Alumni Spotlight: Jori Epstein (’12, Staff ’17), Dallas, Texas, USA

Jori Epstein (Dallas, Southern Region ’12, Staff ’17), BiographerThis week we are proud to feature Jori Epstein, an alumna from the Dallas community, who attended the March of the Living with the Southern region, along with Holocaust survivor Max Glauben. Inspired by her experience on the March, Jori went on to become Max’s official biographer. His memoir, The Upstander, will be released to the public next week. When I traveled on March of the Living at age 17, the enormity of the camps overwhelmed me. I couldn’t process such atrocities. Existential questions numbed me. I never considered that I would return on the March five years later, much less while researching a biography.God works in mysterious ways. I vividly remember our final day in Poland when my classmates and I gathered on the musty floors of a wooden barrack in Majdanek. Max Glauben, our Dallas delegation’s Holocaust survivor, shared his testimony. This was the concentration camp to which he was deported—the camp in which his mother and brother were killed. Max explained a key moment of labor ingenuity that helped save his life. “I’m not sure I’ve ever told anyone that before,” Max said April 22, 2012.My responsibility as a witness crystallized.In 2016, Max and I first broached the idea of writing his memoir. He had just received a fresh batch of wartime records from Europe. I pored over his collection then interviewed Max, his children, his grandchildren and students from his dozen Marches.The Upstander will be released March 30. Infused with raw emotion and vivid detail, historical records and Max’s poignant voice, his memoir relays the harrowing violence and dehumanization Max endured. We explore Max’s mischievous childhood and teen years as a go-to Warsaw Ghetto smuggler. He journeys from displaced person to American immigrant, revealing how he ached as he dared to court love and rear children. For decades, he bottled up his trauma. Then, thanks to opportunities like the International March of the Living, Max realized he could transform his pain into purpose. The Upstander guides readers through the experience of traveling with Max on March of the Living. March of the Living laid the foundation for the most meaningful collaboration of my life. “I’ve become fascinated by the knowledge we’re fortunate enough to have access to,” I journaled from Majdanek on April 22, 2012. “Today I felt like all I wanted to do and should do was not leave Max’s side because his stories and insights are incredible.” Nine years later, publishing The Upstander ensures Max will never leave my side. His messages will never need to leave yours, either.“I feel an obligation to be a witness,” my journal continues. “I don’t want to forget.” Join Jori and write a personal message to be placed on the tracks at Auschwitz-Birkenau: https://nevermeansnever.com

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Three Generations of Holocaust Memory – The Life and Legacy of Abe (Abram) Goldberg OAM

“When you listen to a witness, you become a witness” Survivor Speaker Series featuring “Three Generations of Holocaust Memory – The Life and Legacy of Abe (Abram) Goldberg OAM”, presented by The International March of the Living and March of the Living Australia. The program aired on March 4, 2021 in Australia, followed by an international broadcast on March 9th. Abe Goldberg’s story of survival, revival and life-long commitment and dedication to Holocaust memory and education is truly inspiring, and has been recognised on so many fronts including formal recognition by the Australian people when the Order of Australian Merit was bestowed upon him in 2013. Abe’s pursuit of transferring knowledge and the underlying learnings from the Holocaust to the next generations are a core and fundamental part of his life, but could not be expressed and manifested more vividly and with greater impact than on the three March of the Living programs in which he has participated over the years.

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Alumni Spotlight: Victoria Milstein (’18), Mid Atlantic, USA

Victoria Carlin (Mid Atlantic '18), SculptorThis week we are proud to feature Victoria Milstein, an alumna from the Mid Atlantic delegation of the March of the Living. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living Victoria went on conceive and create North Carolina's first Women's Holocaust Monument. As artists we are the canaries in the coal mines – we are the truth sayers and the cave painters.I attended the March of the Living to Poland and Israel in 2018 with Rabbi Fred Guttman, senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rabbi Guttman had assembled several dozen adults and teens from Greensboro and other mid-Atlantic regions to attend the March together. One day on the journey we visited the infamous women’s camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. As we walked through the women’s section of the camp, and I heard and saw the horrors of the journey of the women and children, my life was changed forever. It was as if the victims were calling out to me to witness their suffering and reveal to the world that they were still there. In that moment I saw my sisters, Jewish women. I couldn’t “un-see” what I had seen – I felt their presence and knew that I would be, in some way, bound to their story. I again felt the same emotion when visiting the pits in Poland where thousands were slaughtered. Several months after returning home from the March, I came across a photo, taken by a Nazi soldier as “exhibition tourism,” of a group of women huddled together moments before their execution in Liepaja, Latvia. In the photo we see the strength and innocence of generations of Jewish women moments before they were murdered in 1941. They stand arm in arm looking straight at us with grace, humility and spiritual defiance. Their only crimes were that they were Jews. Inspired by this photo, I am now creating a Monument to the memory of those brave women and children. The Monument will be North Carolina’s first Women’s Holocaust Monument and is entitled “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots” in honor of all women victims. My hope is that each time one views the Monument through the camera that will form part of the sculpture, one will see and become witness to exactly the opposite of what the Nazi photographer intended to document. We will see their humanity and the viewer will in that act bear witness. This Monument is the first undertaking of a new organization I co-founded with my twin sister Elizabeth Alberti, the Women of the Shoah/JewishPlacemaking. Our mission combines art and social practice to enable communities to reflect, honor and learn from the plight of the women and children who perished in the Shoah. It inspires and catalyzes public and private partners to build monuments and create special community spaces to educate and transform viewers’ perspectives on the Shoah and teach lessons wrought from anti-Semitism, racism and genocide. The initiative will use art as a vehicle for Holocaust education. It was important to me that as the United States takes down monuments that no longer demonstrate and celebrate its values that we put up monuments to reflect what is important to us. This is why the city of Greensboro unanimously voted to accept this monument and erect it in one of its premier public parks. I believe this will serve to garner support from cities across our nation to erect additional Women’s Holocaust Monuments.

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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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Alumni Spotlight: Danielle Yablonka (’19), Miami, USA

Danielle Yablonka (Miami’19), Artist/ActivistThis week we are proud to feature Danielle Yablonka, an alumna from the Miami Leo Martin March of the Living. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living, Danielle, an artist, went on to create pieces inspired by her journey to Poland and Israel as well as create new initiatives on campus for Israel engagement. My grandparents were Holocaust survivors. I had the opportunity to stand and bear witness to the atrocities that my family and millions of Jews experienced when I attended the March of the Living in 2019 with the Miami-Dade region. When I went on this trip, it really hit close to home especially when we went to Lodz, where my family was from. I had the opportunity to hear the testimonies of numerous Holocaust survivors, which touched me greatly considering there are not so many left on this earth. This experience motivated me to ask many questions upon my return home. My great uncle was the last living survivor of my family who sadly passed away before the trip, but it left me yearning for more answers. Because of my Jewish network and the March of the Ling, I was inspired to share my thoughts and feelings through the form of art. Through my art, I seek to educate others from a visual medium. I started painting to educate through the eyes. I also began expanding my love for Judaism through activism and developed an interest in politics. This semester, with the support of FAU Hillel International, I will be founding an Israel Political Club called OwlPac. This club will serve as a safe space to openly learn and discuss topics related to Israel on a political spectrum through conversation, events, and workshops. Going on the March gave me first-hand experience that I could not have gotten in a physical classroom. It has given me the ability to formulate what happened and cultivate those feelings into art. My experiences today have been inspired in many ways by my passion for Israel and experience with Miami’s March of the Living. I am a light that will never burn out.

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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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Alumni Spotlight: Jan Burns (’12), BJE LA Adult Delegation, USA

Jan Burns (BJE LA Adults ’12), AuthorThis week we are proud to feature Jan Burns, an alumna from the BJE LA Adult Delegation in California. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living, Jan went on to author a book compiling the stories of the survivors who accompanied her on her March of the Living experience. I traveled to Poland on the March of the Living with the BJE Los Angeles Adult delegation in 2012, inspired by my daughter who had made the trip two years earlier as a high school senior. I was excited and terrified to go. I felt a push and pull between wanting to hear, see and be a witness to the Holocaust but also a fear of doing so, not knowing what kind of emotional impact it would have on me. The most powerful impact of my journey was my encounter with the survivors I met on the March. They inspired me with their willingness to share their stories and the life lessons they gained from those experiences.  After returning home I wanted to find a way to keep the experience of the March alive, both for myself and for the students from the LA delegation. I came up with the idea of interviewing the survivors from our trip for a book as a way of preserving and sharing their stories. The following year I published March of the Living ~ Our Stories, a collection of their stories created from my interviews. I hope the book, gifted to the LA BJE delegates, will provide a means for them to share their experiences on the March and the survivor stories they hear, with their children and grandchildren, enabling future generations to read these first-hand accounts.  March of the Living ~ Our Stories was the first piece of writing I’d ever published and the experience opened the door to a new area of creative expression for me. I have since had several memoir stories published. Having written a book has also afforded me the opportunity to speak about the Holocaust and the March in schools and synagogues in California, Arizona, and London. In this way I have become a witness for the next generation.

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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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Alumni Spotlight: Orit Brener (’17), Argentina

Orit Brener (Yeshurun Torá, Argentina '17), Founder and Project Manager, Remember UsThis week we are proud to feature Orit Brener, an alumna from Yeshurun Tora and March of the Living Argentina. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living, Orit went on to found the organization Remember Us, dedicated to preserving the memory of the victims of the Shoah. I never expected to travel to Poland at all but at the age of 16, I won a full scholarship to attend the March of the Living with my school, Yeshurun Tora, in Buenos Aires.On that trip, in 2017, the first place we visited was the Warsaw Jewish cemetery. This cemetery is different from others, not just because of the fact that it has been affected by many earthquakes but because each headstone carries a specific symbol that alludes to an attribute of the person the headstone belongs to. It was amazing that, in some way, we were able to get to know characteristics of people who died thousands of years ago, not just by their names or age.At some point, we stopped at an open field.I asked our guide: “Why is there so much empty space? They could have rebuilt the graves that were affected by nature disasters.” “These are mass graves,” he answered. “At the time of the Shoah they didn’t have enough time to give each person the grave they deserved.” I felt so unsettled. These people have no memory or legacy – no headstone or name nor date. I yearned to know who were resting there, at least their names, but I couldn’t because nobody knew.    We continued the amazing journey that is the March of the Living in both Poland and in Israel and then returned to Argentina. The whole program was something incredible but I couldn’t stop thinking about those people in the cemetery, and their families who didn’t survive to remember their legacy. This is how Remember Us began, a project that intends to shine a light on the 6 million Jewish souls who perished in the Shoah by remembering each one of them. We implement this through our webpage, in which we provide a name and the story of a Shoah victim.During the year we organize different events and workshops, especially for the youth. One of our biggest annual events is “Marchando por sus Vidas” (Marching for their Lives), a march organized by Remember Us, together with March of the Living Argentina and the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum, at the same time that The March in Poland is held.In 2019, more than 650 participants arrived to our first March, among them, representatives from the Argentinian government, the Poland and Germany Embassy as well as Holocaust survivors. Each person received a name from our database and marched in the name of that victim, having, at least for one day, someone to remember him. Despite the era of Coronavirus, we continue, stronger than ever, inspiring and spreading the importance of remembrance and our role in it.The March of the Living is not just a trip; it’s a possibility to open one’s eyes for what’s important in life.

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