Poland Holocaust Education Trip

The SMU Human Rights Program is proud to announce its new book called No Resting Place: Holocaust Poland.

The book commemorates the 20th anniversary of the program's annual two-week education trip, and takes readers on a journey in the footsteps of those who lost their lives in Nazi death camps during World War II.

Extraordinary photographs taken by Program Coordinator Sherry Aikman and others, and inspiring text written by SMU Human Rights Program Director Rick Halperin and Denise Gee of SMU Public Affairs, produce a "you-are-there" perspective on the historical context and personal experience of the trip. The transformational nature of the trip inspired SMU alumna Lauren Embrey '80 to make the gift which established EHRP in 2006 as a pioneering force for human rights in North Texas.

The Poland Holocaust Education Trip is a cornerstone of the EHRP travel schedule. It takes place every year from December 18 to 30.

SMU Human Rights Program Director Rick Halperin, who has visited sites in Poland regularly since 1983, began leading SMU students, faculty, staff and community members there in 1996. During each journey, as many as two dozen participants visit concentration camps, death camps and memorials throughout the country, where, during World War II, more than one third of all Holocaust victims were murdered during the Nazi occupation.

The trip's timing is by design, as it allows participants to gain a visceral understanding of what Holocaust victims and survivors experienced while appreciating the significance of one's own family and loved ones during the holiday season.

Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to participate. As with all SMU Human Rights Program trips, partial travel scholarships are available for SMU students. 

To learn more about the itinerary, costs, and scholarships, contact Program Coordinator Sherry Aikman at saikman@smu.edu.

The SMU Human Rights Program also maintains an extensive bibliography of Holocaust literature that is accessible to students and researchers.