This summer, a new study abroad program will explore the rich and complex history of Jewish life in Poland. Students will travel to Krakow and the surrounding region for an intensive three-week survey of Jewish history and Holocaust studies.
Led by James Madison College Associate Professor Amy Simon and Professor Sherman Garnett, Jews of Poland, 1917-1945 will examine the experiences of Jewish communities under the Polish Republic and during the Holocaust. The program will blend in-classroom learning at Jagellonian University, one of Europe’s oldest higher education institutions, with excursions to historically significant sites in and near Krakow.
“I’ve done similar trips when I was a student and it was enormously impactful, so I am really excited to offer a similar experience for MSU students,” said Simon, who also serves as the William and Audrey Farber Family Chair in Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History and is a core faculty member of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel.
Students will visit Krakow’s historic Jewish Quarter, home to the city’s oldest synagogue; the site of the Krakow-Plaszow concentration camp; and the Auschwitz Jewish Center and Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, among other locations.
Simon explained that Krakow is a location that’s particularly well-suited to studying Jewish history abroad, drawing upon more than 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland within a vibrant and walkable European city. Krakow’s Jewish Culture Festival will be underway during this year’s program, offering the opportunity to explore both contemporary and historical elements of Jewish life in the city.
This new program is a collaborative initiative between Simon and Garnett, drawing upon Simon’s expertise as a Holocaust scholar and Garnett’s extensive study abroad experience and scholarly interest in the region.
Simon’s research on the Holocaust — including her most recent book, Emotions in Yiddish Ghetto Diaries Encountering Persecutors and Questioning Humanity — centers on Poland, making Krakow a logical destination for her first JMC study abroad program.
“Learning onsite, especially for history related to the Holocaust, feels significantly different than in the classroom,” Simon explained. “You really can’t substitute the experience of being in places like Auschwitz or being in the old synagogues. The scale of seeing it in person is really different.”
The Jews of Poland, 1917-1945 program will take place June 16 to July 4, 2025. Multiple scholarships are available through JMC, Education Abroad, and the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel. Visit the program’s Education Abroad profile for more information.