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Every year, tens of thousands of Israeli students walk through the gates of Nazi death camps and visit former Jewish ghettos. These trips have traditionally been attended primarily by students from the state and state-religious school systems.
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Delegation of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students at the Auschwitz extermination camp
(Photo: Meir Zalaznik)
Now, for the first time in Israel, an organized delegation of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students has traveled to Poland. The trip, initiated by the Netzach education network—the ultra-Orthodox division of the Education Ministry—along with the municipalities of Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, marks a historic shift in the ultra-Orthodox community’s engagement with Holocaust remembrance and collective national memory. Although the participants came from religious high schools rather than traditional Haredi yeshivas that avoid core secular studies, they are still ultra-Orthodox students from Haredi homes.
Rabbi Menachem Bombach, founder of the Natzach network, emphasized the national significance of the trip. “When ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students follow a path that was previously reserved for students in state schools, it symbolizes that the memory of the Holocaust belongs to all of us. The Holocaust did not distinguish between Haredi, religious or secular Jews, and its memory should be shared by everyone.”
Shai Calderon, head of the Education Ministry’s ultra-Orthodox division, echoed this sentiment: “This is an important journey that every young man should experience. Confronting the memory of the Holocaust and connecting to the national story of the Jewish people are essential parts of our Jewish and Israeli identity. This trip allows yeshiva students to become part of the collective memory that unites all segments of Israeli society.”
Adi Bilbaski, head of ultra-Orthodox state education at the Jerusalem Municipality and one of the trip’s organizers, highlighted its deep impact on the participants’ identity.
“We saw a profound connection to Torah values. On one hand, there was a strong bond to Jewish tradition and faith, and on the other, a deep connection to the Jewish people as a whole. The students built an additional layer in their personal identity, grounded in these values. After visiting the sites of destruction in Poland, they now have a clearer understanding of where they came from—and where they are headed.”
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In addition to visiting concentration camps, the students toured historic Jewish sites, including ancient synagogues in Krakow and Warsaw, as well as mass graves and memorials for Jewish communities that were annihilated. The trip also included a visit to the famed Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, where the students held a joint Torah study session and participated in a memorial ceremony for the yeshiva students who perished in the Holocaust.
According to the trip’s organizers, more delegations are planned following the program’s success. The initiative aims to provide more ultra-Orthodox students with the opportunity to take part in this educational journey, serving as a bridge between different sectors of Israeli society through the shared memory of the Holocaust and the Jewish people's rebirth. “This is another step toward building a more united Israeli society—one that remembers together and builds its future together,” Calderon concluded.