RISE is an educational program bringing together Jewish and Black students from the United States, representing Touro College in NYC and Wilberforce University—the first private Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the United States.
From June 11 to 18, 2026, participants explored Poland’s history and Jewish heritage together, visiting Warsaw, Treblinka, Oświęcim, and Kraków.
In Warsaw, the group learned about the city’s history and its former Jewish district, visited the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and welcomed Shabbat together. An important part of the program was also a visit to the Treblinka Museum and Memorial Site.
In Oświęcim, participants visited the Oshpitzin Jewish Museum, the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue, and sites around the town, discovering its rich Jewish history before the Holocaust. The following day, they took part in an in-depth study visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, followed by discussion and reflection at Café Bergson.
The final part of the program took place in Kraków, where participants explored the Old Town, the Jewish heritage of Kazimierz, and the site of the former Kraków ghetto. One of the most meaningful moments was a meeting with a Holocaust survivor.
RISE combines learning about history with dialogue, reflection, and relationship-building among students from different communities and backgrounds. Through encounters with historic sites and witnesses to history, participants gain a deeper understanding of the past and its relevance today.
