Last Friday, November 7th, students of the 21st Secondary School of St. Stanislaus Kostka (known as “Biskupiak”) in Lublin, together with their teachers, took part in the first study trip for youth within a new series of educational visits to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.
The main theme of the entire project is the history of Poland and the Jewish people in Poland – from the beginnings of Polish statehood to the present day – with particular emphasis on the period of World War II and the realities of life in the Warsaw Ghetto. The students also became acquainted with the content and historical background of Hanna Krall’s book “Shielding the Flame.”
One of the main missions of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin’s Heschel Center is to organize meetings and educational trips for young people aimed at deepening their understanding of World War II and Catholic–Jewish relations. In this spirit, a series of educational excursions was planned, the first of which was a visit to the POLIN Museum. During the exhibition “A Journey Through POLIN,” students explored the origins of the Polish state and learned about the centuries-long coexistence and cooperation between Polish and Jewish communities.
“I already knew a bit about the history of World War II,” said Janek, a second-year student, when asked about his impressions of the trip. “Perhaps because it’s a topic we discuss a lot, also at school. But I learned a great deal about the history of Jews in Poland during the merchant era. Before, I often wondered where they had actually come from and didn’t realize how important a role they played in the social and economic life of that time.”
“After spending the day in Warsaw, I learned many interesting facts about Jews in Poland. I didn’t know they had lived in our country for such a long time. The exhibition was extremely engaging, and I gained a lot of new knowledge that I hadn’t encountered before,” added Mateusz.
“The trip was very interesting. I learned a lot about the suffering that Jews experienced in the Warsaw Ghetto and during World War II,” said Michał.
Mrs. Marta Fronczek, the class teacher, also shared her impressions:
“The trip we took was an extremely important and valuable experience both for me and for my students. It especially helped prepare the young people to engage with the very difficult history of the Holocaust and provided them with valuable insights into the history of Polish–Jewish relations in our country. The visit was also significant from the perspective of the school curriculum. Hanna Krall’s ‘Shielding the Flame’ is a required reading for high school students, and during the trip, they had the opportunity to see the places described in the book firsthand, including the bunker on Miła Street.”
The study trip program was designed in accordance with the national curriculum for secondary schools. Thanks to this, students had the opportunity to visit sites in Warsaw - especially in the Muranów district - that appear in Hanna Krall’s “Shielding the Flame,” her interview with Marek Edelman, one of the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The book is included in the list of required high school readings, so the visit to Warsaw was a complement to classroom lessons and an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the events described.
The trip to the POLIN Museum was not only a history lesson but also an important and moving experience. The students were able to directly encounter places that bear witness to the difficult yet shared history of Poles and Jews. Educational initiatives teach young people empathy, openness to intercultural dialogue, and respect for the heritage that has helped shape our national identity. This shared reflection on the past became an inspiration for conversations about values; memory, responsibility, and the importance of mutual understanding in today’s world.
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Heschel Center News