2020 JSU Gala Journal

UNIT 5: THE TURNING POINT
“Travelling” from the idyllic lakeside villa in Wannsee where the Final Solution was
discussed to the heart of Operation Reinhardt, students will learn the stories of
towns destroyed through Operation Barbarossa and the work of the Einsatzgruppen.
They will learn about Jedwabne and many other shtetls to ask the question “Willing
Executioners or Ordinary Men”? Students will then use court records and testimony
from perpetrators exploring some of the most challenging questions of how it was
humanly possible to attempt to murder an entire nation.
Students will visit the sites of extermination themselves to encounter the places which
changed the face of history. They will grapple with some of the toughest questions and
uncover hidden stories which are only just being discovered.
UNIT 6: THEIR SECRET PRIDE. TREBLINKA, BELZEC, SOBIBOR
Using survivor testimony, satellite images and computer reconstructions students will
learn the story of the development of the Final Solution, moving from the invasion of
Russia in 1941 to the establishment of death damps such as Treblinka.
UNIT 7: ALL ROADS LEAD TO AUSCHWITZ
This “on location” guided tour of Auschwitz will bring students inside one of the most
infamous symbols of the Holocaust. Our visit will help students understand Auschwitz
within the context of the Holocaust as well as bringing the voices of survivors to hear
first-hand accounts of life inside the camp.
UNIT 8: THE AUSCHWITZ ALBUM
Using photographs of life before the war together with photos from the Auschwitz
Album taken in 1944 students will gain a deeper understanding of Auschwitz and
some of the personal stories of the martyrs and survivors.
UNIT 9: SURVIVORS AND STUDENTS - STORIES AND LIFE LESSONS
In this unit, students will meet survivors from across the globe to hear about their
return to life and what it means to be a survivor. They will talk about their survival and
how they rebuilt after the war. Survivors will share the messages they have taken from
their ordeals and how they have incorporated them into their lives. Our journey into the
lives of survivors will address the tough questions they grapple with about hate, love,
revenge and their purpose in life.
Together with the survivors, students will hear from JSU staff and students who have
made the journey to Poland who will speak about its impact on them and how they
have taken messages and action points into their lives. We hope this will inspire
students to join us on the JSU TJJAP summer trip to Poland and Israel.
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