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Jun 6, 2011

Be Part of the Pre-Mission to Poland

Perhaps the best way to deeply understand the impact of the Holocaust is to explore Jewish life before World War II, to travel to the sites where much of the Holocaust took place – and to experience it with those who lived through the horrific events themselves.

This is the idea behind the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Pre-Mission to Poland, a four-day experience that will explore the rich Jewish heritage that once thrived in Poland, teach participants about the Jews of Eastern Europe and their lives before the Holocaust, and visit the remnants of the sites of the Nazi atrocities.

Joining participants on this journey will be three Holocaust survivors from Miami, who will share their personal insights and stories of survival.

Departing April 17, 2012, the Pre-Mission to Poland offers a unique opportunity for members of Miami’s Jewish community to spend Yom HaShoah learning about the Holocaust before they embark on Miami Mega Mission Israel 2012.

“Here’s a chance before you meet up with the community in Israel to go to Warsaw and Krakow... to spend Yom HaShoah with 8,000 others – including Holocaust survivors and teenagers from communities around the world – for the March of the Living as you walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau in testimony of Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live,” said Sidney M. Pertnoy, a Mega Mission Vice Chair and Chair of the Pre-Mission to Poland. “You’ll stand in Auschwitz, Birkenau and Majdanek with individuals who survived this horrendous ordeal and be a firsthand witness to history. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of what was lost.”

Other highlights of the Pre-Mission to Poland include visits to:

• The Krakow Ghetto and the Jewish Quarter, where the Jews of Poland enjoyed a rich cultural and religious life
            • The site of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the only remaining synagogue in the Warsaw Jewish Quarter
            • The Nathan Rappaport Memorial, which honors the Jewish resistance fighters and heroes of Warsaw Ghetto
            • The Umschlagplatz, where Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto assembled to board the trains that transported them to
            the death camp at Treblinka

Space on the Pre-Mission is extremely limited, so those interested are urged to act quickly.

Package prices for the Miami Mega Mission to Israel with the Pre-Mission to Poland start at $6,000 for land only (for ages 22 to 39, the price is $5,300). For coach-class air and land, the price is $7,500 (for ages 22 to 39, the price is $6,800). All prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and include coach-class flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv. Group air departs from Miami and arrives in Krakow via Frankfurt. Prices are available on request for business class. There is limited space, and reservations will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call for information on deposits for the Pre-Mission to Poland. Itinerary is subject to change.

For more information, click here or contact Katy Boyask, Mega Mission Manager, at 786.866.8466 or [email protected].

Read about the Miami Mega Mission itinerary.

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