Freed Hostages and families of victims of October 7th at the 2025 March of the Living Erev Yom HaShoah Ceremony at the Krakow Opera. (Yossi Zeliger)

As we mark two years since the horrific day of October 7 and the difficult war that followed, we unite in prayer for peace and the return of all the hostages – both the living and those who were killed.

The pain of October 7, 2023, struck every one of us – Israelis, Jews and all people of good faith around the world. Yet from this immense pain emerged a renewed sense of connection and resolve among our people; never before have we been so united as one nation.

The wave of antisemitism that erupted in its aftermath still rages on, and our message is clear: to remain proud of our Jewish identity, to continue building bridges between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide and other faith communities, and to always remember that

Am Yisrael Chai – the People of Israel live and endure.

October 7 Delegation to the 2025 March of the Living

Freed Hostages and families of victims of October 7th in Auschwitz during the 2025 March of the Living. (Elinor Lallouche Rotem)

For the second year in a row, the October 7 Delegation, led by the Menomadin Foundation, took part in the 2025 International March of the Living, standing as a poignant reminder of the generational chain of persecuted Jews from the Holocaust to today. Their presence at Auschwitz-Birkenau embodies both the enduring vulnerability of the Jewish people and their unbreakable resilience.

Freed Hostage Eli Sharabi

“The Holocaust was unlike anything else. The fact that we are here is a victory of the Jewish spirit. The Jewish people will exist forever and ever. The Jewish people sanctify life, not death. The unwritten agreement between the state and its citizens must not be violated – and all the hostages must be returned home.

I lost my wife and daughters on October 7. I went through horrors in enemy captivity, but I chose life, and that gives me a lot of hope to continue every morning anew and start rebuilding my life anew,” he said.

“We will not forget, and we will not forgive”.

Holocaust Survivor Naftali Furst

“When Eli Sharabi was released from captivity, I was deeply shaken. I was reminded again of how I looked at my own liberation. When I met him in Poland, at the March of the Living, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I hugged him and told him that I had been freed after 1,033 days. We didn’t need to speak – we understood each other.

As we stood with pride – 80 Holocaust survivors leading the March of the Living, 80 years after our liberation from the camps – we embraced the survivors of Hamas captivity and told them that there is comfort and there is hope. That we, the Holocaust survivors, are living proof that it is possible to recover from the inferno and rebuild lives – even happy lives. Yet we cannot be whole until all are freed, both the living hostages and those who have fallen. Silence is a moral stain, and we must cry out and do everything possible to bring them back to us swiftly.”

Reflection from freed hostage Ori Megidish

Freed Hostage Ori Megadish in Birkenau during the 2025 March of the Living. (Elinor Lallouche Rotem)

“Hearing Holocaust survivor Sarah Weinstein say the words ‘I am happy’ moved me to tears – tears of pain and hope.”

I joined this year’s March of the Living knowing it would be a deeply meaningful journey – as part of the special delegation of October 7 survivors led by the Menomadin Foundation. Each member of our delegation carries a hole in their heart left by that day. Every day, we heard powerful stories of people who had lost their loved ones, yet came to Poland filled with positivity and immense love for our people.

Standing on Polish soil and participating in the March of the Living felt like closing a circle – for me and for what I went through. To stand at Auschwitz with my head held high, facing both the pain of six million murdered Jews and the memory of my friends and brothers and sisters who were killed on October 7, and to walk together in their memory – for life – is the highest honor and responsibility.

The most defining moment for me in Poland was at the opening ceremony, when Holocaust survivor Sarah (“Sarale”) Weinstein took the stage. As she began to speak, I smiled – but with each word she spoke, I found myself crying harder, with tears of both pain and hope.

Sarah told us how her mother was murdered while shielding her as a child, how she fled with her father and sisters from a burning home to hide in the forests, suffering from unbearable cold and hunger for years. Her father, too, was murdered. She and her two sisters were left alone and were later taken to an orphanage before immigrating to Israel.

Holocaust Survivor Sarah Weinstein during the 2025 March of the Living. (Ziv Koren)

Then Sarah turned to us – the freed hostages sitting in the audience: Agam Berger, Raaya Rotem, and me. She asked us to listen carefully:

“After the Holocaust, I received psychological support and rebuilt my life. It wasn’t easy – and who better than you know how hard it is to heal pain. But it’s possible – believe me. Today, I am a happy woman.”

Those two words – “I am happy” – broke me. As she mentioned our names and blessed us to be happy like her, I wept. And I believed her – because I saw before me a woman who had endured hell at the age of six and a half, barefoot and naked in the freezing forests at minus 25 degrees, smiling and telling us that everything will be okay. The huge hug I gave her afterward could never be enough to thank her for the strength she gave me – for this journey, and for life itself.

Thank you, Sarale.

Freed Hostage Keith Siegel

“I’m here in Poland at the March of the Living, the place that’s meant to embody the words ‘Never Again.’ And yet, 59 hostages are still being held captive in the tunnels in Gaza”, said Siegel in Poland to his fellow delegates to the March of the Living.

“It is a tremendous privilege to be here with you. A little over two months ago, I returned to Israel after 484 days in Hamas captivity. Since then, I’ve been working to bring home the remaining 59 hostages to their families. When I read Chavka Folman-Raban’s words, I felt they reflected the feelings I too experienced, and I felt compelled to share them here.”

Chavka Folman-Raban, a member of the Dror movement in Poland, was part of the Jewish organization fighting there and served as a liaison. She spoke these words at a rally at the Ghetto Fighters’ House in 1988: “When World War II ended, those of us who survived faced a hard and painful freedom. The loss of everything—family, friends, millions of Jews—was felt with brutal force. Rebuilding our lives and starting anew seemed almost impossible.”

“We were helped by the faith and hope that the new world would be different,” she said. “That in our land, in Israel, society would be just, moral, and pure, where the dignity of each person would be upheld in all circumstances and situations. We dreamed of peace, true peace, and that dream was fulfilled״.

Freed Hostage Moran Stella Yanai stands on the train tracks in Birkenau during the 2025 March of the Living. (Elinor Lallouche Rotem)

“I find myself endlessly reflecting on how such a tragedy could have happened, and how we, as a society, must never allow it to happen again. After a long struggle to escape, I stand here today at the Majdanek concentration camp, looking at the line of trees visible in the distance. I felt trapped in a field with nothing but those trees on the horizon. I thought that if I could just reach them, I might survive and escape. I think of those Jews who tried to flee from that camp, aiming to reach those trees, hoping to blend into the great forest and be saved.

This place, this moment, carries a completely different weight now,” she said. “I find myself endlessly reflecting on how such a tragedy could have happened, and how we, as a society, must never allow it to happen again—not to us, nor to any people anywhere in the world.”

STUDENT REFLECTIONS

“The march wasn’t just about the past, it was a call to protect our shared future”.

Delegations of students from around the world were deeply moved to see the freed hostages and bereaved families, offering them warm embraces and heartfelt cries of “Am Yisrael Chai.” All participants in the March were united in one urgent demand: the immediate release of all the hostages still held in Gaza. Their participation highlights the pressing relevance of the March’s timeless message: Never Again is Now.

Brazilian students from the Liessin school on the 2025 March of the Living

Julia, Student from Brazil

“Marching alongside the victims and freed hostages of October 7 was an incredibly emotional and humbling experience. It was a powerful reminder of both the deep pain caused by that day and the resilience of those who lived through it. Standing with them, I felt a profound sense of solidarity, grief and responsibility. Their presence gave voice to those who are still missing and honored those we lost. The march wasn’t just about the past, it was a call to protect our shared future”.

Daniel, Student from Brazil

“During the Shabbat Israelit with October 7 survivors, I was struck by how strength and hope can coexist with profound pain. Sitting at the table, singing and blessing the challah together, I could hardly imagine the trauma and horror they endured. Yet their resilience inspires all of us, even from as far away as Brazil, to stand against antisemitism and work toward peace and prosperity in the state of Israel”.

“Being able to listening to survivors of the Nova Festival is something that I will always remember. There is something so moving about hearing these stories directly from them and seeing their strength after going through everything. As a 16 year old girl not much younger than some of them this is so inspiring to see how they are sharing their stories to hold Hamas accountable for the horrific things they did to them and continue to do to our hostages still left. They show us that there is still hope and strength”.

“Marching with October 7 victims and freed hostages made me feel a deep sense of hope and strength, showing me that our unity and light will always prevail, far stronger than their hate. The Shoah and October 7 were born from the same hatred, cruelty, and inhumanity. But being there and seeing that survivors of both were able to march in the very place that once held only hate, made me feel the incredible power and resilience they carry. It showed me that no matter how much hate is thrown at us, no matter how much damage they try to cause, nothing can ever break us.”

Watch freed hostage Agam Berger performed Shir HaMa’alot with Daniel Weiss

At the central ceremony in Birkenau, freed hostage Agam Berger performed Shir HaMa’alot with Daniel Weiss, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri whose parents were murdered on October 7. Berger played a 130-year-old violin that survived the Holocaust and was brought to Israel.

Daniel Wiess: “Standing on the stage at Birkenau is a profound and moving mission for me. Sharing this moment with Agam Berger, as she plays a violin that survived the Holocaust, is a powerful reminder of music’s ability to connect generations, to heal, and to preserve the stories that must never be forgotten. After losing the people dearest to me, visiting the Auschwitz camps at the March of the Living made me feel a deeper connection to the story of the Jewish people. I realized that my story is interwoven with the history of the Jewish people throughout the generations.”

“Seeing Agam Berger and Daniel Wise sing Shir Hamaalot in Birkenau was unforgettable. It was a moment of deep contrast, hope and song in a place of past horror. Their voices echoed through a space once filled with silence and suffering. In that very place, their music brought a powerful message of survival and light. It was as if they were reclaiming the space with life, memory and spirit. That performance transformed Birkenau from a symbol of loss into a place of resilience. It reminded me that even in the darkest places, hope and faith endure”, said Julia, a March of the Living student from Brazil.

Eden, a student from March of the Living Panama echoes Julia’s reflection:

“Seeing Agam Berger perform Shir Hamaalot along with Daniel Wise made me feel another level of hope. The prayer itself is a message that Hashem is always watching over us, but her performing it truly confirmed that. Agam was someone I used to watch on the news, and seeing her free and doing something she loves felt so surreal. It gave me, and I’m sure many others, the hope that BH one day all the remaining hostages will be rescued”.