“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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Alumni Spotlight: Dafna Michaelson Jenet (’90, Staff ’98-’00), Colorado, USA

Dafna Michaelson Jenet (’90, Staff ’98-’00), Colorado House of RepresentativesThis week, on the occasion of Chanukah, a holiday that brings light onto the world, we are honored to feature Colorado State Representative and March of the Living Alumna Dafna Michaelson Jenet. In the ultimate expression of bringing light onto the world, she is responsible for creating, and recently successfully passing a bill that has made Holocaust and Genocide Education mandatory in the state of Colorado. I attended the March of the Living in 1990, on the second March. After hearing about the trip on a BBYO Shabbaton, I knew it was something I was destined to do. They were offering a scholarship and I fought with everything that I had to receive it. I have been consumed by Holocaust history ever since I was a young kid; my family lost over 56 members on my maternal father’s side and countless more on my paternal side. I knew I had to do this and experience for myself what I could of my family history. I felt deeply rooted while standing in the Warsaw Jewish cemetery. It’s hard to explain but I felt more at “home” in that spot in Poland than anywhere else in the world, yet, I felt disassociated from the experience – I could not cry. Flying from Poland to Israel and seeing the entire shape of the country lit up from the airplane window was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I finally started to cry and was able to release all of that emotion – understanding that I had walked on the hallowed ground of Auschwitz and Birkenau, where my family was almost decimated, and was now entering Israel where I felt safe to cry and experience what I just witnessed. This moment renewed my love for the land of Israel and gratitude for her existence. Upon returning home, I started to talk about my experience in the public-school system. During one such talk, a 4th grader told me “but I thought all Jews were dead.” This shocking moment taught me that it was critical to talk not only about the genocide of my people, but also about the vibrancy of the Jewish community. I went on to study in Stern College (where I met up with several March of the Living alumni) and then became the Director of the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver. I attended the first March of the Living reunion in Israel and spoke at the Kotel at that event – a real personal triumph for me. There I was recruited to run March of the Living for the Board of Jewish Education in New York and subsequently attended the program three more times. After working for over 20 years in the Jewish nonprofit arena, I decided to run for public office in Colorado, in a quest to become a problem solver, instead of always searching for answers. I have just been reelected to my 3rd term in the Colorado House of Representatives. One of my proudest achievements was starting a bill in the house, which subsequently became law in the state of Colorado, that in order to receive your HS diploma you must complete Holocaust and genocide education. All members signed on and became co-sponsors. In a time of great political divide, that’s a miracle.Click here to read the bill »

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Remembering Howard Kleinberg, z”l

We mourn the loss of Holocaust survivor and March of the Living educator, Howard Kleinberg, z”l, (1926-2020), a well-known and much beloved Auschwitz…

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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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Jenn Green (’06, ’14, ‘17-’18), Toronto, Canada

Jenn Green (Toronto ’06, Staff ’14, ’17-’18), Holocaust Education PromoterThis week we are proud to feature Jenn Green (Toronto ’06, Staff ’14, ’17-’18), alumna from March of the Living Toronto, Canada, whose experience on the March of the Living has propelled her to become a champion of Holocaust education.  As a 16-year-old travelling on the March of the Living I did not know what to expect. My grandfather, Nate Leipciger, is a survivor so I grew up hearing stories of the Holocaust. I had also read a few books on the subject. Nothing had prepared me for what I was going to learn about my own history, the tragedy that occurred and the lessons of how hate can incite and embolden a population to commit unspeakable horrors against its fellow man.  Hearing from Holocaust survivors, including my grandfather – in the places they experienced these atrocious acts and where their families were murdered – stayed with me and shaped my life trajectory. My grandfather brilliantly simplifies the reason he and his family were ripped from normal life, became numbers, living on death row, suffering terrible hardships and living with constant fear of being murdered for no reason at all. It was an accident of birth – being born Jewish in Poland in 1928 – that condemned him to death. With this understanding, I have made it my mission to help those who are in need because of an accident of birth. I was honoured to be asked to accompany my grandfather as he toured Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, through Auschwitz and Birkenau. Witnessing my grandfather, who was in this murderous place 75 years earlier facing death and destruction, back now with his wife, daughter, granddaughter and the Prime Minister of his country, reinforced for me the power of resilience and that one’s life is not defined by where they come from. This is every Holocaust survivor’s truth and is inspiration for all – no matter your background. In an effort to continue teaching and spreading the lessons I have learned on the March of the Living I travelled on the MOL again, twice as a chaperone and once as a survivor liaison, helping to ignite this fire in the next generation. As well, I co-founded the Mahj for the March to fundraise for the Young Adult March of the Living and was a co-chair of the March of the Living “Legacy Gala” in Toronto. To share my grandfather’s history and lessons with the next generation, I am now working with Carrying Testimony, where I present my grandfather’s story aided by recordings of his testimony as well as pictures and documents from the Holocaust. The MOL has inspired the direction of my professional life. I am the Director of Affordable Housing and Corporate Social Responsibility at Greenwin Corp., a real estate development company in Toronto, Canada. I have been blessed with the responsibility to develop and build safe and affordable housing for those who cannot afford market rent. In this role, I also have the privilege to support at-risk youth, and provide them with meals, mentorship, education and empowerment through our company’s social outreach arm, Greenwin Cares.

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Highlights from the 2020 LET THERE BE LIGHT Kristallnacht Campaign

Despite the fact that Kristallnacht, which saw the destruction of thousands of synagogues and Jewish institutions, took place 82 years ago, the world has still not learned the lessons…

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Alumni Spotlight: Sabrina Naimark (’09, ’19), Panama

Sabrina Naimark (Panama ’09, Staff ’19), Founder and CEO, ImpactaThis week we are proud to feature Sabrina Naimark (Panama '09, '19), alumna from March of the Living Panama, whose experience on the March of the Living inspired her to found a company, Impacta, whose goal is to foster social impact to create a better world. As a young and passionate member of the Panamanian Jewish Community, I have always carried around the feeling of being a proud Jew. I strongly believe that our culture and traditions bring happiness to our lives. With this in mind, I had one mission when I was 17 years old – to commemorate Iom Hashoa in Poland and Iom Haatzmaut in Israel by attending the March of the Living. After having the opportunity to attend as a janija (student) in 2009 and again as a madrija (staff) in 2019, I can definitely confirm that no books can teach you nor make your heart ache the same way as if you were there personally. Walking through the concentration camps in Poland, with more than 8,000 people from all over the world is a moment that I will never forget. That experience taught me the true meaning and value of the word unity. We were such a diverse group of people, from different cultures and traditions, coming from countries all around the world, standing together for the same purpose – declaring NEVER AGAIN. The March of the Living inspired me to bring that sense of unity back home. I experienced the power of bringing people together for the greater good on the March of the Living – and sought to create a similar experience, making an impact in communities that need us the most back in Panama. I founded the social impact company Impacta. We create social impact projects with the main goal of bringing people together to help others in need, by creating a strong and powerful impact in our society. I identify communities in need, create projects from the ground up, and connect them with volunteers and companies that want to make a difference. The power of unity will help us all create a better world.

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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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