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.