At the place where hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered and which became one of the symbols of the Nazi extermination machine – Birkenau camp in Nazi-occupied Poland – the March of the Living takes place once again, for the 36th time.
This was the peak of the Holocaust Remembrance Day events, which began a day earlier in Budapest. The main march is from Auschwitz to Birkenau, with the participation of 8,000 people from all over the world, including 55 Holocaust survivors.
Many participants gathered at the entrance of the Auschwitz extermination camp, draped in Israeli flags. Some are wearing shirts with the slogan "Bring them home", referring to the hostages still held in Gaza.
The March officially began, after Holocaust survivors, among other dignitaries, blew the Shofar. "Say no to antisemitism!" they said to the crowd.
Thomas Hand, the father of former 8-year-old captive Emily Hand also participates in the March, recalling the terrifying moments of realizing his daughter was in Hamas' hands. "We got her back somehow. It was a miracle," he says.
Gabriella Karin, one of the 55 Holocaust survivors participating in the March of the Living, says she has dedicated her life to educating the younger generation about the Holocaust. "We are all the same. You don't have to love everybody, but we have to respect every person on this earth. We all have a right to be here."
This year's March of the Living has launched its first-ever university president's mission from the US and Canada, amid the sharp rise of antisemitism especially on campuses. Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman leading the group, says that "unchecked hate leads to clear and present danger," adding that the leadership of universities together with people worldwide should work to "eliminate hate and antisemitism from the world."
Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, says that today in Auschwitz – one of the major sites of the Nazi's Final Solution – we need to commemorate the 6 million who perished merely because they were Jews and stay united as a Jewish community worldwide, facing antisemitism.
Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, chairman of the International March of the Living, says the organization's mission is more important than ever, as over 90 years have passed since the Holocaust and the number of survivors is diminishing.
Jacqueline Glicksman, from Kibbutz HaShlosha, spoke with Israel Hayom and recounted her harrowing experience surviving the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, where terrorists entered her home and nearly set it on fire before she escaped. This year marks the first time she is participating in the March of the Living. Despite her traumatic ordeal, she felt she had to take part in the March this year, saying "It is precisely in this place, at the March of the Living, that I feel the State of Israel is stronger than ever."
Pastor Larry Huch, founder and senior pastor of the New Beginnings Church says "The majority of people in America love Israel and the Jewish people...one of the reasons why we came here is to make a stand, to let people know that we won't tolerate antisemitism."
Ahead of the beginning of the official ceremony, Alex Traiman, Jerusalem Bureau Chief of JNS shared his impressions of the March this year, saying it is "very special, definitely took on a totally different meaning just several months after Oct. 7." "You'd think that there will be a feeling of depression, seeing the death camps and knowing that the same hatred that fueled the Holocaust just 80 years ago is fueling the enemies of the Jewish people today," He added, "but surprisingly, I didn't find one depressed person throughout the March."
The official ceremony began with the master of the ceremony Greg Masel's words: "Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day of remembering the past, but this year, is also one of looking with trepidation and concern at the present and to the future," followed by a one-minute memorial siren in memory of the victims who perished in Auschwitz.
Israel's President Isaac Herzog spoke via video from the President's Residence in Jerusalem, saying "Gathering from across the world you say clearly here today – we remain, we live, and no matter what kind of hatred and brutality we may meet – we are, and what we stand for will remain." Gabor Gordon, chairman of the March of the Living in Hungary lit the first torch, in memory of 565,000 Hungarian Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Israeli singer Noa Kirel, a descendant of a Holocaust survivor grandfather, performed the Hungarian poet Hannah Szenes' song "A Walk to Caesarea."
Video: Noa Kirel performs at the March of the Living / Credit: March of the Living
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a Holocaust survivor said "The answer is to live, to exist, to be stronger...and to love each other," referring to antisemitism worldwide. He also mentioned the hostages still held captive in Gaza and called for their release. Holocaust survivor Daniel Louz, who endured the brutal Hamas attack on Oct. 7 lit the second torch along with other survivors, saying in tears "We who established a home and a state which was our great victory over the Nazis and antisemitism light this torch in memory of those who perished in the Shoa and in memory of those murdered on Oct.7."
The March of the Living students accompanied by author and Holocaust survivor Nate Leipciger lit the third torch saying "We will always stand against the demonization of the Jewish people...if we fail to uphold this pledge, the generations to come will be marching for us." Leipciger, pointing towards the unloading ramp at the camp, said "I stood on this ramp 81 years ago. Every day could have been my death. Jewish rights are human rights," followed by Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, who lit the fourth torch.
Leonardo Farkash, who was born into a family that had lost 55 of its members in Auschwitz, and Eli Beer, founder of the United Hatzalah organization lit the fifth torch in recognition of the doctors, nurses, and relief organizations that save lives. Students from Germany, Austria, and Poland lit the sixth torch in honor of those who heroically saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
Kirel performed another rendition of "Over the Rainbow", a song written on the eve of World War II. As the ceremony comes to an end, Chairwoman of KKL-JNF Yifat Ovadia-Lusky stated that the Jewish people "Are here, and here to stay," in spite of the tragedies of the Holocaust and recent events of Oct. 7.
