URJ Heller High

Teaching the Biblical Period and Building a Foundation for Jewish Identity

by David Alon

Most of us remember the bible stories we learned in Hebrew school and file them away in our memory, bringing them out once a year on a particular holiday to remind us why we are feasting or fasting.  We often learned the G-rated versions of the actual text, but they became ingrained in us none the less.  In our early years, our Jewish identity developed as a conglomeration of all these bible stories, and for the multitude of Jews who don’t live strictly according to halacha, this is what came to define us.  That is until we reach the age when we are old enough to learn in graphic detail about the horrors of the Shoah.

When I was in 7^th grade and attending bar/bat mitzvot every weekend, I had an impactful experience when my synagogue required us to take a year long class studying the Shoah.  For the next few years, I came to define Jewish identity as our duty to remember the six million, causing me to push aside all the lessons from the Tanach.  Later on in high school, especially in NFTY, I got a healthy dose of tikun olam, learning about the Jewish responsibility to repair our broken world and fight for social justice.

Now, years later as a Jewish history teacher at Heller High, I see firsthand when our students arrive that they are already well versed in tikun olam and Holocaust education.  I’m grateful that the Reform movement is excelling in these areas, and they are certainly essential to modern Jewish life.  However, it brings me back to the question of Jewish literacy.  Are we doing enough to engage on a daily basis with our ancient sources?

The Heller High Jewish history curriculum is designed to teach Judaism as a civilization over a four month semester in Israel.  On the first day of class I ask my students to nominate different moments that we might define as the beginning of Jewish history:  Creation, Abraham, 12 tribes, slavery, Mt. Sinai, King David, etc.  Some even suggest jumping ahead all the way to 1948.  There’s enough material for four months that comes from the modern period, so let’s just focus on the State of Israel.

Well, I explain to them, the Tanach is our owners manual.  If we want to operate this complex thing we call Jewish identity, it’s probably worth reading the instruction book.  When we open up the Tanach and read it class, we’re seeing and discussing these words for the first time as adults.  It’s not just a bunch of kids’ stories!  In Genesis 29, Jacob doesn’t lift up Leah’s veil to see he’s been tricked, he finds out when he sees her in bed the next morning!  For the first time our students read the stories of Judah and Tamar, and David and Bat-Sheva.  In the first two weeks of the curriculum, we endeavor to make the bible come to life, and understand it as the foundation of the Jewish people.

One of the more meaningful discussions we have, especially this time of year in Elul, is the meaning of tshuva.  We challenge our students to look at the behavior of Jacob, Moshe, Devorah, David, and Solomon and understand the essence of this concept, and why we demand it from our leaders both in ancient times and today.

Perhaps the most complex topic we teach when studying this time period is the idea of avoda zara, idolatry.  We see it at Tel Gezer where the Canaanites erected monoliths and an altar to make sacrifices to their gods.  We encounter it in the biblical book of Judges when the Israelites continually reject the God of Israel to worship the foreign deities Baal and Astarte.  We see it in artifacts uncovered in excavations at Ir David (the city of David) in Jerusalem, figurines of a fertility goddess that our ancestors prayed to.  Yes we teach what avoda zara means in the biblical context, but equally important is defining what that means today.  Is the one-dimensional pursuit of money and status avoda zara?  Is being on your iphone at the family dinner table avoda zara?  Is cyber-bullying a form of avoda zara?  Is a smoking addiction?  We don’t always come up with definitive answers, but it seems in a way that asking the question is more important.

There’s no question that studying the Tanach gives us a far better understanding of the modern State of Israel in which we see ourselves as the continuation of an ancient people in our homeland, speaking our ancient language.  A group of our students once summarized this is a letter they wrote at the end of the semester:

Every day in class we learned an immeasurable amount of history which we internalized as part of our identities.  Through the lessons, the history became a part of us as we began to see ourselves as part of the Jewish people.  Our tiyulim [field trips] tied us to the land even more, and we were able to connect the class lessons to the Land of Israel.  Before coming on this program we were distantly connected to the Jewish texts, and felt uncomfortable with the connection between the Tanach and the modern world.  However, we now see the relationship between our lives and this literature.  The Jewish people, faith, territory, and language have all greatly influenced our identities, creating an unbreakable chain between us and the Jewish literature of antiquity.  We are now able to understand how these texts have influenced Israel in today’s world, and created a resurgence of the Jewish culture in Eretz Yisrael.  This new awareness of our Judaism wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Jewish history class.

I am so grateful for the incredible opportunity to share with the students a love for Israel that is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible.  I learn as much from them as they do from me!

Tiyul to Ir David in Jerusalem

by Shay Orentlicher,     11^th grade,     Indianapolis

No teenager likes getting up extra early, but at Heller High, it tends to be worth it. When we stumbled out of bed at 6:25 am, it wasn’t an early wakeup for no reason; it meant that we would be going on a tiyul, or a fieldtrip, to Ir David that morning, with a packed schedule of learning and fun ahead of us. No matter how groggy I am or how many times I yawn, I know the excitement of the tiyul will energize me and get me ready for what is guaranteed to be an amazing morning.

For the first part of our morning tiyul, we split into our two Jewish History classes so our teachers could give us the day’s lessons in the sites where it all actually happened. We took notes on the story of King David while facing Area G, the remaining ruins of an ancient house that was under the palace. We learned about his complicated legacy while standing where he would have stood at some point, our cameras capturing the same views that he too once admired. Two students dressed up in costumes in a silly imitation of the biblical story of King David and Batsheva, right by the palace where that story actually took place. Learning about these ancient events where they actually took place provided a whole new layer of depth for me that even years of Jewish studies didn’t give me.

my classmates Ashley and Micah acting out the biblical story of David and Bat-Sheva

When I was standing on top of thousands of years of Jewish history in Jerusalem, it made it infinitely easier to understand why King David would want his capital there. Although part of me logically understood the political implications of a centralized capital that’s not in any tribe’s territory, another part of me was caught up in the holy feeling that also played a huge role: this was the place where the Temple was built, where its one remaining wall still stands. There’s something special about Jerusalem, and it’s particularly palpable in Ir David. It makes sense that King David could use such a city to unite the Jewish people into one kingdom, and it makes sense that this was where God would want the Temple to be built.

One thing in particular that stood out to me in our learning was the story of Batsheva. As a kid, I was taught sugarcoated versions of Jewish history. War and murder were glossed over, flawed Jewish figures were glorified, and everything was painted as relatively black and white. This story destroys that notion by breaking down one of the most revered figures in Jewish history in a story of him doing something awful. According to the book of Samuel II, he sleeps with Batsheva, a married woman, and when his attempts to pass off the child as her husband’s don’t work, he sends her husband to war so he will be killed. This attempt is successful, and as punishment, King David will not be the one to build the Temple, the child conceived from the affair will die, and David’s family will be plagued by scandal. King David is one of the greatest figures in Jewish history, and to see his worst flaws laid out before us like that was a complete shift in perspective for me. The notion of this man, who was supposed to be a great leader of the Jewish people and a follower of God, committing such a terrible deed destroys the pedestal I’d always imagined him on and makes him just like anyone else; human. His bad deed was more extreme than most, but then, so were his good deeds. More importantly, he did תשובה tshuva (repentance). Through the story of his sin, I was able to enrich my understanding of him and every other flawed Jewish figure.

Area G at Ir David with remains from the First Temple Period

After our lessons, we merged back into one group and went down to Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This tunnel was used to transport water into Jerusalem, and it now is open for tourists to walk through. The tunnel is a little over 500 meters long, with water up to the ankles most of the time. As we always do on tiyulim, we had plenty of fun with it, singing some of our favorite pop songs and laughing together as we made our way through the tunnel.

our Jewish history class emerges from walking through Hezekiah's water tunnel

Near the end of the tunnel, there was a plaque commemorating an amazing discovery in the place that it was found: a tablet written in ancient Hebrew that stated, “The tunneling was completed... While the hewers wielded the ax, each man toward his fellow... there was heard a man's voice calling to his fellow... the hewers hacked each toward the other, ax against ax, and the water flowed from the spring to the pool, a distance of 1,200 cubits...” This discovery provides historicity, or corroboration for what the Tanakh says. The Tanakh mentions this water system, and the ancient Hebrew text means that it was in fact real, a concept we’ve been focusing on a lot in our tiyulim to historical sites.

By the end of the tiyul, we were all thoroughly exhausted, but it had been an amazing experience. I felt like I had learned so much about King David, Jewish life in Jerusalem, and Jewish history in general. Even as I collapsed into my seat on the bus, I felt just as much accomplished as I did tired. From the lessons about King David and his mistakes to the exhausting ten-minute climb up a steep hill to get back to our bus from the tunnel, I’d been challenged to learn and grow in every aspect. It truly was a rewarding, eye-opening experience.

The lookout point at Ir David in Jerusalem with a view of the walls of the old city

(First Blog Entry of the 2019 Fall Semester)

Tiyul to Sataf JNF Park in Judean Mountains

by Daniel Wellerstein,     12^th grade,       Northern California

This past Wednesday we went on our Tiyul to Sataf, a JNF park with an ancient biblical farming village located just a short walk away from Kibbutz Tzuba where Heller High is. While there, we learned about the method of farming known as “terrace farming” where different levels of crops are separated by walls of small stones used for irrigating water. This allowed for an easily regulated amount of water trees without constant management. to flow down the levels and properly hydrate crops without rains and constant management.

classmates walking on an ancient agricultural terrace at Sataf JNF Park

During our first stop at Sataf, we read pages out of the book of Joshua in the Tanach, and learned about his siege on the city of Jericho to continue conquering the land of Israel. There, they were instructed by God to march around the city walls for six days, before the seventh when they would sound their shofars and the city’s walls would fall before them and allow them entry. Once inside they were told to slaughter the population, but leave just the concubine Rahab and her family, as she was the spy assigned to gather information for the Jewish people about the city. Following the book of Joshua, the book of Judges recounts the internal struggles of the Jewish people, and the problems in leadership they were dealing with. After Moses’ death, the issue of who should be the next person to lead the people came into question. We learned about the progression of the Israelite kings, specifically Saul and David. An important quote of our class was “yes repentance tshuva, no foreign worship,” which denounced the practice of idolatry amongst the Jews.

remains of an ancient village at Sataf that we "made fall" like the wall of Jericho.

At the second stop, we learned about the many different types of agriculture that were prevalent during the time (1200 BCE); those being: grapes, olives, dates, pomegranates, wheat, barley, and figs. Additionally, the Tanach recounts the “land of milk and honey,” but as we learned, the honey referred to in the phrase actually implies the honey of dates instead of bees. Moreover, the reason so many Israelites are said to have become farmers is due to the rain that is believed to have been the result of their prayer to the Canaanite god Baal. The heavy showers led to the theory that if trees had more water, they would produce much larger and better produce. This gave way to the addition of man-made water irrigation systems coming from a large cistern fed by a cave system.

Me with a water jerrycan and my classmate Gavin at Sataf JNF Park

At our third and final stop, we learned about the conquest of the Jewish people against the army of Sisera. Deborah, a prophet in the book of Judges, instructed Barak to lead a fight against a commander of the Canaanite army known as Sisera, as well as giving him knowledge of the 900 chariots of iron the Israelites would be struggling against. During the battle, Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Sisera and Heber. In the night, while Sisera was asleep, Yael brought with her a mallet and tent spike and drove said spike into Sisera’s temple, killing him, and effectively winning the battle for the people of Israel. We were also given the opportunity to venture into the cave that the ancient Israelite farmers drew their water from.

My classmate Max inside the Sataf water cave (mayan in Hebrew)

Yom HaZicharon and Yom HaAtzma’ut

by Erika Apel,      grade 10,        Ontario

Yom HaZikaron was one of the most powerful things of this semester. Being able to commemorate Yom Hazikaron in Israel was an experience that I will never forget. We stood in silence with all of Israel in memory of fallen soldiers and victims of terror for two minutes. We got to go to a community ceremony, called a Tekas, in the town of Mevasseret-Zion where we heard testimonies of mothers who have lost their sons, wives who have lost their husbands, and more. I was especially moved by the son even if we didn't understand all the words, the emotion was easily conveyed. We also got to go to a ceremony at our home Kibbutz Tzuba where we could see the direct connection with fallen soldiers and the kibbutz. Commemorating this holiday in Israel was truly remarkable.

The most interesting thing I experienced on these days was the quick switch from extreme sadness to joy. From fallen soldiers who fought for our independence to celebrating the independent state we have today. We went to the ceremony at Tzuba, one second we were singing sad songs and the next we were dancing and celebrating. We then went to Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street where we danced with hundreds of other teenagers. All of the stores throughout Israel are all decorated to celebrate and all festivities are in full swing.

One of the highlights on Yom Haatzmaut was joining in on a tradition that thousands of Israelis do which is go to the beach and have a picnic. We had Macabbia competition on the beach where we played many different games. We filled up buckets with water using only our shirts and the ocean, we bobbed for apples and much more. We then had a barbeque lunch and had free time on the beach. It was very interesting getting to see how Israelis celebrate this holiday and celebrate among them. Participating in these very important holidays gave us a beautiful insight into Israeli culture.

Sea to Sea Hike      by Aaron Orshan and Leah Sehati

First half of Yam le Yam      by Aaron Orshan,    11^th grade,      NJ

The first half of yam le yam (sea-to-sea hike) was a very odd one from what the average Heller High student has experienced in the past. On the Saturday night prior to our departure for the trip were informed that rather than going to the scheduled water hike we would be going to a place called the Canada Center in Metulla. Though quite surprised, I was excited to see what it would be like. On our first say at The Canada Center we had the opportunity to swim, jump in a trampoline park and Ice skate. I had never ice skated before and it was very cool experience to learn and also to do it in Israel. That night we slept in the Center’s basement with sleeping bags and mattress.

Merkaz Canada ice rink and recreation center in Metulla in the north of Israel. We even slept here!

The next morning, we woke up to go bowling and then watch a 4D film about pirates. After these activities we drove to what would be our future campsite for that night to eat lunch. We departed on the bus to the very surprising cold. As we ate lunch there was an overall general feeling of depression as we fought the cold to cook our food. After lunch we were bussed to a part of the mountain with a higher elevation with the knowledge that were going to hike back to the campsite we had just eaten lunch at. As we departed the bus it started to drizzle, which only further lessened our spirits. As we began the hike it started to become a lot more fun and seemed to warm up as well. Our tour guide, Shmuel, would stop every few meters to point out a cool species of plants or mention some animal species that’s habitat is here or play a game. As a result of these activities the experience was a lot more enjoyable. The highlight of the hike was when there was a steep part of the hike that due to the rain was very muddy and also slippery. At this part of the hike many people fell, including me, which made all of just die laughing at one another. When we ended the hike we were happy to be greeted by hot soup and tea, a much appreciated gift. For dinner, the outdoors company running the trip made us these amazingly good sausages with very tasty rice. As the sun started to go down it started to become cold again. The night, though cold, was not as bad as I had expected. Overall a great two days.

 

Nahal Amud campsite where we camped the second night of Yan le Yam

Second Half of Yam le Yam and Shabbat at Kfar Blum

By Leah Sehati,     11^th grade,       Southern CA

The second half of yam le yam was very fun, tiring, and eventful. On the third day we hiked a lot through rivers and learned how to do navigation. We started off by cooking lunch in our little groups and then we navigated our way through the forest by looking at a map and following the color codes of the yam l yam trail that are marked on rocks throughout the path. This path then led us out of the hiking area into the parking lot where the busses then picked us up and took us to our next campsite. Once we got there we set up our tents along with sleeping arrangements and then ate dinner and s’mores with matzah. After that the two group leaders Tomer and Shmuel (who were our tour guides for the whole trip) taught us how to start a fire so the two groups had a competition of who could build the better fire. (Shmuel’s groups won just in case you were wondering) The following day we made our breakfast and then continued with a lot more hiking, except this day consisted of crossing rivers multiple times, falling and getting very wet. Along the way we also stopped by a part of the river just to take a deep breath, relax and even get a good tan. We then made our lunch next to the river which consisted of sausage, rice, tuna, vegetables, and some tasty halva. After lunch we began our hike to our last camping destination. This was probably the hardest part of the yam l yam experience because it was going uphill for maybe 15-20 min., but as we got higher and higher the view got more and more amazing. Once we got to the top we stopped there and our tour guide pointed out the Monfort crusader fortress to us.  Then we walked all the way to the top to settle at our last night's camp site. Once we got there we ate dinner, sat by the fire, made s’mores, and made more lasting memories with friends. On the final day of yam l yam we biked from our camping site to the Mediterranean Sea. Once we got to the sea we ate lunch, talked about our experience during those days, and then enjoyed a fun time by the beach with ice cream and friends.

 

The Monfort Crusader Fortess we hiked to in the western Galil

The highlight of my trip was when I was walking with a few of my friends just telling stories and bonding and then out of nowhere Allie Cohen (from Josh’s JHist class) slips off the side of the hill where there is a dried out river below and after she slipped she was just holding on to the edge waiting for help, meanwhile she is laughing but I am dying of even more laughter on the side. And then finally two of our friends drag her back up. Also during yam l yam it was very amazing to see the new friendships and bonds that people made with each other and seeing everyone help each other to cross the rivers, some people even carrying each other across. Overall my experience during yam l yam was very memorable and so much fun because I got closer to so many people that I don’t think I would’ve if it weren’t for this tiyul.

 

Bezet Beach in the western Galil where we finished biking on the Yam le Yam hike

We concluded the week by going to a kibbutz called kfar Blum located by the Jordan River where we then saw our teacher David Alon (DAVID OAK!!!) (Which is the name I like to call my JHist teacher). The weekend at Kfar Blum was very relaxing because we just got to hang out with friends and sit by the pool and river and I even did yoga outside which was taught by my friend Sylvia Smily (who is in Evan' JHists class). We also had Shabbat services at Kfar Blum which was very beautiful and peaceful. Overall my time at Kfar Blum was amazing because it was nice to have a little weekend getaway after a very tiring week.

view of the Jordan river next to Kibbutz Kfar Blum where we spent shabbat after the hike

Poland Pilgrimage

by Talia Hirsch,     11^th grade,      NJ

The Sages of Lublin Yeshiva

We started off the day at the esteemed Sages of Lublin Yeshiva. The yeshiva was in existence from 1930-1940 and it was one of the most prestigious and competitive yeshivot in the world. Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the leader of the yeshiva, trained the elite there so they became teachers knowledgeable in the Torah and able to teach it well by learning personal skills. It was in Lublin because it was the center of Torah scholarship in Europe. Meir Shapiro had to raise a lot of money for the yeshiva. Money was used for all the students needs such as: room, board, studies, etc. because the students did not pay to go. Secular Jews donated a lot of money.

the beit midrash in the Lublin Yeshiva

The דף יומי (daf yomi)- one page of Talmud each day was created at the Lublin Yeshiva and is still used today. The method is to ensure everyone in the world is on the same page on the same day. It takes 7 1/2 years to complete the whole Babylonian Talmud using this method. To get into the yeshiva you had to memorize 400 pages of Talmud ahead of time and you were tested. You had to be a scholar before you got in. The yeshiva also included a library with 25,000 books and a model of the Beit Hamikdash. When Nazis came and took overtook it, they made the men put all the books outside and the Nazis had a book burning that lasted 3 days. Before we left we studied a page of Talmud from Tractate Ketuvot with Rabbi Sykes in the yeshiva, it was very interesting. 

Majdanek

Next we went to the concentration camp Majdanek. Death camps were in Poland because the largest population of Jews were in Poland and it is in the center of Europe. Poland’s flat land made it easy to lay down rail roads which were used to transport people easily to the camps.   Majdanek opened in the summer of 1941, it was originally for prisoners of war. The majority of people that came and that were murdered at the camp were actually Poles. The first Jews came in October 1941. It was also the first camp to be liberated in July 1944. The building to the right when you first walk in the camp was a sanitation building and also contained the first gas chamber.

barracks containing tens of thousands of shoes from prisoners at Majdanek

Then the buildings along the road were used for holding the possessions taken from the prisoners who entered. The Germans who ran the camp used Jewish tomb stones to pave the road. This was very hard to see because tomb stones are very sacred and using them as a road is repulsive. There is a statue with three eagles on top that represent the Third Reich. The prisoners were forced to salute the statue as they passed so the prisoners came up with a solution instead of saluting the Third Reich: the prisoners would dig holes under the statue and bury ashes of their family or friends and when the guards would make them salute they would be saluting their loved ones. This story was very meaningful and showed that the prisoners were still witty even through terrible circumstances.

fragment of a road the Nazis paved with Jewish tombstones

statue of eagles at Majdanek that prisoners secretly saluted their comrades

The crematorium building was split into seven rooms, all used to dismantle the bodies, search them, and then cremate them. The thing at the camp that really hit me the hardest was the huge mound of ashes of the prisoners, under a large cement dome. It was crazy to see.

Going to the yeshiva and the camp showed two very different sides of the Jewish people, from life to death.

crematoria

a memorial with an enormous pile of human ashes under a dome

Poland Pilgrimage

by Marissa Magasiny,      11^th grade,       NJ

I wrote this poem after we visited the Maidanek concentration camp in Lublin.  I believe that although it is about the memorial there, it fits the theme of all the camps. It explains the same feelings after we saw everything else and what life will eventually bring us. If you dig deep into it, it shows how lucky we are to live our life to the extent that we are given, how we are not forced to die right away like people in the Holocaust were.

Ashes to Ashes

“We are all dust and ashes”

A memorial

A true life filled memorial

Huge and directly in front of my eyes

I stood staring

I didn’t know what i would see

A few more steps up

Some forward

And I...

I am...

Lost.

Unable to breathe,

A pile maybe fifteen feet high,

Could’ve been 100 feet around,

The ashes of human beings.

The ashes of a life

Killed so easily.

My heart shattered.

My mind unable to comprehend.

I thought I’ve seen it all.

I've seen rocks and statues,

Tomb stones and flowers.

This time

I was wrong

Because this was so different.

Ashes.

Thousands of them

Just piled like dirt.

Dust to dust,

Ashes to ashes.

All I thought,

All I knew,

Was that we

Not like this though,

Will all be

Just dust and ashes too one day.

Auschwitz, it is a name in which many see hate, destruction, loss, history, and wrong-doing. January 27^th, 1945 was the day that Auschwitz was liberated.  Seventy-four years later, on April 4th, 2019, I stood at Auschwitz. I stood alongside my fellow classmates and my amazing staff. Proudly and so uncertain, all of us trudged forward on the tracks into a place once so dark. Over 70 Jewish teens with our teachers and madrichim stood on the famous train tracks headed straight for the unknown. We did exactly what the Jews, Gypsies, Gays, Disabled, etc. did many years ago. As we walked towards Auschwitz with our Jewish history classes, we felt uneasy. My class was asked to line both sides of the track and kneel down. Our teacher, David, said “ feel the senses around you not only what you see but what you see, hear….now put your hands on the rail….” He went on to discuss our being there and that we were not tourist but that we were witnesses. We were all witnesses to such a tragedy. Through our journey in the concentration camp, David read many testimonies and told stories. Each one having some type of relationship to the spot we were paused at.

The first stop was out of order in his lesson plan. So many of the students were interested in seeing the barracks where the victims lived. Now they were not the real thing, they were very accurate replicas of it. The first barrack was mostly empty. In the back were three rows of concrete. In each were two rows of holes, each row had maybe thirty. That was their latrine. Human beings stripped of privacy and humiliated just so they could relieve themselves. It was so terrible. We walked into the barrack a few feet away from the first. This one was filled on each side with queen sized wooden bunk beds with no padding or blanket. In the middle was a small brick wall attached to two chimneys. It was used for heating. This was where we heard the first shocking news, but at this point everything was already a shock. The worst form of punishment was when Nazis would push a prisoner over the brick wall, pull down their pants or pull up their shirt and whip them or hit them with a wooden plank. I felt disgusted and sad.

The next large stop was at a train car. We all put our hands to it and nobody spoke. That single cart once held many. They were squished and crammed. They could have been in there for days, weeks, even close to months. Now all it was, was empty. That was not fair. It was never fair. These people were treated like animals and eventually made to feel as though they actually were. One story we were told is how human beings, victims, barely got food and the closest they came was by eating sand and grass around the barracks and work areas.

We then made our way through the woman’s section towards two of the four gas chambers/crematoriums. All four gas chambers were destroyed during the war. The only part we saw was the remains all over a small area of the ground taped off. We were able to see what was left of the inside and the stairs of crematorium number 2. The victims of the Holocaust were either brought there right away during the selection process off the train, or sometimes after suffering for an amount of time in the camps. They were forced to undress themselves and stand in a small room. All these people wanted was a shower and instead of shower, poison was dropped that killed them all. Millions Jews died like this. I felt so lost. The gas chambers and crematoriums were the worst part of all of the camps we visited. At some camps we were able to walk through them. So many of my peers and I were unable to walk through. The ones that did came out unable to speak or in tears. Some had said they felt angry, sad, suffocated. These are feelings none of us wanted to feel.  

We ended our day at a spot in the back right corner of the camp. All of our classes met together. The teachers gave us about fifteen minutes to just walk around or write in our journals. When the fifteen minutes ended, our group circled up in front of three memorial tombstones. Eight students and one madrich read poems, prayers, and testimonies. As they finished what they were saying, all of the Heller High staff and students put our arms around each other and sang Hatikvah. Hatikvah came to an end. The group started to walk towards the exit. Most of us kept holding hands with at least one other person or had our arms around one another. I alongside two other girls and one boy lit yahrzeit candles and placed them next to the memorials directly before leaving.

We will always remember what happened and how it happened.