Project Inspire Long Island organizes a trip to Poland

Forty-nine Jewish women from Long Island recently traveled to Poland to learn more about their heritage, connect with their roots and honor the lives of those lost during the Holocaust.

The trip was organized by Project Inspire Long Island in collaboration with JRoots — an organization dedicated to exploring Jewish heritage across generations through inspiring, meaningful and educational journeys. It was a significant experience for all of the participants, some of whom are also the children or grandchildren of survivors.

Lauren Moss of Rockville Centre described the journey their travels from Warsaw to Krakow as one of self-exploration, with the goal “to discover, uncover and recover” their Jewish roots. Moss described it as “deeply emotional,” as she emphasized the difficulty of discussing the experience, particularly in light of current global events.

“To say this experience was meaningful is just not enough,” Moss said. “In today’s world where we see so much antisemitism and hate we have a glimpse back to our past. We can change the present by sharing our experiences and by representing the Jewish people in a positive and beautiful light. We represent our past and we are the future. Our lives will never be the same.”

She said the trip began at Nozyk Synagogue, which is the only functioning pre-war synagogue in Warsaw. Its resilience serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring spirit of the Jewish community. The group then traveled to the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, a vast expanse of graves that provided insight into the vibrant Jewish life before the war.

But it was their visit to the Warsaw Ghetto that made the biggest impact, as participants walked in the footsteps of those who endured unimaginable suffering. They stood in silent reverence as they viewed the Umschlagplatz monument, Ghetto Uprising monument and No. 18 Mila Street, headquarters of the Jewish Combat Organization.

Moving through Lublin, the women delved deeper into history at Yeshivat Chachmel Lublin, a beacon of Jewish learning before its destruction during the war, and Majdanek Concentration Camp, the latter of which was located three kilometers from the center of Lublin and was in operation from October 1941 until 1944.

Here, the women confronted the horrors of the past, bearing witness to the remnants of one of the darkest chapters in human history. Moss said it was here that they shared personal stories, sharing the names and identities of survivors and people lost.

The visit to Lezajsk, with its rich Hassidic heritage, provided a moment for spiritual reflection and connection. “We all prayed for each other, opening up to expose our hearts for healing,” Moss said. She said that they also had the opportunity to pray at the grave of Rabbi Elmelech, for his blessings.

Tarnow, once home to a vibrant Jewish community decimated during the war, bore witness to the group’s solemn remembrance at Zbylitowska Go’ra, a site of unspeakable tragedy where hundreds of Jewish children were mercilessly killed.

“We pay a shiva call to these children,” Moss said. “Generations lost. An entire world gone.”

While visiting the Bima in the square, which is the only piece of the old synagogue left standing, the group lit another’s candle and, as Moss expressed, “eliminated our spirit and shared our gratitude and experiences together.”

One of the most important Jewish communities in Europe, the Jewish Quarter in Krakow, known as Kazimierz, holds the most intact and significant collection of Jewish buildings today, including seven synagogues. Here, participants were reminded of the importance of remembrance and the advocacy against hatred.

During the trip, they paid a visit to Oscar Schindler’s factory, where they paid respect to the memory of a man who would risk everything in order to help save the lives of more than a thousand Jewish people.

Their journey culminated with perhaps the most notorious and emotional experiences of them all — a trip to the largest of all Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau. The enormity of the Holocaust’s horrors resonated deeply as they were confronted with the unimaginable scale of human suffering. Amid the remnants of the gas chambers and crematoria, they bore witness to the depths of humanity’s capacity for evil.

Yet, even in the face of darkness, they found hope. Through their shared experiences and collective remembrance, the women of Project Inspire Long Island became the torchbearers for a brighter future.

Moss said the trip has forever changed her perspectives, instilling a profound sense of responsibility to honor the past, confront contemporary challenges, and shape a brighter future for the Jewish community.

“We represent our past, and we are the future,” Moss said. “You cannot know who you are until you know who you were.”

Project Inspire Long Island is a national nonprofit organization that works to connect and inspire Jews of all levels of faith through the power of shared experiences. To learn more about the trip and other ways to get involved in the organization, visit ProjectInspire.com.