Report from the trip to Israel – 26.01-2.02.2019

On 26.01. – 02/02/2019 a group of VILO students together with the Director and Professor Kowalski took part in an international exchange with a school in Israel.

For four days, we enjoyed the hospitality of the students from the Binyamin school, thereby strengthening Polish-Jewish ties. During our stay in Israel, we had the opportunity to see beautiful cities, including: Jerusalem, the city of many religions, Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus or Tel-Aviv, the cultural capital of Israel, as well as monuments dating back to the beginnings of Christian civilization, including the temple in Magdala from the time of Jesus , the ruins of Herod’s Castle in Masada and the Wailing Wall, which is the remains of the Temple of Solomon.

An interesting item on the agenda was the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Institute. In the huge and well-equipped museum, we could learn more about the fate of Jews during World War II, and listen to the stories of witnesses of these events.

After saying goodbye to our Israeli colleagues, we set off for Bethlehem, where we spent the next three days. The city is located in Palestine, so during the trip we had the opportunity to get to know two completely separate cultures – Arabic and Jewish, of which an important element was trying local dishes, e.g. fish St. Peter in Tiberias or drunk with hummus as an appetizer to every dish.

The trip enriched us culturally and allowed us to start international friendships that will surely bear fruit in the future.

Nicola Śliwińska 1F