The 9th edition of the International project Closer to Each Other. Preserving the Memory took place in Łódź on 14 and 15 September 2016, bringing together students and teachers from three schools: the Yarden High School from Ma’ale Efrayim, the Pisgat Zeev High School from Jerusalem and the XV Secondary School from Łódź. As many as 70 students from Israel and 50 Polish students took part in it.

The students participated in integration workshops on the first day, danced their national dances and sang together. Spontaneous discussions followed, which allowed them to get to know each other better.
On the second day, the participants of the programme followed the memory trail, visiting the Jewish cemetery and exploring the history and culture of Łódź Jews. This introduced them to a study visit to the former extermination camp in Kulmhof and the killing site in the Rzuchów Forest, where the Polish and Israeli groups commemorated Holocaust victims together.
The Polish students visited their Israeli partners in November at the invitation of the Ma’ale Efrayim and Jerusaelm schools.

Programme Coordinator: Barbara Matusiak
Teachers: Aneta Jachimowska, Dominika Maciaszek, Małgorzata Pawłowska

Detailed information about the visit is available in the report