Resident To Visit Auschwitz Jewish Center

FARMINGTON — Blake Abrecht, a Farmington resident who is studying at the United States Air Force Academy, is among 14 cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U. S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy chosen by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF) to participate in the Center’s American Service Academies Program.

Through participating in the program, the cadets and midshipmen will learn how to examine history, become an ambassador of ethical behavior, and take responsibility for upholding these values as a future military leader.

Abrecht is majoring in systems engineering and human factors at the United States Air Force Academy. Last semester, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point as a squad leader through the Service Academy Exchange Program. Blake is currently the Squadron Superintendent for CS-01 at USAFA.

Abrecht, fellow cadets and midshipmen began orientation in Washington, D.C., and visited the United States Holocaust Memorial M u s e um . They arrived on June 2 in New York C i ty and a t t end ed additional training at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust before going on to Poland for two weeks. During this focused preparation, participants will learn about the Holocaust and contemporary moral and ethical matters, meet with historians and staff members from the two museums, take part in workshops on military leadership, hear survivor testimony, and tour the institutions.

While in Poland, Abrecht

Abrecht will learn first-hand about the rich, vibrant life of Jews in pre-war Poland, especially in the town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz). Each student will meet with Polish and American leaders, visit historic Jewish sites, attend workshops with Holocaust survivors and historians, and visit and attend seminars at the Auschwitz- Birkenau death camps, among other activities.

The immersive program in Oswiecim will help future military leaders understand what can happen in the absence of open and democratic governance, the ongoing relevance of the Holocaust to their work, and inspire and empower them to share their insights and understanding with others.