Each spring I take Asbury University students to Berlin and Krakow to study aspects of the Holocaust. We learn about the euthanasia efforts in Nazi-Germany as well as the concentration and extermination camp system. Among other events, students are led through guided tours of Sachsenhausen, Ravensbruck, and Auschwitz. Accounts of the victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and rescuers, are each confronted and considered by the students as they attempt to wade into the perplexing waters of the what, how, and whys of these horrible events. Furthermore, the holocaust narrative is used as a portal into a raw and unvarnished examination of the darkness that besets the human condition. To learn more about these trips (non-AU students are welcome to apply), visit the Asbury University website.

Post 2025 Tour – Day 2: Sobibor
Today Damien and I visited and toured Sobibor, a remote camp that sits at the border of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It functioned for about

Post 2025 Tour – Day 1: Bełżec, Izbica, and Trawniki
No Words To Be Found It took a while, but all of the Asbury students are now back on U.S. soil. I, however, am staying

Day 13 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Last Day… Today was “free Kraków” for the students until our final meeting this afternoon followed by a team meal in the evening. Since most

Day 12 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Auschwitz I and II (Birkenau) Today we traveled west out of Krakow to the Polish community of Oświęcim, a medium-sized city in the Silasian province

Day 11 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
A Memorial, Museum, Church, and Castle On Friday, the team had a hefty agenda, but we pulled it off. First, we made our way to

Day 10 – Holocaust Studies Tour
The (Long, Fun, Beautiful, Wet) Trip to Kraków Taking a train from Berlin to Kraków is the way to go. There was beautiful scenery, no

Day 9 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Short and Sweetened (with Aspartame) Today was our last full day in Berlin. Tomorrow morning a train will carry us, luggage and all, to Kraków,

Day 8 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Corrie, Quarry, and Glory Ok, I’m not going to be able to live up to that headline…just letting you know that right now. Today the