Class 50 International Seminar Lessons Learned

Class 50 International Travel Seminar

Lessons Learned

BY MEREDITH RITCHIE (28) AND ABBY TAYLOR-SILVA (45)

After a one-year delay, Class 50 fellows traveled to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic for their two-week international seminar in November 2021. The main themes were trauma and resilience, societal approaches to war and unrest, positive and negative leadership, perspectives of those who did and did not resist, and shifts in power and influence. In addition to learning about these important subjects, the fellows experienced the countries’ wonderful cultures through people, religion, art, food and customs. This article shares highlights from their trip as well as excerpts from their blog (calfclass50.travel.blog/international-trip-blog).

Day 1 / Berlin, House of the Wannsee Conference and German Culture

Through a guided tour, the fellows heard about the history of and life in Berlin, including the destruction caused by World War II and how the city suffered from the loss of virtually all industry. They also learned about the Wannsee Conference, which focused on “the final solution to the Jewish problem.” Upon departing the House of the Wannsee Conference, the fellows were given an envelope with a name on it. Inside was the story of a person whose life was affected by the decisions made at that house. The fellows were asked to carry those envelopes, without opening them, until they departed Auschwitz a week later.

“The summer following the Wannsee Conference is when the large-scale deportation of Jews to concentration camps started. The decisions made at the conference affected the remainder of the war, resulting in the ultimate murder of 6 million Jews in Europe. Just as the Wannsee Conference laid the foundation for the worst crimes of the Holocaust, it also lays the foundation for the remainder of our trip. As we continue our travel, we will see how the decisions made during this conference played out through Europe, and we will be unpacking how the leadership decisions in Germany during World War II affected generations to come.” —Holly Little, Ted Kingsley, Rocco Cunningham

Day 2 / Berlin Wall, Topography of Terror, U.S. Embassy and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Fellows engaged in a critical thinking discussion of pre-World War II Germany, the rise to power of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler, and German citizens’ acceptance of the atrocities that were occurring. Through another guided tour, they gained a deeper understanding about Berlin, Soviet-era conditions and control, the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust. A U.S. Embassy meeting focused on commodity marketing and trade; political relations during a time of German government transition; the rise in nationalism, antisemitism and racism in Germany; issues related to immigration and the U.S. military presence and strategy in the region.

“In the Holocaust Museum, history is documented and you enter a room that features correspondence from those who were on their way to concentration camps. These personal letters to the children and family members of the victims, written by the victims, will stick with me. It personalized their experiences in a way the tragic death toll numbers do not.” —Megan Newton

Day 3 / Museum of Resistance, Family Farm and Warsaw

Fellows visited the Museum of Resistance to learn more about the people who resisted against the National Socialist persecution. They engaged in a critical thinking discussion about immigration policy in the three countries. Fellows also visited with a Polish farmer, who described his experience transitioning from a communist society to becoming a successful family farmer overseeing 1,500 hectares.

“Courage, strength and selflessness can be used to describe those who bravely took part in the resistance during the Holocaust. In leadership, often times extremely difficult decisions need to be made and we learned about those individuals who risked their lives – and lives of their families – for the greater good of Germany.” —Priscilla Rodriguez

Day 4 / Warsaw

Fellows toured the Warsaw Ghetto, where leadership lessons were abundant, including the heroes of the Warsaw uprising and Poland’s transition to democracy. They heard from an inspirational and compassionate mother and daughter, Katarzyna Skopiec and Zuzanna Obuchowicz, who shared their family’s history of hiding 39 Jews during the Holocaust. The mother and daughter created the Humanosh Foundation to help political refugees start over in Poland. Later in the day, U.S. Embassy staff members gave presentations about the current affairs of Poland from an agricultural, political and European Union perspective.

“Leadership lessons were prevalent at every corner of our walk through the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw. Learning about the courage and perseverance of those facing horrific circumstances teaches all of us that it only takes one person to make a significant impact in any situation.” —Lindsey Liebeg

Day 5 / Warsaw

Fellows met with Brother Marian Markiewicz of St. John’s Archcathedral, who had a lengthy friendship with Pope John Paul II. They then visited the Old Town Market Place, restored after World War II, as well as the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which features 800 exhibitions. They enjoyed visiting with a local Rotary Club member, who shared interesting facts about Poland’s agriculture industry and his family’s snail farm. That evening, they engaged in a Shabbat service at Ec Chaim Synagogue and gathered for a traditional Shabbat fivecourse meal.

“Learning from historical leaders around the world allows us to grow in our leadership style. Often times we learn more from our failures than our successes; we have to be committed to step out of our comfort zone and stand up for what is right in that moment in time. ‘If not me, then who? If not now, then when?’” —Kris Costa, Natasha Crivelli & Matt Peyret

Day 6 / Krakow

Fellows visited the Galicja Jewish Museum, which commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and shares the Jewish culture of Polish Galicja. Holocaust survivor Lidia Maksymowicz spoke about the atrocities against children and shared her story of surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau as a child. The fellows also toured the Kraków Museum of Oskar Schindler, which focuses on the German occupation of Poland. A German Catholic industrialist, Schindler was credited with saving 1,200 Jewish lives during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The fellows learned about Schindler’s leadership journey and the power of self-reflection. The chief operating officer of the Jewish Community Centre of Kraków also spoke to the group and helped frame the tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.

“Lidia’s message was clear: it is up to us and future generations that this can never happen again. How we respond, individually and as a group, when there are injustices at any level will guide our future. We must make the choice to be a part of defending others against injustice. We can’t sit idle while wrongs occur, no matter how small they may seem.” —Holly Little

COVER STORY

“We all have learned to be flexible and support people in our lives and each other in our leadership journey. Part of being a supportive leader is encouraging empathy and understanding about what other people are going through. Listening to an Auschwitz survivor…has created an unbreakable bond amongst my fellows.” —Brian Gill

Day 7 / Auschwitz-Birkenau

The fellows took a guided tour of AuschwitzBirkenau, the largest of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps where more than 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives.

“Today we share about our experience visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau. If we were to pick one word that best summarizes our time there, we would probably say it was emotional. We describe these feelings and emotions in our blog post, so please prepare yourself for a difficult and important read. We all believe we will be synthesizing this experience in various forms for the rest of our lives.” —Lindsey Liebig, Julian Lopez, Erin O’Donnell

We invite you to read the fellows’ in-depth blog post about this somber and lifechanging experience at calfclass50.travel. blog/international-trip-blog/ (Day 7 link)

Day 8 / Prague, Czech Republic

Before traveling to Prague, the fellows participated in a meaningful synthesis to reflect on the visit to Auschwitz. Enriching the synthesis, the fellows shared the 20 stories from the envelopes they were given on their first day in Berlin.

“Life is full of choices, small or big ones that could drastically change the course of an entire country, race or continent. People during World War II had difficult choices to make that shaped the future of the next generations. Resilience, empathy, courage and love were some of the qualities that brave people had in them. People that made a difference by helping others, giving hope or just by being there. As leaders we have a lot to learn from our past so that these horrific events don’t happen again. We feel different, we are different.” —Yezmin Carrasco Valle, Kris Costa, Matt Peyret

Day 9 / Prague, Czech Republic

Fellows explored myriad topics during their full day in Prague. They held a critical thinking discussion to better understand the Roma people, their culture and lifestyle, and the history of discrimination against them. They toured the Jewish Quarter and synagogues, learned about industry opportunities in the country and about the transition from communism to democracy. At the U.S. Embassy, representatives discussed topics such as human rights, economics and agriculture. The evening ended with a concert performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and other classical music compositions.

“We are so fortunate to have this opportunity. Last night, during the concert, I could not help but reflect at how well rounded this trip has been: providing content related to leadership, historical and current events and culture. I am excited to go back and share with my family, colleagues and students.” —Erin Gorter

Day 10 / Communist Museum, Farm Tour, Leipzig

A guide led the fellows through the Museum of Communism, where they learned about the history of the Soviet occupation in Czechoslovakia, collectivization (the elimination of privately-owned farmland), the devaluation of Czech currency and other impacts of communism, and the president who led the country out of communism. A highlight of the day was visiting a Czech farmer who shared his family’s fascinating farming history from pre-World War II through Soviet control to today. At the farm, he provided a glimpse of the region’s agriculture industry, shared details about the challenges farmers face in the European Union and discussed business values that our fellows could relate to.

“Meeting a farmer who has experienced coming back to the family farm after it was run by the Soviets was eye opening. It is hard to imagine someone else other than our family making decisions about the farm for so long and what it would look like to come back to it after all those years. Mr. Probst told us sometimes you have to risk a lot and make changes to make gains, and even though we are in such different situations, I felt that we had a lot in common.” —Michael Newton

Day 11 / Leipzig, Germany

The fellows enjoyed a guided tour learning about art, culture, trade and history. They spent time at the Nikolai Church, which has always been a center of Leipzig’s community. It was the location for Monday Prayers for Peace, which in 1989 inspired peaceful revolutions throughout Europe and provided a gathering place for people to peacefully resist Soviet control of the East German government through nonviolent protests and prayers. More than 70,000 people engaged in a peaceful political protest at the church on Oct. 9, 1989; the event was considered to be “the beginning of the end” of the German Democratic Republic.

“The peaceful protest was reminiscent of the peaceful protests Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for during the Civil Rights movement. This reminder allowed us to reflect on our time in Atlanta in March 2020, where we visited the National Museum of Civil and Human Rights and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park.” —Tyer Blackney, Holly Little, Brian O’Neill

Day 12 / Berlin – Final Day

The last day included a final synthesis and dinner, during which the fellows reflected on preconceptions, experiences, lessons learned, heroic efforts and the extraordinary actions of ordinary people. They also reflected on their own responsibilities to share with others what they learned, to engage in their communities, to grow as leaders and to make a difference.

“It has been an emotional day after a demanding 12 days of life-changing experiences. We are filled with laughter, tears and lessons learned. We are humbled to be in each other’s presence, but even more so to be supported by the faculty and leaders of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation family.” —Brian Gill, Erin Gorter, Jonathan Merrill