Reflecting with Responsibility

Prior to this trip, I had no idea what to expect, what I would encounter, and what the landscape of the Holocaust even looked like. What I have learned in my classes and my own reading can not compare to being in the field working with experts on the subject of the Holocaust. I am very thankful to both Dr. Finley and Dr. Chapman who have curated an amazing team in-country, using their networks to connect their students with first-class guides, scholars, and researchers.

What I have learned and experienced on this trip, I realize, is invaluable. There are not so many opportunities for people who are interested to learn about the Holocaust to do it in such a well-rounded manner. We saw both highly tourist-ed sites and sites in various stages of neglect. We saw how modernization has wiped clean impactful traces of the Holocaust and in other cases, contributed to its conservation and integration into the collective memory. We were given the opportunity to connect with witnesses of the Holocaust, and observed Polish life and culture as we made our way across the country.

What now? What do I do with everything I’ve seen, everything I’m holding inside me… I’m looking forward to starting our paper as a way of dissecting my experiences here, because since coming home I just haven’t stopped moving. I think that because of the pace of the trip and my pace of life since coming home, I still haven’t had a chance to really let everything sink in. One lesson I’ve taken away from this trip is the importance of personal responsibility.

Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.

This quote by Viktor Frankl has taken on new meaning for me. I know that my personal responsibility is to live in service to others, using interdisciplinary means to deal with the changing tides of politics and the effect it has on the human experience. It is impossible not to feel anger when witnessing human suffering in any form. Turning this anger into action by understanding ones moral and ethical responsibilities means to aid those who suffer from hunger, poverty, lack of education, poor access to resources, and all forms of discrimination. All I hope that what anyone can take away from this trip is that they are obliged to carry on the truth they’ve seen, and are responsible for positively impacted their world in light of the darkness they have witnessed is possible.

הִנְנִ֥י שְׁלָחֵֽנִי