| An opportunity to visit Israel is a chance of a lifetime. As a high school teacher at Alverno High School, part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, I never thought an opportunity like that would have knocked on my door. 
In November of 2006 I attended the Bearing Witness Program offered by the Los Angeles region of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Bearing Witness is a three-day workshop designed to teach Catholic educators about the historical relationship between the Jewish and Catholic communities. While attending the Bearing Witness Program I was educated in the areas of Anti-Semitism, Jewish-Catholic relations, and the Holocaust. The speakers were wonderful and very knowledgeable, and I felt honored to be a part of this program.
As a Theology teacher, I also teach a World Religions course and I was anxious to bring what I had learned at the Bearing Witness Program back to my classroom. There were articles and handouts given out that I knew would be great for my "History of Christianity" class.
In addition to our museum and classroom time, our group was able to explore parts of Jerusalem and the Old City. As a Catholic and teacher of theology this was a dream come true.
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After my great experience at Bearing Witness, I wanted more, and soon learned of another ADL workshop: "Echoes and Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust." This is a Holocaust curriculum developed through a unique partnership between the ADL, Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Israel) and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education.
The "Echoes and Reflections" one-day workshop gave me much information about the Holocaust and also provided me with a wonderful curriculum that contained great lessons, excellent primary documents, and a DVD with testimonies of survivors and liberators. In this workshop, the ADL staff not only taught us about the Holocaust, but also how to use the curriculum and the survivor testimonies.
It was at this workshop that Israel began to knock at my door; I was asked by an ADL staff member to apply for the Summer Institute that would be held in Jerusalem in July 2007. It was an honor just to be asked, and it was overwhelming when I received the phone call that informed me I had been selected to participate. 
I was still in shock when the plane landed in Tel Aviv. The Summer Institute was an opportunity to discover firsthand the source of what we had learned in using "Echoes and Reflections." In Israel, we stayed in Jerusalem and spent our days at Yad Vashem, time consisting of lectures, lesson plan guides, testimonies of survivors, and a tour of the museum. It was truly amazing and emotional.
In addition to our museum and classroom time, our group was able to explore parts of Jerusalem and the Old City. As a Catholic and teacher of theology this was a dream come true. In our group were educators and ADL staff members, and as we walked the Via Dolorosa, it was amazing to see people from different parts of the United States and of different faiths all come together to walk along this path. It was also moving to visit the Western Wall and see how all of our different faiths and backgrounds brought us together and moved us so deeply.
Now, two months since my trip and less than a month into my new school year, I can already feel how my time spent in the Bearing Witness Program and "Echoes and Reflections" has greatly affected my teaching. My time in Israel was moving and memorable. I have come back a changed person and a better educator. Katherine Guerrero is a Theology teacher at Alverno High School.
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