By Marla Wald

We are walking in your footsteps as we walk through the barracks where we were struck with the unimaginable horrors at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

We are walking in your footsteps as we stand over a sewer drain used to hide Jews escaping the ghetto in Warsaw.

We are walking in your footsteps as we joined in prayer and song with Israelis as they blew the shofar outside the crematorium at Majdanek.

We are walking in your footsteps as we light the Havdalah candle to greet the new week.

We are walking in your footsteps as we pass a mass grave under the tree of life at the largest synagogue in Europe in the city of Budapest.

We are walking in your footsteps as we stand outside the wall of the ghetto that held 70,000 Jews.

We are walking in your footsteps as we listen to the stories of hope and pride from our Israeli partners as one community looking forward to a time when our existence will be one of more acceptance.

We are walking in your footsteps as we question, grow, learn, and deepen our own Jewish identities.

We are walking in your footsteps as we re-enter our lives in our Indianapolis Jewish Community.

I left on September 12th apprehensive, yet excited, to have been given this unique and powerful opportunity. A week later, I am overwhelmed by how we, as a group, have comforted, laughed, cried, and cared for one another as a newly bonded community.

As Jews, Tikkun Olam is one of our basic tenets: we work to make the world a better, more inclusive place.

Hearing the sound of the shofar and singing Hatikvah at Majdanek reopened something inside of me. We must not forget those who came before us. I have a new sense of pride, comfort and hope in who I am as a Jew and how I will confidently raise my two young daughters in our Indianapolis Jewish Community. This experience has increased my knowledge and given me insight and tools to take back to our community to begin my goal of breaking down barriers through education. I am eager to return home in preparation for the high holidays and my daughters’ consecration and beginning of their formal religious education.

Those who survived fought so hard so that my family and I can exist and thrive. Those who perished lost their lives so we could live a life full of joy and peace. It is incumbent on all of us to continue the work of those who walked before us.  

L’dor V’dor

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The Maurer Koach Program  (Koach means "strength" in Hebrew) is experiential and provides exposure and experiences that equip the cohort with tools to educate, lead, and advocate for themselves and others. It is currently in its second year. The program includes 8 monthly interactive sessions, where local, national, and international leaders address current approaches to understanding and combatting antisemitism as well as provide insights into Jewish life, leadership, and social justice. In addition to the sessions, the cohort takes a trip to Poland and Hungry to learn and experience historical moments. This blog is part of a series of reflections from members of the cohort while on this trip.