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Nearly a year ago, a group of then-juniors who had participated in the HiBuR Israel program the previous year and were currently taking part in the L’taken seminar in Washington D.C. came to the (harsh) realization that there were no more immersive Jewish experiences for them to embark on through J-LOFT. Not known as aContinue reading “Berlin & Warsaw: Part 5 (Epilogue)”

Student Refelctions: Lily After three years as part of J-LOFT, I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable and meaningful way to conclude this journey. This trip to Europe has taught me so much—not only about World War II and the Cold War but also about what it truly means to be Jewish. Being JewishContinue reading “Berlin & Warsaw: Part 4 (Student Reflections)”

It was close to midnight when we disembarked from the 8.5-hour bus ride from Berlin to Warsaw’s West Station. We collected our luggage from the bottom of the bus and stumbled our way through the clouds of cigarette smoke towards where we thought we’d seen some taxi-looking cars. Since the drivers – some of whomContinue reading “Berlin & Warsaw: Part 3”

Berlin & Warsaw: Part 2 Among the scores of tombstones and mausoleums of different shapes and sizes that line the pathways of Weissensee Europe’s largest active Jewish cemetery are two collective monuments. At its very heart stands a memorial for the fallen Jewish soldiers who fought for Germany in the battlefields of WWI; at itsContinue reading “Berlin & Warsaw 2024: Part 2”

Journey to Berlin & Warsaw – Part 1 At the very first preparation meeting for this journey back in October, the students read what Hermann Cohen, a German Jewish philosopher, wrote amidst the turmoil of World War I: “We, as Jews, are proud to be Germans… We recognize the important role that being German playsContinue reading “Berlin & Warsaw 2024: Part 1”