Robyn Needleman

In June 1998, I began a two year adventure with Peace Corps in Poland. I was 22 years old and had graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Government and Politics. I was inspired to live outside the United States after having lived in Spain for a few months while in college. I loved becoming a part of a culture other than my own. I loved experiencing new places, meeting new people, eating new foods, and learning to speak a new language. I applied to become a Peace Corps volunteer in order to live abroad, learn about myself, and help others. I was invited to become a volunteer in Poland, not your typical 3rd world country requiring the presence of Peace Corps volunteers. I took a chance and accepted the invitation, with some hesitancy due to my Jewish heritage and the history of the Holocaust in Poland. I went with an open mind and heart and was embraced by my host community. I am so thankful for the experience. I have become the professional woman I am today due to the impact of living day to day in Poland teaching English as a foreign language to high school students, while spending weekends and free time with the re-emerging Jewish community in Warsaw. I was inspired by the work of Jewish communal organizations in Poland, making it possible for Poles to explore the lost Jewish heritage at the hands of the perpetrators of the Holocaust and years of repression under totalitarian regimes. I lived in early post-communist Poland and it was a time of rapid change and discovery in many ways. Upon completion of my Peace Corps service, I began working in New York City at the Jewish Federation of NY. I have since received two Masters Degrees from New York University in Non Profit Management and Judaic Studies. Most recently, I worked for six years at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), an organization that provides restitution and reparations to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. Had it not been for the formative experiences in the Peace Corps I do not believe I would have found my way to the same place, professionally and personally.

A few other memories:

Coming home to my host family in Radom after a day of training (language, culutre, and history classes) to find the entire kitchen covered in glass containers stuffed with ogorki, garlic, spices, and seasonings. It was pickle time! I'd never seen that sight before.
 
Camp GLOW - bringing a group of young girls to the south of Poland for a week long English emersion and women's leadership camp. It was my first experience taking responsibility for a project and seeing it through all it stages. This involved teamwork, colloboration, fundraising, curriculum writing, planning, recruiting, traveling and having faith that it would all come together in the end. It was such a positive experience for everyone involved.
 
Travel - enjoying weekends away in Polish cities, towns and villages from north to south and east to west. It was such a privlege to be able to explore so much of the country thanks to my peace corps friends and their host communities.