JEWISH YOUTH COME TOGETHER FOR WINTER RETREAT



This past December, for the second consecutive year, The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation Youth Center in Krakow graciously hosted the Lauder Am Echad Project's annual winter retreat. The Lauder Am Echad Project, based in Aachen, Germany, was developed to help train young German and Russian adults to organize Jewish activities and become Jewish leaders for their own communities. The retreat included 15 participants from Aachen, Bonn, Bochum, Leipzig and Halle, who spent several days in Poland in intensive learning sessions. With their peers, who have been studying Jewish traditions and texts in depth at the Lauder Krakow Youth Center, they were able to share experiences and develop friendships.

The Lauder Krakow Youth Center's newly renovated space was the perfect atmosphere for this intensive eight-day learning program, which included a meaningful celebration of Shabbat. In addition to studying Jewish laws and traditions, there were workshops on ways to increase Jewish youth activity in Germany as well as free time to wander Kazimierz, Krakow's historic Jewish center. Other highlights included an afternoon trip to the beautiful Tatra Mountains, a visit to Wawel castle, ice skating and a friendly game of frisbee football.

The Am Echad retreat was truly a great success, and participants can hardly wait until next year.

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