08/06/2026
Some moments remind you exactly why you chose to become an educator.
Without being asked, one of my students, Caleb, created this video to encourage other families to join our next Multigenerational Holocaust & Heritage Journey to Poland. There is no grade attached to it, no assignment, no expectation—just a young man who felt compelled to share an experience that profoundly changed him.
Caleb traveled with his parents on our most recent journey. Along the way, he discovered not only the unimaginable tragedy of the Holocaust, but also the extraordinary story of more than 800 years of vibrant Jewish life in Poland—a civilization that gave the world remarkable rabbis, writers, philosophers, educators, doctors, artists, and visionaries.
His hope is simple: that other families will walk the same streets, stand in the same places, wrestle with the same questions, and return home transformed.
As educators, we often wonder whether our work truly makes a lasting impact. Then something like this arrives unexpectedly, and you realize that the greatest rewards are never trophies or titles. They are the moments when a student takes ownership of what they have learned and feels called to inspire others.
Caleb, his parents, siblings, grandparents—and the hundreds of students and families I have had the privilege of learning alongside over the years—are the reason I do what I do. This has never been just a job. It has always been a calling.
Thank you for allowing me to walk alongside you in this journey—to preserve our collective memory, strengthen Jewish identity, and help build a more compassionate world.
If one student's experience inspires another family to say yes to this journey, then the torch of memory has already been passed to the next generation.
-Tamara Donnenfeld, Director of Lifelong Learning
