Auschwitz – officers laud Poland trips
Photo: EPA
IDF officers laud death camp visits
More than 25,000 Israeli officers have visited Poland camps thus far; most feel trips were vital in boosting their Shoah knowledge, sense of pride, survey shows
IDF trips that see Israeli officers traveling to Poland death camps and Holocaust commemoration sites are vital in boosting the soldiers' Shoah knowledge and sense of pride, a newly released survey found.
Some 99% of poll respondents characterized the trips as extremely vital, while 75% said the trips greatly contributed to expanding their familiarity with the Holocaust.
Meanwhile, 79% of respondents said the trips made them feel proud to be Israeli.
The survey was held last year and publicized in a conference titled "The Future of Memory and Shoah Commemoration Projects," held by the Ariel University Center.
A total of 160 IDF officers were interviewed as part of the poll.
The IDF's Chief Education Officer, Eli Sharmeister, said that some 25,000 IDF officers and non-commissioned officers went on the army's Poland trips thus far.
