Julia Teichman | Lori Weintrob

Introduction: When I heard about the opportunity to spend spring break in Germany and Poland, learning about the Holocaust first-hand, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. To be completely honest, I would have never imagined myself going to Germany and Poland, always telling myself and family members that those two places are the last places I would want to go to in Europe; and here I am, first place traveling to in Europe, Germany and Poland. I was anxious, excited, nervous, hesitant, confused; a wave of emotions came over me before boarding the plane. I had no idea what to expect. This was the place where my family was killed, this was the place where the Nazi regime resided, and this is the place where the idea of a mass slaughter of Jews was carried out. When I would tell family members or friends that I was going to Germany and Poland, I got the same reaction, “why would you...

It was an absolute honor meeting the remarkable Holocaust survivors that this internship allowed me too. For me, I’ve been in the presence of many Holocaust survivors before, for my grandmother and her sister are Holocaust survivors themselves (along with many other family members). Because of this, I knew what to expect meeting other Holocaust survivors. However, even with my history of meeting Holocaust survivors, a wave of emotions always takes over. Through this internship, I had the opportunity to sit and meet with Rachel Gottlieb, a remarkable women whose spirit and energy is alive and well. Her positive attitude, smile, her constant reminder of how old she is, and how much she enjoys swimming impressed me from the start. It was refreshing to see her spirit so vibrant and smile so wide. However, as Leo Schuchert and I began interviewing Rachel, her smile began to slowly...