ASAP (AMERICAN SERVICE
ACADEMIES PROGRAM)

A Program for Future American Military Leaders

The American Service Academies Program is a profound 16-day emotional educational program in Poland specifically designed for future military officers from the U.S. Military, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard academies.

The poignancy of the setting educates them about historical atrocities but also ignites significant dialogue on how to apply these lessons for the future as tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers. Within this framework, students are challenged to understand what can happen in the absence of open and democratic governing institutions—when evil is given free reign and overpowers ethics.



Their journey begins in the US, where the cadets and midshipmen are immersed in the rich Jewish life, the horrors of the Holocaust, and the creation of modern genocide. Through encounters with scholars, survivors, and exhibitions at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, participants form a personal connection to history’s lessons.

I think it’s important to listen to it, internalize it, and as future leaders, make sure nothing like this can ever happen again.”

2023 ASAP Participant

In Poland, the emotions intensify as these impressionable young adults walk through sites of Jewish heritage and the blood-stained landscapes of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Meetings with Polish Righteous Among the Nations and in-depth lectures on Holocaust history challenge them to reflect deeply on the moral complexities of leadership in the face of inhumanity.

Upon returning to the States, armed with new knowledge, participants reflect on their experiences through essays. They actively share these insights within their local communities, teaching the importance of Holocaust remembrance and ethical leadership.

This life-changing program honors those who suffered and fortifies a new generation against the roots of hatred and intolerance.

Play Video
A big aspect of what we’re learning here through ASAP is how to apply ethical lessons learned from the Holocaust to modern officership today”
Ben Wanjura, US Air Force Academy.

For more information, including application questions

Join us in molding future military leaders with the lessons of the past. You can ensure that ethics and history guide tomorrow’s decision-makers

to create a world without hate.

get in touch

Pl. Ks. J. Skarbka 5
32-600 Oświęcim, Poland

Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation

57 West 57th Street, Rm 424 New York NY 10019