By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

AMBERLEY VILLAGE - Earlier this year, nine Cincinnati high school students took a journey to improve their understanding of the history of their faith.

Next Saturday, four teens from Adath Israel Synagogue in Amberley Village will talk about their visit to concentration camps in Poland.

"We feel like we've gone through something that needs to be talked about," said Jeremy Guttman, 18, a Cincinnati Country Day graduate. "We're the next generation that needs to preserve this and learn this while the generation that lived it is still with us."

They traveled with 3,000 teens from all over the world as part of the March of the Living Program. The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati has participated in all 13 marches since its inception in 1988.

"It's an amazing, life-changing program," said coordinator Barb Miller.

The teens travel, usually with a survivor, to the sites of camps, ghettos and Tycocin, a village where the entire Jewish population was killed. They march from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, Miller said.

Then they went to Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day.

"You're in Poland and you're going through the most emotional experience, going to where there was once Jewish life thriving and was destroyed. Then go where Jewish life is now thriving," Guttman said.

Tori Roth, 18, a Sycamore High School grad, said she was most affected by visiting Tycocin, celebrating Israel Independence Day, and observing Shabbat.

Guttman, Roth, Seth Gildenblatt and Jessica Greenberg, will share their experiences after the 12:45 p.m. service at Adath Israel Synagogue, 3201 E. Galbraith Road, Amberley Village, next Saturday. For more information and/or lunch reservations, call the synagogue at 793-1800.

TimberWolf concert

Paramount's Kings Island's TimberWolf will host Spirit Song 2003, a three-day contemporary Christian concert festival Thursday through July 12.For information or tickets to the concert, which includes Third Day, the Newsboys and Michael W. Smith, call 562-4949.

To submit religion news, e-mail kvance@fuse.net or send a fax to 755-4150.