This March break, 11 students and two faculty members are traveling to Berlin, Prague, and Krakow to explore the idea of monuments and memorials and their role in public memory, and 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. Please enjoy the blog post below from Shahana ’26, John ’26, and Carter ’28 where they share about the group’s visit to Schindler’s Factory and beyond, reflecting on the power of individual choices during the Holocaust, the emotional weight of remembrance and resilience, and the enduring strength of Jewish burial traditions in the face of centuries of adversity.
Today, we visited Schindler’s Factory in Kraków, a place that tells the story of both destruction and survival. Walking through the museum, I was struck by how history was not just displayed but made tangible—woven into the very walls, the objects, the spaces that once held the weight of wartime choices.
One of the most powerful moments was standing before Oskar Schindler’s desk, where a replica of Schindler’s List lay before us. It was a list of names of Jewish men, women, and children whom he saved from certain death. Seeing it in person, I was reminded of the immense power of individual action. Schindler was not a perfect man, nor did he begin as a hero. But at a time when indifference was the norm, he chose to act. His desk, a simple piece of furniture, became a symbol of resistance, of human decency in the face of unimaginable cruelty.
Beyond the exhibits themselves, I loved how interactive the museum was. It wasn’t just a collection of artifacts behind glass. The use of sound effects, visual projections, and immersive reconstructions made the experience feel incredibly real. Walking through recreated wartime streets, hearing voices echo as if from the past, and seeing historical footage woven into the exhibits made it impossible to remain emotionally detached. The museum didn’t just tell history— made us feel it.
The final stop of our visit was the Room of Choices. This was the last room of the exhibit and, fittingly, the last moment of our journey. The room was stark, yet its impact was overwhelming. Inscribed along the walls were lines representing different choices made during the Holocaust—those of victims, bystanders, and upstanders. Reading them, I felt the weight of each decision. Some had chosen to remain silent. Others had chosen to betray. A few had chosen to risk everything to save lives.
It made me reflect on the nature of choice itself. In history books, events often feel inevitable, but standing there, I was reminded that history is shaped by individual decisions. It is shaped by those moments when people choose to act or to turn away.
All in all, the visit was not just a lesson in history but a challenge for the present: to remember, to recognize the power of our choices, and to stand on the right side of history when it matters most. – Shahana ’26
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After a long, emotionally tiring day visiting Auschwitz and Schindler’s factory, Andrew and I ended our trip on a lighter note. During dinner, we found out that Krakow’s Frederic Chopin Concert hall was located just down the street, and were able to purchase tickets for a concert featuring the Polish composer’s most recognized works. Listening to works such as Nocturne in C-sharp minor and Polonaise in A-flat Major (the “Heroic” Polonaise) I found peace in the beautiful music being played. Throughout the concert, I felt the internal turmoil that I had accrued walking down the pathways of Auschwitz melt away by the music. We were even treated to two encore pieces, as a result of our continuous applause.
The concert was a refreshing way to end our trip—a night of classical music to alleviate the emotional heaviness of dealing with the atrocities of the Holocaust. – John ’26
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Jewish people have suffered troubles in many different ways yet each time they are able to make the best of it and rebound. Jewish burial has suffered from many obstacles for centuries.
Jews initially encountered these troubles while fleeing slavery in Egypt as Israelites. The journey through the sea of sand was treacherous and many of the Israelites perished along the way. Traditionally, flowers are placed on tombs to demonstrate remembrance for the deceased. In the desert, however, flowers were essentially nonexistent. So, the Israelites turned to using little stones as markings of remembrance.
When Jews were forcibly detained to ghettos and the graveyards lay in the city, overcrowding of graves quickly became an issue. Due to Judaism forbidding the removal of headstones, Jews had to take out and place the headstones on a new layer of soil. Thus, in many graveyards like the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, headstones practically kiss, fighting for what little space there is.
Another challenge of the Jewish people was the Nazis. The Nazis despised Jews and anything Jewish including their history and graves. The Nazis destroyed headstones of Jewish people and cremated the bodies of most of the six million Jews that they murdered. The Nazis did this despite knowing that cremation is against Judaism’s beliefs* as Jews believe that a body should be buried (next to its kin) and respected. Our tour guide at Terezin a few days ago also states that sometimes Jews at Terezin were sometimes forced to watch the cremation of the dead.
Jewish struggles with their burial and respect of the deceased has been challenged many times throughout their long history. They, however, are very resilient people who have found ways to “vergangenheitsbewältigung”. The placing of stones instead of flowers has now become a long standing tradition. In addition, the fragments of destroyed headstones have been compiled into a wall of destroyed headstones. As the Galicia Jewish Museum beautifully describes an interpretation of the compiled headstones, “it symbolizes their need for healing, and to find responses to challenges of their broken world”. The Jewish burial story is inspiring: there are always obstacles that you must surmount, but the way you respond to these challenges is the most important thing. – Carter ’28
