Sopotskin, Belarus

Through the sponsorship of Dartmouth College’s William Jewett Tucker Foundation and Dartmouth Hillel, 12 students and 4 staff members traveled halfway across the world to a tiny community to repair that which had been desecrated nearly sixty years ago. The purpose of the trip was to restore a Jewish cemetery in Sopotskin, Belarus. Sopotskin is a small village that used to be inhabited by 7,000 people before the war, many of those, Jews. Today, sitting 5 kilometers from both the Polish and Lithuanian border, Sopotskin is a small community of only 2,000. The experience began in Poland where the group set the tone of the trip by visiting the death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Thereafter, everyone traveled into Belarus, into the small village of Sopotskin to begin their work. Many individuals interacted with an extremely hospitable community that welcomed the Americans into its closely-knit infrastructure with open arms and warm hearts. The experience was a structured trip through Dartmouth College’s Tucker Foundation, which is intended to focus on a variety of aspects.

Service

A main aspect of the trip is providing a service for others. In this specific case, the group attempted to provide a service of the highest form of tzedakah or charity. The group was providing a service for people who would not directly benefit from the service. As a group, the memory of those that had passed away was preserved for future generations. Additionally, the group provided a service to families, families who might be unaware of what was being done for their ancestors, as everyone helped to historically remember the roots of families that derived from this area of the world. Specifically, the main goal was to erect a wrought iron fence around the perimeter of the cemetery by cementing it into the ground. Additionally, the group beautified the cemetery by re-erecting gravestones that had allegedly been knocked over by the Nazis. Plus, weeds were cleared away to sanctify the area.

Cultural Immersion

Coming from the United States, none of the students had ever experienced a post-Soviet country. Not only having a language barrier as a major obstacle, the group completely immersed itself in a foreign culture with the help of only one translator. Fortunately, everyone was immersed in a warm and welcoming community in Sopotskin. While in Sopotskin, the community members, both adults and children helped with the work on the cemetery. After the first day of work, the students were welcomed into the homes of the community members. That evening the students ate wonderful dinners, toured beautiful scenic river sites, and danced on the streets with other children until 3 AM, basically experiencing genuine hospitality. Two evenings later, the group was welcomed to the town’s graduation celebration as the guests of honor. Adults and children alike from Sopotskin welcomed those from Dartmouth as extended family.

Historical Significance

Through its journey in Eastern Europe, the group traced the backwards path that many Jews suffered, specifically those from Sopotskin, Belarus. The trip began in Auschwitz-Birkenau, which marked the tragic final destination for many Jews. After an emotionally trying visit, the group traveled to Belarus where they began work on the cemetery, in a community that many Jews had lived before World War II hit the area. Throughout the travels in Poland and Belarus, everyone visited specific sites of interest relating to the overall theme of the trip, like the Krakow Ghetto, Schindler’s Factory, Warsaw Ghetto, Grodno Ghetto, Minsk Ghetto and the Patriot War Museum in Minsk. The historical significance and visiting these sites enhanced the reality the group experienced and the consequence of its work.

Religious Significance

This trip compiled a group of 16 individuals from very different religious backgrounds. Half of the group consisted of Jews ranging from traditional, conservative Jews to liberal, reform Jews. The other half of the group consisted of individuals from various Christian backgrounds both Catholic and Protestant. Despite the differences in backgrounds and the project focus of Jewish ancestry, each person was able to come to a commonground for the project, humanity. At various points through the trip, a prayer session was held, led by the Rabbi, but it was not limited to only Jewish prayer. Various individuals put forth their own prayers, Christian and Jewish in nature, but always encompassing the themes of humanity, peace, and memory. With this idea as the basis for the trip and group, each person was able to mature, grow and learn from each other.

Education/Reflection

Prior to the trip, the group met many times to study the themes and facts of what they were going to encounter when on the trip. Lectures were made by Dartmouth professors and discussions were held by the group based upon readings. Some of the readings included Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher Browning and Neighbors: The Destruction of a Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland by Jan Gross. During the trip, the group met for various reflections sessions to look back upon what had been experienced and felt through different stages of the journey. These sessions were designed to help individuals grow intellectually and deal emotionally.

Group Dynamics

For the most part, the group gelled very well to form a cohesive collection of individuals. The staff consisted of Rabbi Edward Boraz (Rabbi and Administrator for Dartmouth Hillel), Jan Tarjan (Associate Dean for the Tucker Foundation), Joshua Lozman (Tucker Foundation Employee), and Dr. Michael Lozman. Besides the four staff members, four students leaders planned and led the trip. The four student leaders were Jeffrey Murphy ’02 (Head Project Officer), Ethan Levine ’03 (Chief of Operations Officer), John Partridge ’02 (Construction Officer), and Laura Goodrich ’05 (Reflections Officer). Through the many stages in the journey, the group bonded very well.

Precedent

Dartmouth College hopefully set an extremely important precedent with this trip. Although, there were a few bumps in the road, the important purposes of the trip were accomplished. No other university in the United States has led a trip similar to the one Dartmouth College students experienced in June 2002. Fortunately, the group accomplished a considerable amount during this first visit, but unfortunately, there are many other cemeteries that still need the aide of outside sources like Dartmouth College students. Hopefully, with adequate financial resources, this trip can run for many successive years into the future and be just as successful as it was June 2002.

Photographs