Letters from recent participants...
September 3 2007
Dear Michael,
I just had to thank you for the wonderful and meaningful trip to Poland you oraganizd and executed this summer. All the details were impeccably arranged; the schedule was both well planned and balanced. It seems to me you thought of everything. I was also impressed by your ability to improvise - something very necessary in Poland. Shabbat in Krakow was particularly memorable. Not only was the entire Shabbat well thought out but we were all impressed with how all the details of Shabbat observance were carefully worked out - no small task in a modern hotel. Speaking of hotels, the accomodations were superb.
But, more than the technicalities, I have to mention the context. Rabbi Avraham Krieger was the perfect guide. His ability to explain, describe and draw out emotions is just amazing. Not only is he a living encyclopedia -he lives Poland. He is able to relate to the participants in a warm, personal and sometimes even humourous fashion. In particular, he was able to relate to this group which was largely composed of children (and grandchildren) os survivors. I am certain that each person in the group had special points which will remain with them forevr, I certainly know that Marsha and I had.
Finally, I want to compliment you on the security that accompanied us. One always felt secure and though the security staff was not heavy-handed, we always knew they were there and watching.
We look forward to joining you on tours to other places.
Sincerely,
Larry Wachsman
Letters From Participants in the 2004 Yeshiva Seminar
Hi, Michael.
This is Elisheva Eisenberg from Michlalah. I just wanted to say thank you for what had to have been the most amazing, meaningful, and perspective-altering experience I've had to date. The holocaust was always terrible to me, but I never fully understood it until now. To walk through the gas chambers of Majdanek and the train station at Birkenau, and realize that not six million Jews but one girl just like me walked the same path but never had the chance to retrace it, to understand that the pile of ashes in front of me was once a person made it real. Seeing the life before the death and realizing that we have not allowed that life to end has made me appreciate the strength of our nation under the terror of the Nazis.
My grandparents told me their stories just days before Heritage began. Walking through Birkenau, I followed their parents, siblings, and cousins, seeing the individuals in the six million. I feel it has become too easy to use the words "holocaust" and "gas chamber." We are to some degree taking the viewpoint of the Nazis: they saw the Jews as one body to be killed, we too lose their identities by grouping them as one large sum. Heritage broke the unimaginable number down to individuals for me, and in doing so made me realize the full horror of what went on, the full beauty of what was before it, and how much I now have to be appreciative for.
Elisheva Eisenberg
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Michael
A short note to express my immeasurable gratitude for having facilitated my participation in a trip that evoked and engendered some of the most unforgettable experiences and emotions of my life.
The surprise and beauty of joining my daughter further enhanced the trip which made it even more unique.
Additionally, as though the above was not enough, the privilege of carrying the Sefer Torah on the march to Birkenau cemented the great appreciation to Hakodosh Baruch Hu that there were survivors of the holocaust who were continuing the precious traditions of old.
With thanks once again and a kosher pessach,
N Borgenicht
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Dear Mr. Berl,
My name is Shoshana Adler and I go to Michlala. This past week I was on Heritage and I just wanted to thank you so much for everything you did. It really was the most incredible experience. One of the best things about it was how we didn't just go to the death camps, but we also saw the life that did exist in Poland before the war, and there was singing and dancing as well as crying. The staff was really amazing and they helped make the whole trip really special. Thank you so much again.
Shoshana Adler