Gratitude notebooks in Israeli youths’ Holocaust journeys to Poland: ritual, confirmation, and reflection in heritage tourism

Abstract

ABSTRACT The authors identify an unresearched practice of Israeli youth participating in organized Holocaust journeys: at the end of the journey, students write thank you letters in a notebook that is then given to the educational guide. Researchers qualitatively analyzed 20 such notebooks written by Israeli high school students. Using grounded-theory methods for document analysis, we identified the notebooks’ role as a incorporation stage after the journey, which is a pilgrimage-like rite of passage. In the letters, students proclaim their transformation, their attention to the guide, and their desire to be remembered. Thus, the notebooks affirm the journey’s success and allow for their return to Israel having had a transformational experience and inhabiting a new position. This analysis adds to our understanding of the role of ritual, especially document-based rituals, in the world of heritage tourism. We recommend the further study of similar reflective techniques in other heritage tourism contexts and their incorporation by heritage tourism professionals. The study adds to the body of knowledge by recognizing the importance of the personal approval of participants. The individual confirms by his signature the transition to the new status. The study illuminates the importance of written reflections on tourist transformation.