  {"id":4272,"date":"2025-07-10T12:54:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T16:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/?page_id=4272"},"modified":"2026-03-22T12:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T16:50:08","slug":"study-abroad","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/study-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\">The Holocaust, Genocide &amp; Human Rights in Prague<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">May 25 &#8211; June 6, 2026<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Spend ten days in one of Europe\u2019s most beautiful cities studying the region\u2019s history of genocide and its echoes in contemporary approaches to human rights and multicultural belonging.<\/p>\n<p>Our study-trip will include visits to sites of mass atrocity; reflections on the histories and cultures of minority groups before, during, and after the Second World War; meetings with non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights and representing marginalized communities; discussions with locals; and an impressive array of expert-led tours and museum visits. We will also schedule an incredible cultural night.<\/p>\n<p>Most days will begin with a lecture from trip director Dr. Jacob Ari Labendz, who is an expert in Czech and Jewish history, or from fascinating local scholars. While this course will focus significantly upon the Holocaust and Jewish life, it will also delve with nuance and depth into the histories and contemporary conditions of Roma, the LGBTQ community, and refugees.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><em><strong><span style=\"color: #800000\">Enrollment as closed! We&#8217;re going to Prague!!!<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<p><strong>10 &#8211; 13 Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tuition: $1000 \u2014 Covered by CHGS<\/p>\n<p>Program fee: $3,590<\/p>\n<p>Flight &amp; Incidentals: $1,750<\/p>\n<p>TOTAL: $5,340<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<p><strong>14 &#8211; 16 Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tuition: $1000 \u2014 Covered by CHGS<\/p>\n<p>Program fee: $2,950<\/p>\n<p>Flight &amp; Incidentals: $1,750<\/p>\n<p>TOTAL: $4,700<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000\">What&#8217;s covered by tuition? What additional costs can participants expect<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<p><strong>Included:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All events and programs<\/li>\n<li>Apartment-style accommodations<\/li>\n<li>Airport transfers in Prague<\/li>\n<li>Unlimited transportation pass<\/li>\n<li>International travel and health insurance<\/li>\n<li>CET resident director and access to CET Center<\/li>\n<li>Five group meals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<p><strong>Not Included:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Airfare<\/li>\n<li>Non-group meals and activities<\/li>\n<li>Meals (except for group meals)<\/li>\n<li>Incidentals and souvenirs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><strong><em>Our trip will be based upon the program which we operated in 2025 (see below).<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">We would like to thank an anonymous donor who contributed $10,000 towards our scholarships. Michael Katz contributed $6,000 towards our scholarship fund in honor of his aunt, Ellen K. Brumberg.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><strong>Our Summer 2025 Summer Trip<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_4459\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4459\" class=\"wp-image-4459\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Students standing along a railing along the Vltava river with a view of a bridge (statues only) and Prague Castle.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4459\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Bridge and Prague Castle (Credit: Shiori Kono)<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"collapsableContent\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"collapsableTitle\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-up fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span><strong>Review our Itinerary<\/strong><\/div><div class=\"c_content\">\n<p><strong>Monday, May 26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Arrival and Check-in<\/p>\n<p>Welcome Dinner<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, May 27<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CET (host institution) Orientation<\/p>\n<p>Academic Orientation with Dr. Jacob Ari Labendz<\/p>\n<p>Prague Walking Tour<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, May 28<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz Lecture: Jewish History in Bohemia and Moravia<\/p>\n<p>Guided Jewish Quarter Tour<\/p>\n<p>Discussion with a representative of the Czech Union of Jewish Youth<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, May 29<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz Lecture: The Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia<\/p>\n<p>Excursion: Theresienstadt \/ Terez\u00edn (WWII Jewish Ghetto)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, May 30<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz Lecture: Romani History and the Samudaripen<\/p>\n<p>Excursion: Lety (WWII Concentration Camp for Roma)<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Salim Murad: History of Roma and Integration<\/p>\n<p>Guest Lecture: Hip Hop Interventions with Romani Youth<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, May 31<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Free Day (Travel Permitted)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, June 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz Lecture: Czechoslovak Communism for Jews and Roma<\/p>\n<p>So\u0148a Sp\u011bv\u00e1kov\u00e1 (Organization for Immigrant Aid), \u201cImpact of the Ukraine War and the Lives of Ukrainian Refugees in the Czech Republic\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Museum of Communism<\/p>\n<p>State Opera: <em>Plat\u00e9e<\/em> by Jean-Philippe Rameau, 1745<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, June 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz Lecture: Kol\u00edn\u2019s Jewish History and Memory<\/p>\n<p>Excursion: Kol\u00edn (forty miles from Prague) \/ Welcome by the Mayor<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, June 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hosted visit at Romea, Romani Advocacy Organization<\/p>\n<p>Hosted visit at the Society for Queer Memory<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, June 4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Labendz: Concluding Discussion<\/p>\n<p>Free afternoon to explore and pack<\/p>\n<p>Farewell Dinner at Brambory (Potatoes)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, June 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Transport to airport and Departure<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center\">Photo Album &amp; Student Journals<\/h4>\n<div class=\"accordions\">\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 1: Arrival<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;In the weeks leading up to this trip, I knew I was embarking on a unique and incredibly meaningful experience that would expand my world-view and knowledge of the Holocaust and human rights issues\u2026 So far, I have only ever received an American educational perspective on the Holocaust and human rights issues. Therefore, I can see if there are ways the Czech Republic explains the history of the Holocaust and human rights that America could adopt and vice versa.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Flying across the Atlantic Ocean earlier today was the longest flight I have ever been on by a wide margin, and also the flight on which I had placed the heaviest burden of expectation. In the months leading up to this day, I have obsessed about what the journey to Prague could create within my life, and what lessons, both historically and personally, could be unearthed\u2026 Perhaps on an even more subconscious level, I began to expect this trip to guide me towards increased clarity and confidence in regards to how I integrate my own passions, academic studies, and personal interests.&#8221; &#8211; Chris Flug<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4461\" style=\"width: 217px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4461\" class=\"wp-image-4461 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Screen-Shot-2025-07-28-at-5.32.23-PM-207x300.png\" alt=\"Picture of a yellow building in Art-Nouveau style. \" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Screen-Shot-2025-07-28-at-5.32.23-PM-207x300.png 207w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Screen-Shot-2025-07-28-at-5.32.23-PM.png 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4461\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apartment Living (Google Maps)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4460\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4460\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4460\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-8-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Polaroid-style pictures of individual students in an apartment.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-8-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-8-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-8.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4460\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Breakfast cafe near home (Shiori Kono)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;When we finally arrived at the apartment, I was amazed at its size. You walk in and you&#8217;re greeted with an open space, where you can look out the windows. The kitchen features a dining table, and there are numerous bedrooms. The fact that we even had a whole room dedicated to the living room was amazing to me. When I finally got to my room, it was huge. It was bigger than any of them post-storms, and I settled in nicely, but I didn&#8217;t want to unpack too much because I knew it would be harder for me to pack it up again.&#8221; &#8211; Catherine Bardzell<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Our accommodations were just a quick tram-ride away from the city center. Students <em>loved<\/em> the ease of the tram network, which offers views of the entire city and insight into daily Czech culture.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4462\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4462\" class=\"wp-image-4462\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Students standing in a circle smiling.\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/First-Tram-Ride-Smaller-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4462\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Waiting for our first tram!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 2: Orientation and Prague Tour<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><em><strong>We enjoyed an expert-led tour of Prague, following our orientation meetings.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;In simple terms, Prague is gorgeous. The architecture and landscapes that you can see all over the city are beyond impressive. The castle is obviously a stand out, but I really liked the view from the park we visited, Kampa. John Lennon\u2019s wall was a cool little spot as well. I would have never thought that something like that would be a somewhat relevant tourist attraction in such a city, but alas, the legend of John Lennon reigns on in the Czech Republic&#8230; Since we got to Prague, I can\u2019t help but feel lucky for the opportunity I have to study here. And because I am so lucky, I want to take it seriously.&#8221; &#8211; Alex Samieske<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4555\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4555\" class=\"wp-image-4555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students and tourists crowded in front of a graffitied wall, next to a green water pump.\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lenon-2-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4555\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lennon&#8217;s Wall<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4302\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4302\" class=\"wp-image-4302\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Ramapo Students with Prague Castle and Charles Bridge in the background.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bridge-and-Castle.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4302\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramapo Students with Prague Castle and Charles Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4303\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4303\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4303\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"At Prague's famous Astronomical Clock\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Astronomical-Clock-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4303\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prague&#8217;s Astronomical Clock<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4475\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4475\" class=\"wp-image-4475 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605-300x286.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Bridge with pedestrian traffic on a bright day.\" width=\"300\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605-1024x976.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605-768x732.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605-1536x1464.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5672-copy-scaled-e1753917152605.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4475\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crossing Charles Bridge (Jamie Metz)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4478\" style=\"width: 391px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4478\" class=\"wp-image-4478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"A white and red roundo-cubist building with a red and gray tram in front of it.\" width=\"381\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1184-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tram stop for our classes (Rondocubism!) (LeighAnn Sevastian)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4485\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4485\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Picture of a woman twirling sparkling fire taken from behind in front of an audience standing on double stairs outside of a building.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Fire-Show-at-Letna-Beer-Gardens-2-5-29-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fire-dancing, Letna Beer Garden (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4523\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4523\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4523\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"View of central Prague from across the river.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/View-From-Letna-Hill-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from Letna Beer Garden (Chris Flug)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 3: Jewish Prague: Past and Present<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><span style=\"color: #800000\"><strong>Welcomed into the famous &#8220;Kafka Hall&#8221; of the Jewish Town Hall in Prague<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000\">(Most tourists cannot gain entry to this site.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;When we visited the Spanish synagogue, I was able to reflect on Jewish belonging in a new way: in architecture. The out-of-the-ordinary building style seemed to be the opposite of assimilation in integration. I thought about the need and desire to belong as opposed to the need and desire to stand out and retain culture. The Spanish synagogue\u2019s style reflected both sides of this.&#8221; &#8211; LeighAnn Sevastian<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4313\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4313\" class=\"wp-image-4313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Kafka Room in the Jewish Town Hall. Students are gathered under a painting of HRE Franz Josef behind a heavy wooden dais.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Franz-Kafka.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4313\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kafka Room in the Jewish Town Hall (not open to tourists)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4372\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4372\" class=\"wp-image-4372\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students and a guide in Prague's Spanish synagogue. It is a very ornate, &quot;orientalist&quot;-style building.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Spanish-3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guided tour of the Jewish Museum: Spanish Synagogue<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;My favorite building was the Spanish Synagogue. Unlike the Old-New Synagogue, its interior was richly decorated and stunning. I could not stop looking at the ceiling, where two Stars of David stood prominently in front of the altar. One resembled stained glass, with each point of the star painted in pink. The other was made of metal bars ending in spherical shapes, each sphere containing smaller star patterns.&#8221; &#8211; Shiori Kono<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4540\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4540\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Interior of the Old-New Synagogue in Prague, a 13th century, gothic structure.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Old-New-Synagogue-1-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4540\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">13th century Old New Synagogue (Chris Flug)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Lastly, our meeting with Elias highlighted how fluid and constantly changing the sense of belonging is. During his presentation, Elias noted the involvement of the Czech Union of Jewish Youth with the European Union of Jewish Students, as well as the significance of the Moishe House. This portion of the meeting truly emphasized how belonging among the Jewish community in the Czech Republic has evolved into a global scale. Of course they still face challenges of belonging in a national setting, but now a new form of belonging poses questions of how the Czech Jews will see themselves in a more globalized society. This also shows how belonging is not a stagnant thing, nor is it one dimensional. It changes over time and adapts to different cultural and political climates. At the same time, there are different levels to belonging as people\u2019s perceptions of themselves and their presence in the world change.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 4: Theresienstadt\/Terez\u00edn\u2014The Holocaust<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><em><strong>Guided in Theresienstadt\/Terez\u00edn by scholar and translator J\u00ed\u0159i Bla\u017eek<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis and their Czech collaborators imprisoned over 140,000 Jews in the Theresienstadt Ghetto, primarily from the territory of contemporary Czech Republic. Some 33,000 prisoners died there from executions, torture, starvation, and illness. The Nazis deported 90,000 inmates to camps and ghettoes in the east, principally Auschwitz.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Throughout our time in the Ghetto, I kept thinking to myself that the ground I was walking on was once walked on by people who had no freedom, no liberty, no food, and were full of fear.\u00a0 I had learned that these were the feelings they had, but I did not fully understand until I was walking around Terez\u00edn. I cannot fully put how I felt into words, the best way to describe it is by saying I felt weighed down. However, I felt almost relieved when we visited the small synagogue that had been hidden away because I knew that it was a place of worship and a place where this Jewish community was able to go and be close to those who share beliefs and are experiencing the same conditions.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;One of the strangest feelings I felt during my trip was walking through one of the beautiful parks in Terezin knowing that less than a century ago innocent people were being murdered for simply being Jewish on that very land. This got me to start thinking about what it must be like to live every day on this land that was once an evil place.&#8221; &#8211; Noah Feldman<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4375\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4375\" class=\"wp-image-4375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Model of barracks used to house Jewish prisoners in Terez\u00edn. \" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4375\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Model of barracks that housed Jewish prisoners in Terez\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4376\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4376\" class=\"wp-image-4376\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students gathered in front of a door, speaking with a white man in a black hat.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paying homage at the crematorium in Terez\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;\u200b\u200bOnce we entered Terezin, I realized that all of the mental preparation I went through prior to today could not have helped with the shock of learning that Terezin was used for propaganda. I knew I would be entering a location where atrocities took place, but finding out that people were actually convinced by the lies told about this concentration camp made me feel such a deep sense of disbelief, anger, and sadness.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4466\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4466\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4466\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"A green field with small gray stone blocks scattered throughout.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4466\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Terez\u00edn Jewish Cemetery (Alex Samieske)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4539\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4539\" class=\"wp-image-4539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Military-style cemetery with a large cross in the distance, in front of an early modern fort.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Terezin-4-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Postwar cemetery in Terez\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Today, we had a lecture about the persecution of Jewish people during World War II. It was my first time hearing that even people who identified as Christians were discriminated against and sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust simply because they had Jewish ancestors. It was eye-opening to learn how the Nazi regime and much of the public blamed Jews for the economic depression after Germany\u2019s unconditional surrender after World War I.&#8221; &#8211; Shiori Kono<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Standing on the ground where events of the Holocaust were perpetrated, specifically in the crematorium outside Terez\u00edn, led me to reflect on the terrifying consequences of premature exposure to fictional narratives related to the Holocaust. Before we are properly informed, works of literature and visual media continuously reinforce that even the most macabre depths of human suffering will always be counterbalanced by the redemptive actions of a protagonist, within convenient and digestible periods of time.&#8221; &#8211; Chris Flug<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 5: Lety \u2014 Romani History, Persecution, and Contemporary Life<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><em><strong>The newly opened Lety Memorial<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Lety u P\u00edsku served as a concentration and transit camp for Bohemian Roma in 1942 and 1943. Czech administrators imprisoned more than 1,294 Roma in the camp, housed in overcrowded bunks. The administrators enriched themselves by diverting funds allocated for food, leading to major health crises in the camp. Scholars recorded 335 deaths among the prisoners. The Nazis murdered many more at Auschwitz.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">The Czechoslovak government failed to erect a memorial at the site. Adding insult to injury in 1974, it built a large pig farm on the grounds of the former death camp. Only after the passing of a full fifty years\u2014despite protests\u2014did the Czech government remove the sties. A collection of Romani activists and scholars led the construction of the new memorial.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;There is certainly a lot more that needs to be done in terms of honoring and respecting Romani history, but I believe Lety can play a part in that journey. It was so clear that an enormous amount of care went into the construction of the museum and memorialization of the camp. Everyone there genuinely cared deeply about Lety and educating the public about its history. Additionally, the way the various areas of the site combined with the video exhibition explaining Lety\u2019s history all provided a holistic understanding of Romani persecution during the Holocaust. I was especially moved by the audio recordings that were played along the path we took while outside. By listening to peoples\u2019 stories from being at Lety while also looking at the site, I was able to deeply reflect on the history of Lety and its historical significance.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4349\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4349\" class=\"wp-image-4349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students visible through a circular metal sculpture in a green field.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Sculpture-3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4349\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lety Concentration Camp<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4346\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4346\" class=\"wp-image-4346\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Small rows of flowers on mounds with a sign that warns that they re mass graves.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-Grave-2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4346\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mass graves at Lety<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Today was the most emotionally heavy because we were standing on the ground of literal mass murders of people who did nothing wrong and were killed solely because of their genetic background. The commemoration site and building were beautifully done. The walkway around where the camp sat and the silver bar of each victim&#8217;s name was so thought out, and it is an amazing way to remember this genocide and its horrors. In addition, I thought the extended walkways off of the main circle and educational center were done well and serve the purpose of educating visitors and remembering those who were lost&#8230; Lety was beautifully haunting. The land where the camp sat is open and full of wild grass and flowers. However, knowing the history of the land makes it haunting because it was once a place of destruction, horror, and suffering, and you can feel a heavy weight on your shoulders as you walk through the pathways. The winning of this land and the construction of this memorial were significant because they represented a victory. The memorial acts as a bridge between those who suffered and those who came after, offering a space to mourn and honor those who had been lost. The beauty of the land now contrasts with its violent history, which urges visitors to carry the lessons learned there and the responsibility to never forget it.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4534\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4534\" class=\"wp-image-4534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students standing at a large plaque installed in a field with trees in the background\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Lety-2-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4534\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lety<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4467\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4467\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4467\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a memorial. A shattered sphere made out of concrete with red, white, and blue flowers.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Adobe-Express-file-1-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4467\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Older memorial (Alex Samieske)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;The flowers also act as a foil to the pig farm that previously existed on the land of the Lety Roma Holocaust Memorial. The pig farm, like the path of the memorial, represents death and ugliness. The pigs are killed over the bodies of the Roma people who died during the Holocaust. While also considering the ugliness of the pig farm, the pig farm demoralizes the memory of the harassed Roma people of the Holocaust. Many people were terribly upset about this and fought for the pig farm to be taken down and the memorial to be built. Interestingly, one of the ways these activists attempted to redeem these forgotten Romani\u2019s was by attaching flowers to the fences of the pig farm. The use of flowers to call out the pig farm and decorate the memorial demonstrates how flowers use their beauty as acts of rebellion against death.&#8221; &#8211; Noah Feldman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;I am grateful that I had the opportunity to visit Lety and learn about this part of history. I hope to share what I experienced today with others, so that the memory of the Romani victims is preserved and their suffering is not forgotten.&#8221; &#8211; Shiori Kono<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4476\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4476\" class=\"wp-image-4476 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Concrete walls in the distance across a grassy field.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_5913-copy-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4476\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preserved remains of the pig farm at Lety (Jamie Metz)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4334\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4334\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Student reads from a paper in front of a class\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Larissa-Lety-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Larissa reads a poem<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u200b\u200b&#8221;Todays material about the genocide of the Roma people, in conjuncture with the visit to the concentration camp at Lety, expanding my understanding of how the atrocities of the Holocaust were far more complex than the most commonly told story of German facism and Jewish suffering\u2026 Later in the day, while listening to the passionate guest lecture by Salim Murad, I realized just how easy it is for the suffering of marginalized groups to be left behind in the popular telling of history. Most educational institutions only focus on the mass murder of the Jews during the Holocaust, while Mr. Murad and his colleagues are dedicating their lives to informing the public about the Roma genocide, and the continuing estrangement of Roma in the Czech Republic.&#8221; &#8211; Chris Flug<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;When we arrived, my first reflection on the commemoration site itself was how remote it was. We were told that there is still no accessible, scheduled proper public transport to bring the general public to Lety. Therefore, students and others who could be educated and enriched by visiting the site most likely do not get the opportunity to go. I considered how this mirrored the isolation of an ethnic group subject to massacres\u2026 I recall seeing and also feeling the frustration of the survivors in the footage about the pig farm that was built on Lety and the way that, for a time, the government actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">expanded<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> it. I thought this part of the commemoration site was therefore enduring and relevant to its purpose.&#8221; &#8211; LeighAnn Sevastian<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 6: Free Day<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><strong><span style=\"color: #800000\">On their free day (and again on the last day), students explored new regions of the Czech Republic and parts of the city they had missed.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;What surprised me the most was how small moments or wrong turns became opportunities to learn something new. A perfect example is when Carolyn and I were trying to find a coffee shop, took a left turn, and ended up walking through a Vietnamese market. I knew that the Vietnamese population in Prague was high, but it was so nice to see how they have integrated into the community and still are connected with their traditional food, clothing, and arts. It is always interesting to see how cultural influences from different communities blend into the everyday life of large cities like this.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;My free day was spent in Brno. It was really cool to take a train through the countryside of the Czech Republic, and though the city was not as nice as Prague, I was pleasantly surprised with it. The purpose of my visit was to see the Museum of Romani Culture, which was located just outside the center of the city.&#8221; &#8211; Alex Samieske<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;In the context of today\u2019s trip to Brno, I am grateful that the efficiency of the Czech train network speedily brought me through many sights of awe-inspiring natural beauty promptly enough for me to bring my most wakeful state of the day to the streets of the city.&#8221; &#8211; Chris Flug<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4472\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4472\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4472\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Young man in a gray shirt and cap with a shoulder bag, standing in front of a green building with a Romani Flag.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4472\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Museum of Romani Culture, Brno (Alex Samieske)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4473\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4473\" class=\"wp-image-4473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Large white room with colorful paintings on the walls.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/unnamed-2-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Art at the Romani Museum (Alex Samieske)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;On my free day, I went to the Prague Zoo. I had planned to go there since I first saw the scheduled free day months ago, so nothing would stop me. I love bears, especially polar bears, and the Prague Zoo is known for keeping them\u2026 We saw Japanese giant salamanders, an Amur tiger, an elephant shrew, an Indian gharial, and an emu with chicks. My second favorite habitat was for the Indian elephants. Viewers were allowed to get very close to them and I was completely in awe. The biggest one had green grass and leaves on its back as if it were a mountain.&#8221; &#8211; LeighAnn Sevastian<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4480\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4480\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman in a dress in front of a polar bear enclosure\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1422-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4480\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visiting the polar bears in the Zoo (LeighAnn Sevastian)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4481\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4481\" class=\"wp-image-4481\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Elephant in a Zoo with grass on its back. Communist-era apartment blocks in the distance.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_1500-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elephants in the Zoo with communist-era housing blocks in the distance (LeighAnn Sevastian)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;On my day off, I went on a three-pronged tour of the Bohemian-Swiss International Park. The park straddles the German border, resulting in one prong of the tour being in Germany. The first prong consisted of a hike to the Pravcicka Gate stone arch\u2026 The next part of the tour took us to the Kamenice Gorge. The tour brought me down the steep, wet steps of the ravine. We continued down the path and eventually made it to a dock where gondolas would take groups of people up and down a section of the river Kamenice at the bottom of the ravine. The boat ride was relaxing, and the German speaking rower would crack jokes and point out silly looking rocks along the cliffside that my tour guide would translate.&#8221; &#8211; Noah Feldman<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4496\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4496\" class=\"wp-image-4496\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Sokoli-hnizdo-Hotel-next-to-Arch-plus-Noah-5-31-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Smiling young man in a blue tee-shirt with an historic hotel, built into a rock wall, in the background.\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Sokoli-hnizdo-Hotel-next-to-Arch-plus-Noah-5-31-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Sokoli-hnizdo-Hotel-next-to-Arch-plus-Noah-5-31-rotated.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4496\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hotel in &#8220;Czech Switzerland&#8221; (Noah Fedlman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4494\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4494\" class=\"wp-image-4494\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Pravcicka-Arch-5-31-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Rock feature that looks like a bridge towering over a chasm.\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Pravcicka-Arch-5-31-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Pravcicka-Arch-5-31.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4494\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Czech Switzerland (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4483\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4483\" class=\"wp-image-4483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bastei-Bridge-Scenerty-plus-Noah-Germany-5-31-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Man in a blue shirt and black pants on at a look-out point over a valley.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bastei-Bridge-Scenerty-plus-Noah-Germany-5-31-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Bastei-Bridge-Scenerty-plus-Noah-Germany-5-31-rotated.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4483\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Czech Switzerland (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4490\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4490\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4490\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kamenice-River-Rock-That-Looks-Like-a-Face-5-31-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Rock formation that looks like a man's face in profile\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kamenice-River-Rock-That-Looks-Like-a-Face-5-31-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kamenice-River-Rock-That-Looks-Like-a-Face-5-31-rotated.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4490\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Czech Switzerland (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4492\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4492\" class=\"wp-image-4492\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Outside-of-Jubilee-Synagogue-6-4-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Synagogue in orientalist style. Red and white stripes with blue and gold trim.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Outside-of-Jubilee-Synagogue-6-4-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Outside-of-Jubilee-Synagogue-6-4.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4492\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jubilee (Jerusalem) Synagogue (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4515\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4515\" class=\"wp-image-4515 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Interior of the Jerusalemska Synagogue, built ornately in an Orientalist style.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Jubilee-Synagogue-Interior-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jubilee interior (Chris Flug)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_4518\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4518\" class=\"wp-image-4518\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Large hall with two balcony levels with arches. Red carpets run down two stairways in the back\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/National-Museum-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4518\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">National Museum (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 7: Communism, Contemporary Refugee Issues, and the Opera<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #800000\"><em><strong>Plat\u00e9e (1745) by Jean-Philippe Rameau, State Opera<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">The day began with a presentation from an immigrant rights organization in the Czech Republic, featuring reflections on the processes of migration and the specific issues facing Ukrainian refugees in Czechia today. The Museum of Communism introduced students to the material, political, and social challenges of life in communist Czechoslovakia. Dr. Labendz spoke in the morning about the lives of Jews and Roma during communism.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4520\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4520\" class=\"wp-image-4520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Interior of a grand opera house with three levels of lodges, a baroque ceiling with a chandelier, and a red curtain drawn in front of the stage\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-House-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">National Opera (Credit: Chris Flug)<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4356\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4356\" class=\"wp-image-4356\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students sitting in a fancy, European opera house.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4356\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The State Theater<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4357\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4357\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Students posed on stone stairs covered by a red carpet.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Opera.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4357\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Putt&#8217;n on the ritz<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;We learned from the presentation that So\u0148a\u2019s organization was the first NGO to meet and help Ukrainian refugees at the Main Station in Prague. In terms of the legacy of the Holocaust and the Cold War, I contemplated delayed responses to minority groups\u2019 suffering during both events. Perhaps communication being so much more quick and effective than it was eighty years ago plays a role in fast and empathetic responses to suffering.&#8221; &#8211; LeighAnn Sevastian<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4551\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4551\" class=\"wp-image-4551\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Pro-Ukrainian graffiti. A young girl with braided hair sits and covers herself and various cartoon characters with the Ukrainian flag.\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Mojmirova-Grafitti-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4551\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-Ukraine Graffiti<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;\u2026 I did not speak English when I first moved to the United States, and I had to rely on gestures to communicate. Reflecting on that time, I remember feeling very isolated and anxious in American society, and I imagine many refugees in the Czech Republic must be experiencing similar emotions. Although I am still learning English, it was relatively easier for me to acquire the language compared to my parents, likely because I was younger and more adaptable. Therefore, I strongly connected with what Ms. \u0160p\u011bv\u00e1kov\u00e1 said about older refugees needing more support. They often struggle with language barriers, which can make it difficult to find employment and meet their basic needs.&#8221; &#8211; Shiori Kono<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4566\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4566\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4566\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Poster for the Museum of Communism in Prague. It is off-white with red lettering: &quot;Museum of Communism is Here!&quot; It includes the institutions old address. The picture is of a matryoshka with fangs. \" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/08\/Museum_of_communism_in_prague_2008-08-06-scaled.jpg 1706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4566\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old MoC poster (WikiCommons)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I especially liked all the artifacts available [at the <a href=\"https:\/\/muzeumkomunismu.cz\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Museum of Communism<\/a>], which showcased daily life and the realities of the people. I believe this is much better than any textbook because the Czech Republic was once a communist country, and it is pretty interesting to see how the people reacted to this. &#8211; Cathrine Bardzell<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 8: Kol\u00edn Jewish History and Memory<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">We visited Kol\u00edn because the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies cares for and displays a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/welcoming-our-czech-torah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">250 year-old Torah scroll<\/a> from that city. It survived the Holocaust in Prague&#8217;s Central Jewish Museum. The scroll is on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Since the 1980s, Kol\u00edn has demonstrated a commitment to its Jewish past, empowered by connections it has forged with communities around the world which, like CHGS, serves as a custodian for a Kol\u00edn Torah scroll. The mayor greeted us personally, welcoming us into his office and City Hall&#8217;s incredible ceremonial hall.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;One thing that struck me particularly regarding our visit to Kolin was how much they advertised the hidden synagogue. It almost felt like the synagogue was the city\u2019s &#8216;number one attraction&#8217;. When we were meeting with the mayor, I was very curious as to how a city with such a miniscule jewish population would be adamant on people visiting their synagogue. I asked the mayor if young students in the city learned about Jewish history in Kolin\u2013 if you advertise Jewish history as a reason to visit Kolin, I would have expected everyone in the city to have learned about it. However, when I asked this question the mayor replied with &#8216;We try&#8217;.&#8221; &#8211; Alex Samieske<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4454\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4454\" class=\"wp-image-4454\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Wood paneled room with large frescos. Ten students, Dr. Labendz, and the Mayor of Kol\u00edn pose together.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08618-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4454\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramapo with the Mayor of Kol\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4452\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4452\" class=\"wp-image-4452\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Students sitting in wooden chairs listening to a lecture.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08612-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The mayor was interesting!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI was amazed when we visited the mayor, as I had no idea he was so invested in meeting us. I saw that it was part of our itinerary, but it was even more impressive to see them so passionate about sharing their history and lives with us. I especially loved the place he took us after his office, with the huge paintings on the wall of Kolin.\u201d &#8211; Catherine Bardzell<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4453\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4453\" class=\"wp-image-4453\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Picture of a white man in a blazer standing in front of a wooden dais.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08616-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4453\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Ka\u0161par, Mayor of Kol\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4450\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4450\" class=\"wp-image-4450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Students in a beautiful ceremonial hall. Sitting in chairs for a lecture.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/DSC08575-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4450\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Listening to Mayor Ka\u0161par<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;In Czech Republic, especially Kol\u00edn, Czech Jews and their history are treated as part of Czechia\u2019s overall history, at least more than most other countries. This is evident by the number of Jewish museums, stories, and historical figures that are prized in places like Prague and Kol\u00edn.&#8221; &#8211; Noah Feldman<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4418\" style=\"width: 395px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4418\" class=\"wp-image-4418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Postcard-Kolin.jpeg\" alt=\"Picture postcard featuring the interior of the synagogue in Kol\u00edn.\" width=\"385\" height=\"275\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4418\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Postcard: Kol\u00edn Synagogue Interior<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4328\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4328\" class=\"wp-image-4328\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students posed between rows of grapes in a miniature vineyard\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Grapes-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4328\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vineyard of the Kol\u00edn Synagogue<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dr. Labendz insisted upon finding Kol\u00edn&#8217;s New Jewish Cemetery, if only for a chance to peer over the walls. The students enjoyed playing &#8220;Indiana Jones.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4305\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4305\" class=\"wp-image-4305\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students walking through the woods.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Cemetery-Hike-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Accompanying Dr. Labendz to Kol\u00edn&#8217;s Old Cemeter for research<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4491\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4491\" class=\"wp-image-4491 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Noah-on-Old-Jewish-Cemetary-Wall-6-2-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Young man in a gray sweatshirt standing on a wall, holding onto a tree.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Noah-on-Old-Jewish-Cemetary-Wall-6-2-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Noah-on-Old-Jewish-Cemetary-Wall-6-2-rotated.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peeping Kol\u00edn&#8217;s New Jewish Cemetery (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;When we were in Kolin, the guide referred to the synagogue as &#8216;our synagogue.&#8217; This resonated with me because it truly seemed that the people in Kolin view Jewish history as a significant part of the town\u2019s overall history. Even if there is barely a Jewish population left in Kolin, there is a greater sense of pride in the Jewish history of the town and an understanding of its importance.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4327\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4327\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Students, one with an umbrella, inside a gated green space.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-Cemetery-1-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4327\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kolin&#8217;s Old Jewish Cemetery<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4316\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4316\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Students walking through a narrow yellow alleyway, under arcades.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-1-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4316\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kol\u00edn is pretty<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u200b\u200b&#8221;Remembrance can be done in any way, shape, or form, and Kolin embraced ways of remembrance that are more subtle and just as respectful to the Jewish community. Kol\u00edn offers a more intimate view of how communities can remember their Jewish past.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4318\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4318\" class=\"wp-image-4318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students surrounded by stone walls\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4318\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Medieval Kol\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4321\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4321\" class=\"wp-image-4321\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Students in front of a stone church\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Kolin-6-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4321\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cathedral in Kol\u00edn<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Day 9:<\/strong><strong> Romea (Romani Rights) and Society for Queer Memory<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">To properly study a genocide, one must focus not only on the years of murder, but on the experiences and living conditions of the targeted communities before, during, and after the crime. We must do so, first and foremost, to avoid objectifying the communities whom we seek to study and commemorate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Studying victimized communities in comparative perspective also helps us to learn more about the causes, conditions, and repercussions of genocide. Just as we met with a representative of the Czech Union of Jewish Youth, so too did we learn from NGOs that advocate for Roma and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Whereas our friend at the Jewish community spoke about the general wellbeing and acceptance of Jews in Prague, the organizations, <a href=\"https:\/\/romea.cz\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romea<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.queerpamet.cz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Society for Queer Memory<\/a>, introduced us to the ongoing challenges faced by these communities and their self-advocacy.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;I wanted to stay at the Center for Queer Memory all day. I was not knowledgeable at all about the queer history of the Czech Republic at all and I thought our visit was extremely enriching. We learned that information about HIV and AIDs was not provided in almost any other media besides the queer magazine runs that we looked at (such as Lambda). To me it seemed to reflect the crisis in America during the same time period, and that generation being forced to form their own survival plans. I deeply loved looking at the small art pieces and poems in the magazine issues and I would kill to be able to read just one of them translated in English. I would like to be able to feel authors\u2019 emotional states during a time when publication may have saved them.&#8221; &#8211; LeighAnn Sevastian<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;The queer community has made a lot of progress in hosting pride events and visibility events! The archive we visited today revealed this, and although there was plenty for him to show us, a lot of it was hidden away for a long time.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4373\" style=\"width: 477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4373\" class=\"wp-image-4373\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Three students at a wooden table in front of filled wooden bookshelves\" width=\"467\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/SPQP-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4373\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Library of the Society for Queer Memory<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Romea has started many projects to combat the misinformation in the media and present a new narrative of Roma. One of these projects is the Baruvas which are summer camps that educate Romani young people about their culture, history, and language. The goal of these camps is to make young people proud of their Romani heritage rather than trying to hide it. They have also started a scholarship program for Roma students so that they can afford to go onto higher education. Romea has also filmed interviews with the older generation of Roma to talk about Romani history from firsthand accounts so that this information can be recorded, preserved, and spread among the population&#8230; It is unfortunate that efforts must be taken in the media just to show that Roma are normal, everyday citizens because in a democracy they should not have to prove themselves in this way. If one is living in a democratic country they should be automatically granted the same rights as every other citizen but persecution and discrimination against Roma has existed for so long that it has become deeply rooted in the minds of the Czech people and in the institutions that should be serving them.&#8221; &#8211; Jamie Metz<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/romea.cz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romea<\/a> featured our students on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DKd-JpVNbrd\/?igsh=MTkyZmZsZTloZTJsbA==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">InstaGram Reels<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4294\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4294\" class=\"wp-image-4294 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-8-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Students sitting around a wooden table in a small room with green walls\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-8-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-8-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-8.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4294\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Learning from Romea<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4537\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4537\" class=\"wp-image-4537\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Gathering in a green movie studio\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Romea-3-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4537\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Touring Romea&#8217;s studio<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;To address these issues, Romea has been working to build a supportive community where Romani people can express their views and preserve their culture. The organization also provides scholarships to help Romani youth access higher education, which can lead to better economic opportunities and improved social status. Mr. Balog shared his own personal experience with identity. He explained that he struggled to accept his identity as Roma because of the widespread stigma. It was not until his grandmother shared her story of being sterilized that he began to take pride in his heritage and started learning more about his culture.&#8221; &#8211; Shiori Kono<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Today was a really interesting day. It started with a visit to Romea, which was a NGO dedicated to supporting Roma communities around the Czech Republic. In my opinion, the presentation given to us here was one of the most important ones that we had as a class. To speak with members of the Roma community provided us with insight that we previously did not have. We had of course learned about the Romani plight in the Czech Republic, but to hear about it from a member of the community themselves amplified the importance of issues surrounding Roma people in the country.&#8221; &#8211; Alex Samieske<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"item\"><p class=\"question\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"fa-stack\"><i class=\"fa fa-circle fa-stack-2x\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-plus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><i class=\"fa fa-minus fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i><\/span> <strong>Title 10: Farewell to All That<\/strong><\/p><div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;This trip was unlike any other academic experience I have had and I am so grateful to have had the privilege of participating in this. One of the main lessons I took away from this experience was that it is necessary to be uncomfortable in order to learn. Looking back on my public school education, I realize now that a lot of what I have been taught about the Holocaust and human rights issues has been watered down significantly for the sake of not making people feel uncomfortable. This comes at the cost of accurate knowledge and understanding though. I grew up having a general idea of the atrocities of the Holocaust and the injustices many marginalized groups experience, but it always seemed so far away and irrelevant because I never received a thoroughly honest explanation.&#8221; &#8211; Jessica Olshefski<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4474\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4474\" class=\"wp-image-4474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Four students standing in front of a souvenir store marked with &quot;I *heart* Prague&quot;\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/37c6478c-2a97-436e-b05c-05e8811608a6.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4474\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stopping for souvenirs (Jamie Olshefski)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4493\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4493\" class=\"wp-image-4493\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Sunset from a plane window with visible wing.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Plane-5-25-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4493\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flying home (Noah Feldman)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Visiting the sites of mass atrocities, speaking with public officials and employees of NGOs, and absorbing vast amounts of information about the history of minority groups in the Czech Republic reminded me that learning and listening are far more important skills than writing cover letters.&#8221; &#8211; Chris Flug<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row colSet\">\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4529\" style=\"width: 409px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4529\" class=\"wp-image-4529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_3555-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Coffee and tea drinks on a tray.\" width=\"399\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_3555-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_3555-1024x769.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_3555-768x577.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/IMG_3555.jpeg 1206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starting the day right (Larissa Beattie)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sColumn col-sm-12 col-md-12 \">\n<div id=\"attachment_4497\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4497\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4497\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Venezin-Czech-Delicacy-5-31-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"A plate of colorful Czech gulash with dumplings peaking out.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Venezin-Czech-Delicacy-5-31-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/07\/Venezin-Czech-Delicacy-5-31-rotated.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4497\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gul\u00e1\u0161! (Chris Flug)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;I cannot believe this experience is already over. The last ten days have been something I never expected I would get the opportunity to have. Being able to study abroad has been one of my top bucket-list items for as long as I can remember, and being able to do it in a country with such a rich account of recent history while studying a topic that has always piqued my interest is something special to me&#8230; I would say the most important lesson I learned was the importance of acknowledging other cultures. Being able to understand the history behind all communities, especially ones that have historically been discriminated against, is crucial in our modern world. As a person who wants to eventually become an educator, I find it very important to learn about as many cultures as possible to be able to build a strong connection with any future students and their families.&#8221; &#8211; Larissa Beattie<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We would like to thank our local program coordinator, <a href=\"https:\/\/cetacademicprograms.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CET Academic Programs<\/a>, for managing logistics and providing round-the-clock services to keep our students safe and well oriented.<\/p>\n<p>The Holocaust and Human Rights in Prague was planned in coordination with the Dr. Erin Augis and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/honors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Honors Program<\/a>. Students earned two credits for participating. Honors students enjoyed the option of using the program to fulfill a portion of their research and writing requirements. The CHGS would additionally like to thank Paul Current and Kate Lamanna from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/international\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roukema Center for International Education<\/a> for their support.<\/p>\n<p>The CHGS provided a $1,400 scholarship to each participant thanks to generous donations from: Beth Haverim Shir Shalom in Mahwah, NJ, Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Bridgeport, CT, Rosalyn Ross, and anonymous. The S. Rubenstein Family Foundation offered a $3,000 scholarship to one of our participants.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Holocaust, Genocide &amp; Human Rights in Prague May 25 &#8211; June 6, 2026 Spend ten days in one of Europe\u2019s most beautiful cities studying the region\u2019s history of genocide [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":938,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4272","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Study Abroad - Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS) || Ramapo College of New Jersey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/holocaust\/study-abroad\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Study Abroad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Holocaust, Genocide &amp; 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