cap & gown yearbook
Daniel Levine
We are so proud of you
and all of your
accomplishments.
We wish you a lifetime
of health, happiness
and success!
Go Blue!
Love you always,
Mom, Dad, Alysa and Murray
We are so proud of you.
Congratulations on
graduating MSU with honors.
May all your dreams come true.
You have been such a
joy in all our lives.
Grama and Papa Koblin and
Bubbe Leider and all your family.
We are proud of your
accomplishments and the path
you have chosen! May G-d
grant us good health to watch
your continued
success at U of M and beyond!
We love you,
Your Grandparents, Parents,
Eland, Shoshana, Ari
108
May 23 • 2013
teen2teen
Making The Connection
FJA senior trip teaches students the
connection between the Holocaust,
Israel and themselves.
Editor's note: From April 4-17, 39 out of 53 seniors from the Frankel Jewish
Academy in West Bloomfield went on the March of the Living, a program that
starts by exploring Poland's concentration camps and ends in Israel.
Abbie Ginis
Teen2Teen Staff Writer
p
rior to my recent trip on the
March of the Living, I pic-
tured Poland as a barren and
deserted country where the sun never
shined. However, as I walked through
Treblinka concentration camp with
fellow seniors from Frankel Jewish
Academy on our first morning, I
noticed the unmarked layer of snow
contrasted against the vivid greens of
the forest, combined with the haunt-
ing silence, giving the former death
camp an unexpected, ironically beau-
tiful and peaceful presence.
Until I visited this location of death
and destruction, I struggled to wrap
my head around the whole atrocity.
I've learned about the Holocaust my
entire life, hearing chilling stories,
commemorating Yom HaShoah,
speaking with survivors — yet it
never had "hit me" before this expe-
rience. It was impossible for me
to accept what people are actually
capable of.
Upon walking through the camps
— Treblinka, Auschwitz, Birkenau,
Majdanek — and seeing the remain-
ing physical manifestations, I under-
stood, and could finally carry the
weight of memories of those millions
who were lost.
The march from Auschwitz to
Birkenau was the highlight of many
people's trip. Picture yourself packed
in with thousands of strangers. You're
surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar
faces and languages, only able to
understand a quarter of what people
around you are saying. Except, they
aren't really strangers; they have all
come to the same place with the same
goal: to remember.
Senior Laurenne Kaufman of
Orchard Lake agreed, saying, "The
March really showed me how so
many Jews from all over are coming
together to show the world that we
will never forget"
Snippets of French, Polish, Hebrew,
Spanish and accented English deco-
rated the typically gloomy Auschwitz,
warming the mood. My friend and
I were trying (and failing) to speak
with a French boy, but his English
was just as bad as our French. But
we connected over a commonality —
Hebrew. It was that moment where
I could fully appreciate my rigorous
Jewish education; it allowed me to
bond with someone from a com-
pletely different country and culture,
connecting us through our heritage,
making the unique event forever
memorable.
Being in Poland and experienc-
ing the camps together bonded us
because we knew we could all rely on
one another for a shoulder to cry on.
The shift from Poland to Israel was
practically tangible. Landing to the
sound of cheers and applause, the
mood instantly brightened. Being in
Israel, along with the swap from snow
to sunshine, provided everyone with
immediate comfort. Traveling to a
country where we could understand
the language, participate in the cul-
ture and religion, and eat all the food,
gave a feeling tantamount with home.
Senior Molly Williams of White
Lake noted, "It was so meaningful to
land in Israel because we did it for
them — for those who never left the
camps"
Building on that, Jillian Apel of
Farmington Hills added, "In Poland,
we saw the spots where Jews used to
live and had communities, but then
in Israel, we got to see where Jews
today are living and creating a new
culture with lots of modern aspects.
I liked how I could see the physical
shift of the culture and of the Jewish
community"
Embracing my Jewish culture
has never been a top priority for
me. However, after being in Poland,
where Jews were unable to express
their heritage, and traveling to Israel,
where Jews are so devoted and proud
of their country, I decided I wanted to
be an active part of our culture.
❑
Abbie Ginis of Farmington Hills is a se-
nior at Frankel Jewish Academy in West
Bloomfield. Her class graduates June 12.