Hayden Liberty, Student, Broward County, FL, USA

Hayden Liberty Delegation: Broward County, Florida, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?My motivation to take part in the 2024 March of the Living is to continue my family legacy of Marching. My grandpa and uncle marched in 1998 and my mother marched in 1996! In addition, learning and applying my Jewish heritage is my top priority and I hope to use all the knowledge I learn from the March and apply it every day.2. Why is your Jewish identity important to you?My Jewish identity is important to me because it has always been an aspect of me that makes me unique. I love bringing new ideas to the table knowing that I take my Judaism into consideration. My Jewish identity encourages me to want to make an impact in my community each day and it’s something that I will always show off to whatever community I am in!3. How do you feel about the rise in antisemitism that we see around the world?The rise of antisemitism around the world makes me frustrated and upset. Myself and my Jewish community don’t deserve to be treated this way, when all we want is to be happy and make a positive change in our world. The rise of antisemitism has motivated me to continue to make a difference and continue to fight for myself and my Jewish community.4. What do you hope to learn on the trip to Poland & Israel?I hope to learn on this trip the correct ways to teach my community and all my peers around me the facts and events that occurred during the Holocaust. Being able to witness them myself on my trip to Poland, I plan to use this knowledge and teach all my peers.5. What do you think you intend to do upon your return home, as a follow up to what you have learned on the March of the Living?Upon my return home, I intend to make a difference and an impact in my college community starting in the Fall 2024. With everything going on in the world right now and will all the knowledge and experiences I have retrieved from the March of the Living I plan to immediately apply it all to my life and teach others the real information so that they are educated. READ MORE SURVIVOR AND STUDENT PROFILES

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Logan Midler, Student, South Palm Beach, FL, USA

Logan Midler Delegation: South Palm Beach, FL, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?I think I have always known I wanted to go on the March since I knew what it was. My mom has always told me how this trip was her “dream trip” and that she truly hoped I could go on it one day. I think as Jewish students in the Diaspora, it is so important to understand what our families went through, to help us understand how lucky we are to be Jewish.2. Why is your Jewish identity important to you?My Jewish identity is important to me because it connects me with my family. Whenever I think about celebrating Jewish holidays or being Jewish I always think about my family. My family and I are very close and I hope to continue the traditions and customs we have in my home with my children.3. How do you feel about the rise in antisemitism that we see around the world?The rise in antisemitism in the world makes me feel unbelievably disheartened and sad. I do not understand why people can be so rude and so hateful over one’s religion. The antisemitism seen on college campuses and the violence against Jewish students is incredibly alarming and truly scares me when I have to go to college.4. What do you hope to learn on the trip to Poland & Israel?I hope to learn how to combat antisemitism and stand up for my people while also protecting my safety. I think there’s a very fine line between advocating for Israel and Jewish people and putting yourself in potentially dangerous situations. I want to know how to advocate for Israel and the Jewish people without having to put myself in dangerous situations.5. What do you think you intend to do upon your return home, as a follow up to what you have learned on the March of the Living?Upon my return home, I intend to continue learning as much as I can about the Holocaust and continue to tell the stories of the survivors. I intend to continue to fight for Israel and against antisemitism. READ MORE SURVIVOR & STUDENT PROFILES

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Millia Shiffman, Student, Canada

Millia Shiffman Delegation: Canada 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?Each year at my synagogues Holocaust memorial we usually have a few speakers. When I was younger, I remember a couple speakers from Saskatoon talking about the March and how much of a priceless and meaningful experience it was. Ever since then I hoped to go on the march someday. There has not been anyone from Saskatoon on the March for around 10 years, so I hope to also inspire future generations to take part in this program in the future too.2. Why is your Jewish identity important to you?I feel my Jewish identity is something that makes me unique and interesting. I love all the cool traditions, culture, and holidays we celebrate as Jews as well as the big, amazing family of the Jewish community. It feels that no matter who you are and where you are from there is an instant connection between Jewish people due to the shared heritage and culture.3. How do you feel about the rise in antisemitism that we see around the world?I find the rise of antisemitism quite disappointing especially with how people tend to veil their antisemitism by saying they are instead “anti-Zionist” or “anti-Israel”. It seems many people know what the Holocaust is and what happened during that time but are unable to see the similarities between the scapegoating of the Jews of the past with how it is happening in a different way to the Jews of the present.4. What do you hope to learn on the trip to Poland & Israel?I hope to learn more about the individuals who lived through the Holocaust and what their lives looked like in the concentration camps. I feel that going to Poland in person will be an indescribable experience and I am excited to have this opportunity to go. For Israel I am mostly just excited to go there in person as I have never been yet and to see what it is like living there. I hope to be able to take the information I learn from being in Israel to better educate the people in my hometown who may be anti-Israel or anti-Zionist.5. What do you think you intend to do upon your return home, as a follow up to what you have learned on the March of the Living?The first thing I plan to do immediately on return is to tell my family and friends all about the trip and what I learned. Later on I plan to do a few presentations with my local synagogue and Hebrew school to share my experience and hopefully inspire more people from Saskatoon to do the march in the future. READ MORE SURVIVOR & STUDENT PROFILES

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Jonah Fienberg, Student, Broward County, FL, USA

Jonah Fienberg Delegation: Broward County, FL, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?I am motivated to take part in the March of the Living to serve as a testament to those who suffered at the hands of the Nazi’s during the Holocaust. By going on the March as a collective of young people and Holocaust Survivors, we are living proof that Hitler’s plan did not work, and that the Jewish people are resilient and stronger now than ever before.2. Why is your Jewish identity important to you?My Jewish identity is important to me because of the shared community around the world and throughout history that I am connected to. Attending Sunday school, overnight camp, and taking trips to Israel, I have furthered my connection to Jewish culture and developed a sense of what it means to be Jewish in my own way.3. How do you feel about the rise in antisemitism that we see around the world?The rise of antisemitism that is being seen throughout the world since October 7th is shocking and frightening. As I begin my college journey, I am afraid of what I will encounter and feel uncertain how I will handle being targeted as a Jewish student. However, I feel confident that I’ve been properly prepared to successfully navigate difficult conversations and respond to this rise in hate.4. What do you hope to learn on the trip to Poland & Israel?I hope to be able to have the experience of visualizing the true horrors and atrocities that Jewish people suffered during the Holocaust. Experiencing the raw emotion of the moment and observing firsthand, I can be a better ambassador to my non-Jewish friends in helping them understand all that the Jewish community has had to endure and how important it is that Israel be guarded as a safe haven for our people.5. What do you think you intend to do upon your return home, as a follow up to what you have learned on the March of the Living?I plan to become active with Jewish organizations on campus to support Israel and combat antisemitism. READ MORE SURVIVOR & STUDENT PROFILES

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