Over 50 students participated in a five-day trip to Poland with Tribe.

This was their largest group size since before the pandemic.

Participants from years 12 and 13 learnt about Jewish life before the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Rebbetzen Freda Kaplan was the main educator. The group visited the Warsaw Jewish cemetery, Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin, Lezjansk and the Warsaw Ghetto.

Xoncentration camps included Belzec, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Participants spent an uplifting Shabbat in Krakow where they went on a walking tour of the old Jewish Quarter, Kaziemeirz, and visited Schindler’s Factory. Over Shabbat, the group had the opportunity to reflect on their own Jewish heritage and future plans.

Lara Bassalian, 17, from Finchley United Synagogue, said: “The trip was eye-opening and inspiring. My understanding of the Holocaust has been enriched. I really loved the sense of togetherness and unity despite the loss and sadness we each felt.”

Noah Zemmel, 16, from Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, added: “I discovered so much about myself and my Judaism. I think it’s something that everybody should do whether they are Jewish or not.”

Anna Coleman, Tribe’s Senior Operations Manager, noted: “This trip was an important opportunity for the students to learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust as well as discovering more about their Jewish heritage. This moving experience really helps participants to explore their Jewish identities and roots.”