Twenty-five U.S. military cadets and midshipmen arrived in Poland last week to partake in the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation’s American Service Academies Program, a 16-day program focusing on Holocaust education.
The program, now in its 20th year, “challenges future military leaders to confront the history of the Holocaust and apply its lessons to modern-day ethical leadership,” according to AJCF.
Participants will engage with survivors, scholars, elected officials and educators during their time in Poland. They will also visit related historical sites, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and the former Kraków ghetto.
“For 20 years, the American Service Academies Program has empowered young military leaders to understand the consequences of hatred, the fragility of democracy and the importance of moral courage,” said Simon Bergson, chairman of the AJCF. “By immersing these cadets and midshipmen in the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, we hope to inspire ethical leadership rooted in humanity and justice.”
“These young men and women represent the future of our nation’s armed forces, and they are confronting some of history’s darkest chapters to become the kind of leaders the 21st century needs,” added Jack Simony, AJCF director general. “Twenty years of ASAP have shown us that education in ethical leadership is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight hatred and uphold democratic values.”
After their Poland trip concludes, the cadets and midshipmen will travel to New York and attend AJCF’s annual gala, scheduled for June 11.