Thank you for your interest in applying for the European Study Program to Poland.

To: Alfred Lerner Fellows

Applications are now being accepted for The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) 2026 European Study Program to Poland. The dates are July 5 to July 15, 2026. Our scholar is Professor Robert Jan van Pelt. The participant fee is $4,100. If you want a single room, the single supplement is $775. Your application must be signed. You can submit your application by fax (973-736-1119), by scanning the application and sending it as a PDF or sending it via postal mail. Please remember to have your center sign off on your application.

The participant fee does not include the cost of airfare from the U.S. to Warsaw, Poland and home from Krakow, Poland. This means that the airfare to and from Europe is to be arranged by and paid for by the participant, this cost would be in addition to the participant fee. This enables each participant to source the least expensive ticket on an airline of their choosing, to use points from a credit card, or to use airline miles. It also enables each participant to arrive in Europe early or remain in Europe after the program without paying for a change fee if we did a group ticket. We ask that everyone arrive in Warsaw by 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 6, 2026, as we would like to leave the Airport by 2:30 p.m. Your flight needs to arrive in Warsaw by 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 6, 2026. If this is not possible, you will either have to arrive in Warsaw the day before or we will arrange for you to meet the group in Warsaw.

JFR Study Program will be capped at 16 participants.

The JFR is subsidizing a significant part of the 2026 Study Program. We worked hard to keep costs reasonable. Costs have gone up for hotels, food, and petrol. It will be possible to establish a payment plan if such an arrangement will enable someone to participate in the program. If you want to pay the participant fee over time, we ask that the fee be paid by December 31, 2026.

‍Items Covered by the Participant Fee
The following is included – all lodging, all meals, except dinner on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Krakow, all transfers, all admission fees, and all tips – except to chambermaids.

‍Items Not Covered by the Participant Fee
‍The following items are not included: airfare from the United States to Warsaw, Poland and return to the United States from Krakow, Poland travel insurance which we strongly recommend each participant consider purchasing, beverages, and any personal expenses, i.e., laundry service at hotels, souvenirs. Porterage is not included. Each participant will be responsible for taking their suitcase off the bus to their hotel room and for putting their suitcase on the bus.

‍Travel Insurance – there are two kinds of travel insurance. One type of insurance waives pre-existing conditions. If you have to cancel before departure you will get some or all of your funds back. This type of insurance must be purchased at the time you send your deposit and/or you purchase your airline ticket whichever comes first. The other type of insurance is for medical insurance while traveling and can be purchased up to departure. This insurance covers the cost of travel back to the United States if you have to leave the Study Program while in Europe.

‍Eligibility
‍In order to participate in the 2026 Study Program, you must be actively teaching the Holocaust or a staff member at one of the JFR’s current Holocaust Centers of Excellence. If your center is no longer part of the JFR Centers of Excellence Program, the JFR will serve as your center. If you have retired from teaching and are actively working for your center in the field of Holocaust education, we will consider your application.

‍The Study Program
‍The JFR European Study Program is a difficult, intense and at times physically and emotionally demanding trip. We reserve the right to request a physician’s letter stating that you are fit to participate in the European Study Program. We will walk for hours at a time with no place to sit; we will have several long bus rides (we do make stops). We have no control over the weather; it can be extremely hot or chilly. The European Study Program is not a tour – it is an in-depth, intense, educational experience. If you are attending the 2026 Summer Institute for Teachers, you are eligible to apply for the 2026 European Study Program. If you have questions, please email me at sstahl@jfr.org.

‍Please let me know if you are interested in participating in the 2026 Study Program. I am looking forward to hearing from you and having you join us in Poland this July!

- Stanlee