience. I didn't know what to expect at the beginning but I know I could never have asked for a better experience."
"The experience was once in a lifetime and the information was so in depth!"
"I am blown away by the experience I had between the people I met, the tour guides we were lucky enough to have, as well as the opportunities for seeing what tourists don't get to see."
"I'm still processing all the information we received. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. Thank you!"
"The meaning and depth of emotion and learning with both head and heart seems to increase as time passes and I contemplate all I experienced."
"I never experienced a tour that was so well put together and carried out as this one."
"The trip was one of the best experiences of my life. I will never forget it."
The Holocaust Center for Humanity is excited to announce our new affinity group, Ambassadors for Change. This new cohort of young adults will help carry out the mission of the Holocaust Center through raising both funds and awareness. Group members commit to planning and attending mission-based social, educational, fundraising, professional development, and networking opportunities throughout the year.
We will be holding a Kickoff Event on November 14, 2019 from 6-8pm at Optimism Brewing. We'll provide more information, answer any questions, and walk you through the application process.
RSVP FOR THE KICKOFF EVENT
Member Eligibility and Commitment:
- Open to young adults, aged 25-40, of all backgrounds
- Application process will be open from Nov. 2019-Jan. 2020
- 12 members will be accepted for a one-year commitment
- $150 (or more) personal contribution for participation. If cost is a barrier, please contact us! We do not want to turn anyone away due to financial need.
- Members must attend at least two Holocaust Center events as an ambassador
- Meetings occur every other month at the Center, beginning Feb. 2020; During off months, there will be one optional informal social event offered to the cohort.
Have any questions? Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nov. 19, Dec. 12, or Jan. 23 | 4:00-5:00pm
WEBINAR - Holocaust Education 101: Why and How to Teach it in Washington State
Join Holocaust Center for Humanity staff for one of three live, interactive and free info sessions. We will discuss new Washington State legislation that supports Holocaust education passed earlier this year, Holocaust Center resources, and local connections to the Holocaust. Meet our Executive Director, the Education Department, and a local Holocaust survivor.
Register for Tuesday, November 19 | 4pm-5pm
Register for Thursday, December 12 | 4pm-5pm
Register for Thursday, January 23 | 4pm-5pm
Simple registration and log-in with Zoom!
Open to all: teachers, administrators, and parents are welcome.
Questions? Contact Julia: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We are in this together. Find out what you can do.
This interactive, discussion-based program engages participants by examining connections between historic and contemporary antisemitism, addressing current events, and providing practical tools for responding to antisemitism and hate in our society.
"Confronting Antisemitism and Intolerance" is a single 3-hour course.
Stay tuned for upcoming 2020 dates!
Location: Henry and Sandra Friedman Holocaust Center for Humanity, Seattle
Free | Registration Required (no walk-ins) | Dinner provided | Space is limited | Participants commit to attending for the duration of the class | 3 clock hours are available for teachers
Classes run from 4:30pm - 7:30pm.
Questions? Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Funding for Confronting Antisemitism and Intolerance: A Program for the Community was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
"I believe very strongly this is the most hopeful place in the city." - Local Holocaust Survivor Steve Adler
Finding Light in the Darkness - Through stories and artifacts of Washington State Holocaust survivors, the museum’s exhibit engages visitors in this history and challenges them to consider how each person’s actions make a difference.
Visitors to the Holocaust Center can take a Virtual Reality tour of the Anne Frank annex, interact with embedded testimony screens that feature survivors and stories of coming to Seattle, explore artifacts that bring history to life, and learn about local students who are upstanders in their schools and communities.
Open Wednesdays and Sundays | 10am - 4pm
Group Tours & Field Trips by appointment every day except Saturday
At the Henry and Sandra Friedman Holocaust Center for Humanity | 2045 2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
At the entrance to the Holocaust Center for Humanity are photos of children who experienced the Holocaust. All are survivors who later moved to the Seattle region, with the exception of one. Come visit and learn more about the stories. Photo by Alan Berner, Seattle Times staff photographer.
A bookcase opens to reveal a photograph of the stairs leading to Anne Frank's hiding place in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. Explore this feature and learn more about Anne Frank when you visit the Holocaust Center. Photo by Alan Berner, Seattle Times staff photographer.
A memorial to the 6 million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust and the millions of other victims invites visitors to leave notes, prayers and wishes at the Holocaust Center. Photo by Alan Berner, Seattle Times staff photographer.
Train tracks at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland at the Holocaust Center for Humanity. Designed by architects Olson Kundig. Photo by Stefanie Felix.
This exhibit was supported, in part, by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax and The State of Washington.
A Historic Evening with Eva Schloss, Stepsister of Anne Frank
November 5, 2019 7:00 PM | Husky Union Building at University of Washington, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle
Join the University of Washington's Chabad student group for an opportunity to hear the story of noted speaker and author, Eva Schloss, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor and stepsister of Anne Frank. Eva will be joined on stage by University of Washington President, Ana Mari Cauce, who will lead the conversation. Eva will be traveling here from London to provide a face-to-face encounter with someone who represents fortitude, positivity, courage against all odds, and many more values that are priceless in today's society. Purchase Tickets | More info: Facebook Event
