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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Gabriella Karin, Holocaust Survivor, BJE Los Angeles, CA, USA

Gabriella Karin DOB: November 17, 1930 Country of Origin: Czechoslovakia Delegation: BJE Los Angeles, CA, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?To talk to 17 – 18-year-old teenagers about our history that I was a part of. It motivated me to go to Poland to talk to young students and to tell them how I was affected with Hitler’s regime. They were such unbelievably hard times that for a young person growing up in USA it is almost unbelievable to imagine it. When talking to them, they started to change in front of my eyes into young adults with feelings toward Judaism. This important change affected me also, and I decided that in spite of my age I will continue to spread the word of the atrocities done by Hitler’s regime. We have to educate the young people about the facts that happened during WWII.2. After the events of October 7, 2023, is there still a reason to have hope? In light of October 7th and the dramatic rise of antisemitism, do you fear for the future of the world?I feel that we, the Jewish people, are threatened again with growing antisemitism in the world. I believe in visual expression of my feelings and I am expressing it with my sculptures. This time I am expressing it with this sculpture: “7 OCTOBER 2023.” (see artwork below) The leaves are expressing the Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust. The reflection of the mirror multiplies the atrocities, as we had to watch the killing of innocent people again. I never thought that surviving the Holocaust, I will live long enough to [once again] see mass murders against Jewish people, and it happened on our soil in Israel!3. What does the 80th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry mean to you? What kinds of feelings does this somber commemoration evoke in you?After WWII, horrible things happened in Hungary, so it is to me a big surprise that Hungary is standing with Israel and asks Hamas to release a few Hungarian Jews from captivity and stands with Israel today.4. What do you want the students to know about your family who perished in the Holocaust?I am talking to the students about the 75 people in my family that perished. We do not know where their bodies are so we cannot visit their graves and we can only remember them in our prayers.5. Why do you continue to educate about the Holocaust? What is your most important message or lesson for the students?I have a message to the world: “It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, or what color your eyes are – we are all the same people. We don’t have to love everybody, but we have to respect every person on the earth. We all have the right to be here.” LEARN MORE ABOUT GABRIELLA READ MORE SURVIVOR & STUDENT PROFILES

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Shaun, Student, BJE Los Angeles, CA, USA

Shaun Delegation: BJE Los Angeles, CA, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?Both my parents and both of my siblings participated in the March of the Living in past years and always reflected positively back on the experience and pushed me to participate in it when I was a senior. Now, with everything that is happening to the Jewish people around the world, I believe this experience has never been more timely and every Jewish teen should be educated on what the March of the Living is teaching to help their understanding of Jewish history.2. After the events of October 7, 2023, is there still a reason to have hope? In light of October 7th and the dramatic rise of antisemitism, do you fear for the future of the world?My Jewish identity and my Jewish community is very important to me. My high school is Jewish and is very important to me and is the community that I relate the most to, so becoming more educated on the history of the Jewish people is very important to me.3. What does the 80th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry mean to you? What kinds of feelings does this somber commemoration evoke in you?It is really sad to see the hate that Jewish people are getting around the world and the number of ignorant people who are producing hate towards others for no apparent reason.4. What do you want the students to know about your family who perished in the Holocaust?I hope to get more first-hand experience of what the Holocaust was really like for the Jewish people. It is one thing to learn about the horrific experience of the Holocaust in class, but having the opportunity to visit these places and see with my own eyes what happened is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am very grateful to have.5. Why do you continue to educate about the Holocaust? What is your most important message or lesson for the students?I believe that it will take a good amount of time for what I will see and learn to sink in, but once it does, I plan to continue sharing this experience with other people around me and help educate people who do not know about the Holocaust. I will have more knowledge about the Holocaust than most other people and I plan to share it with as many people as I can so that they can become educated as well. 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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Hershel Greenblat, Holocaust Survivor, Southern Region, USA

Hershel Greenblat​ DOB: April 24, 1941 Country of Origin: Ukraine Delegation: Southern Region, USA 1. What is motivating you to take part in the 2024 March of the Living?My motivation is to help educate the future Jewish generation of what happened in the darkest days of our history and let them know that they are our witnesses and our hope that they work to see that it never happens again.2. After the events of October 7, 2023, is there still a reason to have hope? In light of October 7th and the dramatic rise of antisemitism, do you fear for the future of the world?The Jewish people always have hope for a future with peace in the world. The fight against antisemitism is an ongoing battle that we must fight with all of our heart and soul. The future of the world is in their hands, they need to get a good education and show the world that there is still goodness and respect for everyone. No matter how different we are, we are still all human beings.3. What does the 80th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry mean to you? What kinds of feelings does this somber commemoration evoke in you?In 1944, the war was not going good for the Nazis, but they still wanted to eliminate the Jews of Hungary. The worst part is that most of the deportations were done by the Hungarian people themselves. It was done for simple reason of hatred. The unfortunate thing was by this time the rest of the world knew what was happening and still stood by and still let over 400,000 people be destroyed.4. What do you want the students to know about your family who perished in the Holocaust?My father’s family was completely destroyed and most of my mother’s family were killed but because of my parents’ strong will me and my sister survived. Their love of family was something that was handed down to me and my sisters and brother now have the opportunity to have a loving strong bond.5. Why do you continue to educate about the Holocaust? What is your most important message or lesson for the students?The reason that I continue to educate is that I want them to know [that] what happened was for only [one] reason: hate.We have to do everything in our being to bring hatred to a stop and bring respect for everyone. But my biggest hope is a better and kinder world for my great grandson Elijah Mason Greenblat and everyone else. LEARN MORE ABOUT HERSHEL READ MORE SURVIVOR & STUDENT PROFILES Hershel was lifted in a chair and sang to on his 82nd birthday on the day they landed in Israel. Hershel pouring dirt from Israel into the ash pit at Majdanek, where members of his family were most likely murdered.

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Australian March of the Living Enters 23rd Year

A delegation of 30 adults, young adults and Holocaust survivors from Australia will be joining the 2024 March of the Living. Since 2001, the…

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March of the Living alumni feature prominently in new ad combatting antisemitism

New Ad Combatting Antisemitism Released by FCAS – Foundation to Combat Antisemitism:March of the Living Alumni Feature Prominently in Moving PiecePlease see link to “Neighbors”, a moving ad about antisemitism that recently screened at the Oscars on Sunday, March 10. The ad is drawn from a true account of an American synagogue that was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat during a Bat Mitzvah. The neighboring Evangelical Church then gave their space for the Jewish congregation to hold the celebration.The director of the 60 second ad is Jon Weiman whose grandfather, Holocaust survivor Ernie Weiss, took part in the 2008 March of the Living. (See excerpt below from Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Remembrance to New Generations about his experience on the March.) The ad also features Rabbi Michael Dolgin and Rabbi Cantor Aviva Rajsky, both of whom participated in past March of the Living programs.The ad was sponsored by the FCAS (Foundation to Combat Antisemitism), dedicated to combating antisemitism through positive messaging and partnerships, founded by philanthropist Robert Kraft. The ad is part of the FCAS “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign.You can see more Stand Up to Jewish Hate’s powerful commercials here: https://www.standuptojewishhate.org/stand-up-videos/“International March of the Living is pleased to support the work of FCAS in its critically important campaign to combat antisemitism and all forms of intolerance”, said Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President, International March of the Living.In the past, as part of International March of the Living’s strategic partnership with the Stand Up to Jewish Hate campaign, every participant on the March was given a 🟦pin on the day of the March and encouraged to post and share 🟦 on social media.The Blue Square emoji is a symbol of solidarity against intolerance. The 🟦 takes up 2.4% of various screens and represents the fact that Jews make up 2.4% of the U.S. population, yet are the victims of 55% of religious-based hate crimes in the United States. The campaign is designed to draw attention to this disparity and empower all Americans to help fight growing antisemitism in the United States and around the world. Blue Square🟦 pins can be ordered here: https://www.fcas.org/pins/Also see:A synagogue bomb threat is dramatized in an Oscars ad by Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat AntisemitismBehind the scenes of a new Oscars commercial against antisemitism—primarily filmed in Toronto’s Kensington Market

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Jewish Resilience in the Face of Adversity

Remarks by Eli RubensteinDirector of Education, International March of the LivingInternational March of the Living Leadership MeetingThursday, March 28, 2024 Jewish Resilience in the Face of Adversity Good morning, afternoon and evening to all:This week, I received an email from a representative of ANU – The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, (Formerly the Diaspora Museum), concerning a special program they are offering for educators about teaching resilience to young people in the wake of October 7th. And in the coming days, we will share with you information on this very meaningful program. See: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocfcslD2fG2BBNJVl3OK9Ul7nar8oDVD/viewhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1wh5IfFLmKO1cncn4HBrXC6AxB1kiGZ7c/view But as I was discussing this idea, I thought about how as we take our students on the 2024 March,  and we dwell upon the events of the Holocaust and the most recent events in Israel, there is no question that many of our students will begin the March with an extraordinary feeling of vulnerability and fragility.    As they embark on this experience, they will understand all too well that the virus of antisemitism has once again begun to replicate out of control, and that we dare not be complacent – now or ever. And thus we must also be careful in educating these young minds. We must not leave them despondent and bereft, despairing of the future of the Jewish people. We must  also instill in them feelings of hope and resilience, in the face of these horrendous events, past and present.So how do we do this? As I was contemplating this question, I was also attending an on line program that was reviewing one of Shai Agnon’s most famous stories called –  בשעה אחת (In One Moment).See: The Avrum Rosensweig Show with Rabbi Shlomo GemaraFor those of you unfamiliar with Shai Agnon, he is the only Israeli writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which happened in 1966. (As an aside, in a story told by Rabbi Jeffrey Saks, “Abba Eban, then foreign minister of Israel, thought that he ought to have a hand in crafting Agnon’s speech at the Nobel ceremony; after all, from a diplomatic standpoint, the Nobel Prize ceremony was an unprecedented opportunity to advance Israel’s diplomatic goals.Agnon, however, took a different view of the matter. It is said that he retorted, “Tell Abba Eban that when he receives the Nobel Prize, he can write his own acceptance speech.”)  The title of the story  , בשעה אחת, according to Rabbi Gemara, refers back to a famous story in the Talmud, about which I will conclude my short Devar Torah with. This story is about many things – but most importantly it’s about the resilience of the Jewish people. Avodah Zarah 18a On their return, they found R. Hanina b. Teradion sitting and occupying himself with the Torah, publicly gathering assemblies, and keeping a scroll of the Law in his bosom. Straightaway they [the Romans] took hold of him, wrapped him in the Scroll of the Law, placed bundles of branches round him and set them on fire. They then brought tufts of wool, which they had soaked in water, and placed them over his heart, so that he should not expire quickly. His daughter exclaimed, ‘Father, that I should see you in this state!’ He replied, ‘If it were I alone being burnt it would have been a thing hard to bear; but now that I am burning together with the Scroll of the Law, He who will have regard for the plight of the Torah will also have regard for my plight.’  His disciples called out, ‘Rabbi, what seest thou?’ He answered them, ‘The parchments are being burnt but the letters are soaring on high.’14גליון נשרפין ואותיות פורחות ‘Open then thy mouth’ [said they] ‘so that the fire enter into thee.’15  He replied, ‘Let Him who gave me [my soul] take it away, but no one should injure oneself.’ The Executioner16  then said to him, ‘Rabbi, if I raise the flame and take away the tufts of wool from over thy heart, will thou cause me to enter into the life to come?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Then swear unto me’ [he urged]. He swore unto him. He thereupon raised the flame and removed the tufts of wool from over his heart, and his soul departed speedily. The Executioner then jumped and threw himself into the fire. And a batkol17  exclaimed: R. Hanina b. Teradion and the Executioner have been assigned to the world to come. When Rebbie (Yehuda Hanasi) heard it he wept and said: One may acquire eternal life in a single hour, another only after many years.יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת ויש קונה עולמו בכמה שנים There is much to learn from this story, but the most important words to me are:גליון נשרפין ואותיות פורחות‘The parchments are being burnt but the letters are soaring on high” “The paper burns, but the letters do not!” There are so many parallels to the Holocaust in this story.  How many Jews and how many Sefer Torahs were burned in the Holocaust? My own Aunt, Gabi Greenblatt, Aleha Hashalom, a survivor of Auschwitz, returned to her home of Debrecen after the war. Her entire family home was ransacked and pillaged from every valuable. Tellingly, the Sefer Torah was still there, but purposefully and gleefully torn into shreds and strewn all over the home, like confetti by the local Hungarian looters – all to add insult to injury. But the messages from the story of Hannina Ben Tradyon and the stories from the Holocaust are the same. “The paper burns but the letters fly away”. Force can never conquer spirit. The message of the Jewish people and our values will never be extinguished by brute force. Not then, not now, not ever. In fact, in the wake of the October 7th attack, a massive Torah scroll writing project was initiated in Israel. “Thousands of Israeli Jews, including President Isaac Herzog, filled in letters on parchment to commemorate the 1,200 dead and raise awareness for the 138 hostages still held captive”, according to the Times of Israel. “One scroll is currently being written specifically for the synagogue of Kibbutz Be’eri, an epicenter of the October 7 massacre.”  (Note: It is a mitzvah for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah, or to appoint someone to write it for them. In 2005, David Greenblatt (Gaby Greenblatt’s son) commissioned the writing of a Sefer Torah in memory of his late father and in memory of all the Sefer Torahs lost in the Holocaust. The Torah was donated to Chabad at NYU.) So as we embark on this year’s March of the Living, and share the stories of love and loss with our students – let us make sure the 2000 year old story of Hannina Ben Tradyon is one of the stories we share. And let us remind our students that the light and message of Israel and the Jewish people will shine brightly forever and never be extinguished. 

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From Budapest to Auschwitz

2024 March of the Living Commemorates 80 Years Since Destruction of Hungarian Jewry in the Shoah

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Joint March of Remembrance and March of the Living Thessaloniki

The Joint March of Remembrance, 81 years after the departure of the first deportation train from Thessaloniki to the death camp Auschwitz – Birkenau, took place on Sunday, March…

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