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Boarding the red-eye flight to Poland,we had no idea what to expect.With a crew of 14 students and three staff members, the Belarus Cross Cultural Education and Service Project was about to press the boundaries of Dartmouth community service. As students,we felt prepared to challenge our own preconceived notions of the world, and as Americans we were ready to expose ourselves to an entirely different culture.

Belarus Volunteers cary a section of the iron fence

As with all Tucker Cross Cultural projects, our goal was to serve others while educating ourselves. The service aspect of our trip lay in the restoration of a Jewish cemetery in the small Belorussian town of Spotskin. Lead by Rabbi Ed Boraz, Jan Tarjan and Jeff Murphy ’02,we erected a metal fence around the exposed perimeter of the cemetery, beautified the interior landscape and righted tombstones long hidden under overgrown brush. With the help of Dr. Michael Lozman — who originally discovered the neglected cemetery — and the local townspeople, our team left Belarus with a keen sense of accomplishment.


No less intense were our experiences touring Eastern Europe and learning first-hand about the affects of the Holocaust. Prominent locations on our agenda included Auschwitz Work and Death Camps, the Krakow Jewish Quarter and the Minsk Jewish Quarter. The touring of such compelling locations, coupled with the restoration of the cemetery had an extreme impact on each member of the group. Says Chief of Operations Ethan Levine ’ 03,“Religiously and historically I felt a tremendous extension of myself to the history behind the area of the world we immersed ourselves within. I felt connected to the preservation of the memory as it was my ancestors that I was trying to preserve.”

Jeffrey Murphy '02 surveys the proposed fence-line

Outside of the deep and often difficult issues our group faced,we found an intimate and joyous connection with the townspeople of Spotskin. In addition to helping with the restoration of the cemetery, many townspeople opened their homes to group members for an overnight home-stay. Says Levine,“The home-stays and the interaction with the community surprised me the most because I did not even come close to envisioning the immense hospitality the community welcomed us with.”

Our group also enjoyed a Saturday night graduation celebration held in the small town’s school. After an evening of feasting and dancing,we had made a true connection in a country where we could barely communicate verbally.

Although we met with many challenges along the way, the team members of the Belarus Cross Cultural Project conquered difficulty in the form of service, education, and cultural connection. We were fortunate to experience many aspects of the Eastern European lifestyle, and even more fortunate to bond as a team. The memories embedded in the town of Spotskin, as well as in our own minds, will not be soon forgotten.