Berlin, Prague, Krakow
Understanding the Holocaust Past and Present
A group of students will travel to Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Auschwitz to explore the idea of monuments and memorials and their role in public memory. They will learn more about the Holocaust and how Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland responded in the late 20th century and early 21st century to the study of Holocaust memory, public art, and their fusion in contemporary life. Students will be introduced to the concepts in Holocaust Studies, which explore how World War II-era perpetrators, victims, and collaborators operated, who bystanders and upstanders were, and the current 21st-century spike in antisemitism and attacks on citizens.
Students will return from this trip with a deeper joy in learning, reflection, and transference of what we have experienced and seen to other issues and problems the world faces about how groups treat each other, how we remember the past, and what that texture of memory looks like.
Program Notes
- Families are responsible for transportation from Boston Logan Airport to the student’s destination for the remainder of March Break.
- During this trip, students will stay in hotels, inns, and lodges and share meals at accommodations and restaurants.
- Since this trip takes place in multiple urban areas, considerable walking will occur.
- As part of Deerfield’s commitment to face-to-face interactions, students will be “unplugged” during certain times of the trip and will not have access to cell phones.
- Students and faculty leaders will update families and friends at home through our Notes From The Field blog.
Program Dates
March 10 – March 20, 2025
Program eligibility
This program is open to all students with a preference towards those who are interested in history, contemporary issues, and memory. Financial Aid is available to all qualifying students.
Faculty Trip Leaders
John Leistler
- Julie Schloat
estimated COST: $6,000
This price is subject to change depending on enrollment numbers and flight costs. The final price will be set before initial deposits and enrollment paperwork are due.
2025 Preliminary Itinerary
* This itinerary is subject to change
Even before the group departs to Europe, they will stop in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Holocaust Memorial to think about how Americans remember and memorialize the Holocaust. After that, they will take a flight from Boston Logan airport to Berlin. The first couple of days are spent exploring Berlin, with visits to the various memorials to Holocaust victims, the German Reichstag, the Jewish Museum, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Berlin Wall, and participating in a cooking class. After that, the group travels to Dresden for a sightseeing tour, a visit to the Church of Our Lady, and the Zwinger Museum. After Dresden, the group will travel to Prague and go on guided tours of major sites like the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter, and St. Vitus Cathedral. They will visit Terezin, a concentration camp used for children during World War II. The last stop will be in Krakow. The group will tour the old royal palace of the Polish Kings, visit the Jewish Quarter, possibly go on a salt mine tour to deepen our understanding of Polish life, as well as enjoy an evening of Jewish-themed music. On the last day of the trip, students will close the trip with a reflective visit to Auschwitz and then the Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum.
** Families are responsible for transporting their students from Boston Logan airport to their home destination for the rest of the March break.