Remembering Irving Roth, z”l

International March of the Living mourns the passing of Holocaust survivor and educator, our teacher and mentor, Irving Roth, z”l. Irving Roth educated countless students and adults from all over the world about the history and lessons of the Holocaust through the March of the Living and many other worthy educational organizations. A dedicated advocate for human rights, and proud supporter of the Jewish people and Israel, Irving Roth touched everyone he spoke to with his singular erudition, eloquence and wisdom. He truly embodied Elie Wiesel’s words, “When you listen to witness, you become a witness”, creating many thousands of dedicated witnesses around the world committed to sharing the history of the Holocaust and his message of love, peace and respect. The Jewish people and the world were blessed with the presence of Irving Roth for over 90 years, and we commit to continue bearing the torch of his memory and the invaluable lessons he taught us long into the future.May his memory be a blessing and may his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.To learn more about Irving’s story, scroll down or click here.  Click on the video players below to watch videos of Irving Roth speaking on March of the Living programs Images of Irving Roth participating in the March of the Living in Poland, in Treblinka and Auschwitz, taken from the book, Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations. MORE ABOUT IRVING ROTH, Z"L Irving Roth, z”l, was born in Czechoslovakia in 1929. He grew up going to school and playing soccer with kids his own age. But by 1938, as the Nazis took power, his life started to slowly change. He was no longer allowed to attend school, play soccer, or go to the park. His family lost their business and they went into hiding in Hungary.By 1944, Irving Roth, found himself on a cattle car to Auschwitz at the age of 14. He arrived after three days and was immediately separated from his grandfather, grandmother, aunt, and 10-year-old cousin. He never seen them again, as they were sent to the gas chambers. By 1945, Roth and his brother survived Auschwitz but were forced on the death march to Buchenwald. Upon arrival, they were separated and his brother was sent to Bergen Belsen where he later died. On April 11, 1945, Buchenwald was liberated. Irving Roth survived the Holocaust to return home to his parents, the only other surviving family members. Irving Roth spent decades travelling to share his story of the Holocaust and the hatred that killed 6 million Jews. He also wrote a book on his story titled “Bondi’s Brother”.  In late 2020, Irving was featured in the documentary film, NEVER AGAIN?, about the horrors of anti-Semitism and the power of survival and redemption. Irving passed away on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. 

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“Our Liberation: Stories of Holocaust Survivors’ Road to Freedom”

In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the International March of the Living and the March of the Living Digital Archive invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, for the premiere of the film “Our Liberation: Stories of Holocaust Survivors’ Road to Freedom“. Click on the video player below to watch the film.  On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the greatest mass murder in human history, where over 1 million of Hitler’s 6 million Jewish victims perished. As the world commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the film tells the moving stories of six Holocaust survivors, as they revisit that pivotal moment in their lives, when Allied troops overran the Nazi death camps, and gave the survivors the Freedom they so deeply yearned for.“Our Liberation” is directed and produced by Naomi Wise. The Holocaust survivors featured in the film are all connected to the March of the Living. They are: Miriam Ziegler, Faigie Libman, Robert Engel Z”L, Ernest Ehrmann, Howard Kleinberg Z”L and Joe Mandel.The first of the six stories, features the poignant return of Toronto resident Miriam Ziegler, to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where the infamous Nazi Dr. Joseph Mengele performed medical experiments on her when she was just a child. Pictured in the photo (second from the left) at nine years old, she is holding her arm out with her Auschwitz tattoo number, because the Russian soldier asked her for her name and she instinctively showed him the number on her arm – That was her natural reaction in Auschwitz.Click on the video player below to watch a promo for the special broadcast premiere of the filmon i24News. 

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Fireside Chat with Ron Dermer

International March of the Living Fireside Chat featuring Ron Dermer, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, aired on Sunday, January 17, 2021.To watch the program, click here or on the video player below. Ambassador Dermer participated in the 2018 March of the Living, along with his wife Rhoda. On Erev Yom HaShoah, he delivered the keynote address during our solemn ceremony at the Krakow Opera House, which left an indelible impression on all privileged to hear it.This program featured Ambassador Dermer having a personal conversation with Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President of the International March of the Living.

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Statement on the passing of Sheldon Adelson

Together with the entire Jewish world, International March of the Living mourns the passing of our dear friend Sheldon Adelson, z’l. A…

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“Blind Love” Film Screening & Q&A

On December 22, 2020, the International March of the Living held an Exclusive Screening and Q&A of “Blind Love: A Holocaust Journey through Poland with Man’s Best Friend.” The Q&A featured a discussion between the film’s producer and Director of Education for the International March of the Living, Eli Rubenstein and Liron Artzi, a March of the Living alumna from the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. Blind Love recounts a trip to Poland of six blind Israelis and their guide dogs who took part in the annual March of the Living, where they visited once thriving sites of Jewish life and culture. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the blind participants and their guide dogs marched from Auschwitz-Birkenau in memory of the victims of Nazi genocide and against prejudice, intolerance and hate.The Q&A portion was recorded, however the film will not be posted publicly. Learn more about how to view the film by clicking on the button below. REQUEST A PREVIEW LINK DOWNLOAD THE TEACHERS GUIDE Click on the video players below to watch the trailer and to learn more about the film.  “Following the March of the Living ceremony in Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day, I thanked the delegation of blind marchers for joining us on our journey through Poland. One of the women softly uttered profound words which I carry with me always and which I shall never forget: 'I saw nothing…..but I felt everything.' Those words, I believe, symbolize the essence and the impact of the March of the Living.” Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President, International March of the Living To request a preview link to view the International March of the Living’s film “Blind Love: A Holocaust Journey through Poland with Man’s Best Friend,” please fill out the form below: Blind Love Request Name * First Last * Last Email * Phone Country AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCôte d'IvoireCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe State (USA) AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming How do you plan to use the film? * Educational Purposes Zoom Screening OtherOther How would you best describe yourself? * Alum Educator Lay Leader Parent Organizational Leader Rabbi Suvivor Tour Guide OtherOther Have you been on the March? * YesNo Year(s)? 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MOTL commends the Government of Canada on the recent appointment of Irwin Cotler as Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism in Canada

Professor Cotler, Chairman of the Raul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, is one of the world’s foremost human rights advocates, and…

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Survivor Speaker Series: Mania Hudy

On Thursday, December 3, 2020, the International March of the Living held another “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness” Survivor Speaker Series featuring Mania Hudy, from Canada, in an inspirational Q & A with Dalia Mizrachi, Educator and active member of Fundacion Amigos de Yad Vashem Panama – EMET.This program was held in partnership with Fundacion Amigos de Yad Vashem Panama – EMET and March of the Living Toronto.Click on the video player below to watch the full recording of the program.  Mania Hudy’s story is one of highs and lows. Mania, known affectionately to all who know her as “Buba,” was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1933. She lived a comfortable childhood until the Germans invaded in 1939. When her family was forced into the ghetto, Mania, at just seven years old, smuggled food in to help feed her family, due to her Aryan appearance. When Mania fell ill at the age of 10 with typhus, she and her brother escaped to hide with a non-Jewish couple in a forest. After being expelled from the farmhouse, Mania was sent on a train to Auschwitz with other Polish prisoners, yet ended up in Bergen-Belsen. She survived and was liberated by the American army in 1945.After the war, Mania miraculously reunited with her mother and siblings and immigrated to Israel by way of France. She then went on to live in Argentina for over a decade. She currently resides in Toronto, Canada and has numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Mania finds incredible strength in sharing her story with the next generation.

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MOTL documentary film “Blind Love” on i24NewsTV

Tune in TONIGHT, December 3, 2020 at 10:00PM EST to i24NewsTV, for a special broadcast of the International March of the…

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March of the Living global interfaith initiative to commemorate Kristallnacht: #LetThereBeLight

Despite the fact that Kristallnacht, which saw the destruction of thousands of synagogues and Jewish institutions, took place 82 years ago,…

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Let There Be Light: 2020 Kristallnacht Commemoration

In honor of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass, on November 9th, 2020, the International March of the Living aired our 2020 Kristallnacht Commemoration…

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