|
 Adrienne
(Goldfeder) Turok participated in the very first
March of the Living in 1988. It was a life-changing
experience. Her grandmother Perla (Blass) Grunbart
survived Auschwitz and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen.
It was quite powerful to be able to witness
the sites of atrocities committed against her
family and to state emphatically Never Again!
When Adrienne first heard
about the March of the Living she didn't think
she could afford to go. She did not even want
to apply as she was so certain of her inability
to go. Her grandmother came across the brochure
in her room and told her not to worry - she
would help her go.
 In
her grandmother Perla (Blass) Grunbart's honor
Adrienne Turok and her husbandMichael Turok
donated $5,000 for needs-based scholarships
for grandchildren of Survivors, not wanting
anyone to be discouraged from applying because
of financial considerations.
The March of the Living
explores the most significant events in modern
Jewish history, the Holocaust and the founding
of the State of Israel, in a truly meaningful
way. We are honored to have shared this experience
with Adrienne Goldfeder Turok. It is especially
meaningful when an alumnus of the March of the
Living helps us to continue this unique educational
program.
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Embrace
the Past / Grasp the Future - You can change
the World
If you are an alumnus who would like to
follow in Adrienne's footsteps and have
a major impact in the lives of young people
by donating scholarship money to help those
who cannot afford the cost of the program
contact our office at
212-551-1053 or motl@motlmail.org. |
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Below are excerpts from
a letter written by one of the participants
helped by the above donation:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Turok,
With your help (Baruch
Hashem) I was able to take the Journey with
The March of the Living 2005... I thank
you for helping me to participate and letting
me have this great responsibility and privilege.
The reason why this trip
was so important to me is because I am a grandchild
of survivors. My grandfather (O"S)…
was put in [a] Slave Labor Camp and I remember
some of his stories. My Aunts would also tell
their stories of the concentration camps but
I was afraid to listen… But now, most
of them have passed or are too tired to tell
their stories. I don't want the stories to
go untold…I hope I can prolong their
memories so these stories will not be forgotten.
My grandmother was imprisoned in Auschwitz
and separated from her large family... I felt
that for them and all the family I will never
know that this was a trip worthwhile for me.
Thanks …for your assistance and beliefs
that the March should go on. .
This experience allowed
me to journey and face the horrors that happened
to my family and the family of humanity during
the time of the Holocaust. Today, on my 18th
birthday, I truly want you to know that
you are blessed to have enabled others to
take this trip. And I am blessed for encountering
your special family. You are my "malachim"
(angels) who have allowed me to have such
an experience. I promise I will pass on to
the generations who did and do not know about
such inhumanity the stories and the places
I have witnessed from the March of the Living.
The excitement of seeing Israel through the
eyes of the "March" was also an
awesome experience. As I go on to a new chapter
in my life now, I hope I can make you proud
that you had the idea to pass on the knowledge
to more generations. You are truly blessed.
Thank you for your generosity
to a wonderful cause and organization.
May Hashem give you strength
to continue such wonderful work so that there
is a chance the world CAN be a better
place, and that we should NEVER FORGET
what happened during this dark time and *do
to the events today in London, I truly see
how the teachings of the Holocaust are an
essential element in our lives today.
Forever Grateful,
March of the Living
2005 participant (and Family)
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