O.K. Let’s start another cabaret !! So what idiot will be first to post "Poles build the concentration camps" , "Poles were worse that the Germans", "Polish Death Camps", "Polish Nazis" etc. O.K. let's the nonsense cabaret begin !!

Don't visit and don't forget.

This is outrageous. How can these so-called rabbis accuse Poles of our generation? What do they think they'll obtain with attributing the deeds of former generations on today's? Are we supposed to keep on victimizing ourselves all eternity? If they want to discover a reason for sin'at Israel they should just look into their bathroom mirror!

Contrary to what many people believe, Auschwitz does not define what it means to be a Jew. Jewish students should visit important Jewish sites in the land of Israel, not in the cursed continent of Europe.

he thinks he can determine what is jewish and who? sad that jewish from all people behave and think like that, it is very important place to visit and to witness, the past can determine the futur.

My daughter's school wanted over $1000 for her to participate in one of these trips. I was the only parent who said no, for both ideological and financial reasons. Hundreds of kids went. Now that I consider, it would have been better to give all that money to Yad Vashem or directly to help Holocaust survivors.

Support each other. Its good for you.

You have to weigh in the educational component of these trips-- which is enormous and extremely important with each passing generation and with each public figure who denies the shoah or NGOs who twist facts and try to call Israelis by the 'N' word. Also keep in mind that Poland ended up boycottingf Durban II. Of course, they were only doing what's right, but it's a positive step and one that should be commended. As for allowing those who built the camps to continue prospering from them, that's only indirectly true and maybe even then a truth worth swallowing for the great benefit that comes from the March of the Living. Remember, the second week of the trip is spent in Israel.

that 'Orthodoxy' is a European invention. Black suits and hats were never worn by the early Jews living here before the exiles, and the Judaism represented by orthodox today in Israel is one CAUSE of antisemitism. The other cause is the bad behavior of all Israelis anywhere they go.

It's important that our children go and understand the horrors that happened there. Banning trips to Poland is the beginning of the end of remembering the Holocaust and keeping its memory alive for always. Yad Vashem is a living testament to what happened in Europe. But it's still Europe where six million human beings were brutally murdered and it’s there that we need to go (as well as Yad Vashem).

Rabbi Melamed is completely wrong. It is important, nay vital, that Jews visit these sites in Poland. We must keep the memory alive. For me it was very important to pray at the site where my grandparents were murdered by Nazis

I agree totally with the Rabbi. Why reward them?

And if your Jewish identity is based upon the Holocaust, then you have no real Jewish identity- not one that will last. The money traveling to Poland would be far better spent travelling to Jerusalem, where most Israeli students sadly never even visit. And there would be plenty leftover for other educational activities.

"As for allowing those who built the camps to continue prospering from them," Who built the camps and who's "prospering" from them? Ethnic Poles didn't build the camps - they were frequently murdered in them and I wonder how many can be said to "prosper" on Holocaust-related visits. Preserving those sites is costly and currently the government of Poland not only does not "make money" out of it but it pays about 90% of the bill. Yes, you have private companies - hotels, coaches that potentially make profits, but I can hardly see how it could be otherwise. Besides, hotels that are used are most probably in Cracow which is a touristic center in its own right...And BTW, nowadays, some 150,000 Poles visit Israel each year - that is probably more than the number of Israelis who go to Poland.

Do we send our children to Egypt before Passover in order to teach them about buidling pyramids and Passover? No Do we send our children to Great Britain in order to teach them about the first expulsion of Jews from a European nation? No Do we send our children to Spain before Tisha'B'Av in order to teach them about the expulsion from Spain and the process of forced conversion of the Jews in the 15th century? No Do we send our children to Saloniki (Greece) to learn about the once Shomer Shabbat Port there and the strong community which lived there prior to the Holocaust and were all transported and murdered? No Do we send our children to Morrocco to learn about the Berber community and all of the greatness of the Jewish community that once lived there? No Do we send our children to America to visit Ellis Island and the Lower East Side of New York City so they can learn all about the "Goldeneh Medinah"? No So why exactly do we need to send them to Aushwitz? What are they learning there that they couldn't learn from a visit to Kibbutz Lohame HaGetaot and Yad VaShem? What is the point of this fashionable forced march to Poland? Other than to spend money and have our children learn that if they don't make this trip they are somehow not really good Jews and Israelis! It is time to stop this forced march into the painful nothingness of Europe! Indeed this rabbi is right!

""I'm not busy holding a grudge against the Poles, but we shouldn't provide livelihood to people who allowed death camps to be built on their land and who are now making a profit out of it,"" WHO ASKED THEM, RABBI?! In case you didn't get the term "conquest", this means "taking somebody's land forcefully, putting him into 3rd rate citizens, denying them the rights to have any internationally acclaimed rights" which means nobody asked them what the hell Poles wanted! Did rabbi Muhamed, sorry, Melamed, by any chance visited EVER Yad Vashem, to see HOW MANY POLES are cadikim!? Just reading the statements of the rabbis today, I do not wonder why there were so many hametz shops this pesach!

Fully agreed! Send your students to Yad Vashem, they really don't need to come to Poland.

Some learn about the Holocaust from books, testimonies and discussions with survivors. Others, especially today's youth-- who are short on attention span and do not read much-- learn from visiting museum exhibitions and seeing the camps in Poland. I did not need it; neither did my husband nor my children, but many will not learn about the Shoah and its impact unless they see the facts on the ground. I once held views like the rabbi but now I do not -- but the young visitors must be well prepared. Different strokes for different folks...

Rabbi Melamed should wake up and look around. I live in Poland and i can tell you that yes there is anti-semitism here, but its nothing like in France or the UK. Poland is one of the few allies Israel has in Europe and in the world. While in the UK they are boycoting Israeli products, Israel as a state in general there is nothing like that in Poland. Israeli companies are present and earning money. One of the largest cinema chains in Poland is Cinema city from Israel. Israeli companies are doing huge real estate projects etc etc. Polands largest seller of books, magazines, music and perfume is Israeli owned. Tens of thousands were protesting against the war in gaza in London and Paris. In Poland? There were about 40-50 proterstors. I know because i drive by the Israeli embassy everyday. No one in Poland is thinking about doing an academic boycot of Israel. That would be redicolous. Classes and courses relating to Israel and Judaism are so popular at Warsaw Univ. thats its basically impossible to sign up, there are so many people interested. There is antisemitism in Poland. Mainly among the poorly educated people living in the country side. There is great interest in Israel and Judaism and such comments certainly are not helping in improving relations.

I know lots of 2nd and now 3rd generation people who came to Israel because of the Holocaust and not one of them needed a trip to Polant to learn that. And you can say all you want about England and France and other European anti-semitism, but the Polish did not start being antisemites in 1939. They were progromchiks for centuries before the Germans came. One does not need to be at the sites to learn about the Holocaust. The money could be better spent on education here and social benefits for the survivors.

The Rabbis are 100% correct are they? Would that also include the Rabbi that told his flock to torture and abuse little children? Those who are corrupt and steal money, those that tell their students not to work, serve in the army. Seems you have become blinded to what is really happening in the world. What a shame that people like you have lost the basic ability to think for their selves and to dertmine right from wrong, but then as Our dear friend the Iranian president knows only to well, religion is the best tool to control the masses !

Very unfair on us Poles. Although I would never says there has not been anti-Semitism in Poland I beg you to note that Poland had the biggest Jewish community in Europe (3 millions) before WW2 (wonder why?), note that 7,000 trees in Yad Vashem commemorate such Polish Righteous like Irena Sendler: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/04/movie_honors_holocaust_hero_ro.html or Henryk Slawik: http://www.washington.polemb.net/index.php?document=359 http://www.henrykslawik.info/ Please be fair on us and see both sides of the coin! With love and respect, Your Polish friend

I have extremely mixed feelings about these trips, pro and con. However, one really positive thing came out of the Poland trip, that no one has mentioned: My son came back to Israel and practically kissed the earth. He realized what a wonderful, progressive, modern, happy and fun country we really do have. He said the cities were run down, food horrendous, and nothing whatsoever to buy in the stores.Like a country in the middle ages. It gives the kids a feeling of what the "heaven on earth" that Israel really is, and I can tell you, having had American visitors here, they also feel the same way. We also can't take it for the granted that the young people of today who are about to go into the army, and didn't grow up on holocaust stories, books, etc. really deeply understand our history, founding of state, and the importance of protecting it. Look at all the kids that scheme to get out of army service.

TO JOHN OF EUROPE I understood not one word of your comment. Are you for or against the Poland trip? Rina, my son went four years ago, and the price was already $1,100. Don't worry about spending money though. I have it first hand that the stores are half empty, and nothing of any value to buy. Long live Azrielli Mall!!!!!!

Jack, you didn't have to wait long for idiotic statements, did you? LOL The latest trendy accusation is that 1) Poles built the camps and 2) are now profiting from it. What a laughable rubbish! You Jews in Israel keep saying 'never forget, never again' yet you know SHIT about what happened there and why and who's responsible and you CLEARLY don't know what you should not forget and what you should not let happen again. Such idiotic statements shouldn't even be commented. Standing ovation ignorant fools!

I bet they never did that. We Jews are a heck more that the holocaust and I'm writing this a son of holocaust survivors. Lets learn to be a proud people and a proud nation, ready to fight the fight and the stand our ground. The day of the snivelling little Jew walking into an oven should be history. We have a country, we have a land, we have an army, we have a nation. Be strong, be proud and stand united. G-d bless the fighters of Israel, along with the mothers and fathers of our dear fighters. May hashem guard you in your most difficult tasks of safeguarding our land and our people. We are not tired of winning or of fighting. Those who want to leave Israel, do so ASAP. You can move to any one of the many hell holes out there. I will gladly sell you my dumpy house. Just bring the ashkay. I want to live in a proud Jewish Israel.

STOP PAYING YOUR ENEMIES TO DISPLAY OUR HORROR. W/O THE SUPPORT OF JEWS, THEY'D GO BROKE. FILM IT, WATCH IT ON FILM BUT DON'T GIVE A PENNY TO THE (^$% POLES. OR, ANY ANTI SEMITIC COUNTRY, ENGLAND, FRANCE, ANY PLACE THAT DOESN'T SUPPORT JEWISH LIVES OR ISRAEL.