JCC Krakow Brings Its Seniors, Mostly Survivors, to Israel, Many for their First Visit
On March 10, 2015, the Jewish Community Center of Krakow (JCC Krakow) brought 30 members of its Senior Club on a weeklong trip to Israel. Twenty of the participants are Holocaust survivors, and for twelve of them, it was their first trip to Israel. Survivor Rena Rach said, "Israel is a country built on dreams, and it's been a dream for many of Krakow's Child Survivors of the Holocaust to go there. For many among our group, including me, it was the first opportunity to visit the country."
The trip was financed by funds the JCC had raised during the 2014 Inaugural Ride for the Living. Ride for the Living is a 55-mile fundraising bicycle ride from Auschwitz to JCC Krakow created to honor Holocaust memory and Jewish history while also celebrating the miraculous rebirth of Jewish life in Poland today.
“It is incredible that the inaugural Ride for the Living enabled us to bring Holocaust survivors to Israel,” explains JCC Krakow Executive Director Jonathan Ornstein. “For many of our seniors, this trip is a last chance to see Israel. It is a mitzvah for our whole community to make their dreams come true.”
A week in Israel touring Haifa, the Golan Heights, Tiberias, Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea and Tel Aviv, showed the JCC's senior members Israel's history as reflected in their own lives: a story of survival against all odds, hope, and the resilience of a land and of a people. The group met with Israeli diplomats, toured the Knesset days before the election, visited the Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem, where some could point out the names of those who saved them and their families, among many other activities. The seniors, who are the JCC's most beloved members, came home filled with stories and impressions of Israel and with stronger ties to Judaism, which they are already sharing with their fellow JCC members of all ages.
“I'm 82 years old and I survived the Nazi occupation by being hidden as a Catholic. My wife and I have wanted to go to Israel for many years, we're so grateful to Ride for the Living to finally have the ability to take this trip. We've been coming to Shabbat dinner at the JCC for the past seven years, it was very meaningful for us to celebrate Shabbat in Jerusalem with our community members. I have worked as an engineer for my whole life and I was most impressed with Israel's advanced engineering and technology," shares Jan Libin.
This trip was under the patronage of Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich and was led by Jonathan Ornstein and Rabbi Avi Baumol, Rabbinic Representative of the Chief Rabbi of Poland in Krakow, who says of the trip: “It was an honor to join together with survivors of the Holocaust and their spouses on this trip to Israel. We toured the country, met with our people and strengthened the connection between Poland’s Jewish community and our Homeland.”
LINK TO JCC KRAKOW TRIP DIARY >>
Video of JCC Krakow Seniors Visiting Israel
