Shebbear College educational enrichment trip to Poland

Earlier this year, 30 fifth- and sixth-form pupils from Shebbear College enjoyed an enriching history and cultural trip to Krakow, Poland. The trip included tours around the beautiful city of Krakow and its Jewish heritage, Oskar Schindler’s factory, Auschwitz extermination camps, the Jagiellonian University, Wawel Royal Castle and state chambers, Nova Huta and Wieliczka Salt Mines. Perhaps the most poignant moment was being able to observe a one-minute silence for all the victims on behalf of Shebbear College. This took place at the memorial between the two gas chambers at the end of the railway track in Birkenau. Twin pupils ended the silence by placing red roses and candles on the memorial, just a short distance from where millions perished and where Dr Mengele performed his horrific experiments on twins. At the Galacia Jewish Museum, in a private conference room, the pupils met holocaust survivor Monika Goldwasser. The room was silent as, through an interpreter, Monika told her heartbreaking story about how her parents were executed by the Nazis, and how she survived in a Krakow orphanage protected by nuns until she was adopted by a Polish couple. Monika expounded the importance of love and left them with this thought-provoking message: ‘You are young and your whole life is ahead of you and you will have many decisions to make – remember, your decisions will reflect upon other people.’