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.
Day 7 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Ideas, Bureaucracy, Distance from Action, and Genocide Today was one of two days specifically dedicated to explore the role of bureaucracy in the Holocaust. The
Day 6 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
The Jewish Museum of Berlin Many students started off the day attending a worship service at the notable church of the Kaiser’s, the Berliner Dom.
Day 5 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Lutherstadt – The Good, The Grand, and the Ugly We ventured by Regional Train 3 down to Lutherstadt in Wittenberg today, a welcome break from
Day 4 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Separation, Persecution, Exploitation, Warehousing… Today we traveled to the northern most point the Berlin rail pass would take us, Oranienburg. Here is where one of
Day 3 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
A Classroom (and a Moving Ceremony) in Brandenburg Today we were joined and led by my friend, Christian Marx, historian and educator who works for
Day 2 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Walking, Learning, Processing, and then more Walking! Today I need to be short and sweet. Up at 6:30 for an airport run (all students are
Day 1 – 2025 Holocaust Studies Tour
Arrivals and Delays Tuesday is our first day in Berlin. Unfortunately, three of our team members will not be able to join us until tomorrow
Living and Learning Together, Rediscovering a Lost Aspect of Education
Below is a summary of this year’s Holocaust Studies Tour, 2024 The tour this year was, as each one promises to be, a sundry blend