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New educational resources from USC Shoah Foundation and International March of the Living
We are pleased to share with you a joint project of USC Shoah Foundation and International March of the Living using the most recent technologies to preserve and enhance testimony of Holocaust survivors. IWitness Introduction to Auschwitz This lesson activity in IWitness allows for delegations to engage students/participants online and is comprised of an introduction to the Auschwitz camp complex with Holocaust survivor testimony clips. LEARN MORE IWalk in Auschwitz and Krakow IWalk activity: Auschwitz – Block 21 with Holocaust survivor and March Of The Living educator Max Eisen. It is an activity using your IWalk app on your phone; medical themed; located in Category Poland and Organizations under IMOL. A second IWalk activity located on the same page features a visit to Krakow augmented by Holocaust Survivor testimony.Please download the app IWalk – USC Shoah Foundation by clicking on one of the buttons below. Once you have downloaded it please click on Organizations then “International March of the Living” logo. You will see two activities available.This 20 min. activity includes clips of Max Eisen’s 360 interview footage; including the story of his rescue by a Polish doctor in Auschwitz, as Max tells his story in front of Block 21 where his life was saved.A second IWalk featuring Holocaust survivor and March of the Living educator Edward Mosberg guiding viewers around his home town of Krakow is also available on the same page. IWitness Resource Page for the Medicine and Morality Seminar on Erev Yom Hashoah Explore curated clips of testimony on topics related to Medicine and the Holocaust, including testimony from Holocaust Eva Kor, survivor of the Mengele experiments, survivorFreda Weiss remembering Auschwitz doctor Gizella Perl who saved her life in the camps, and survivor Max Eisen’s rescue by Polish doctor mentioned above. Tipis covered include: Medical and research ethics; Eugenics; Euthanasia and forced sterilization; Medical experimentation; Role of medical professionals in society; Geriatrics (dementia, social factors and risk); Trauma and memory. LEARN MORE
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2021 Virtual Torch Lighting at Auschwitz
While we were not able to March from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah 2021, we were there in spirit. A virtual ceremony was held and the memorial torches…
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Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19
As Covid-19 continues plaguing the world, the March of the Living reflects on the courageous perseverance of the medical community who served as rays of light during the Holocaust.This year, we salute the relentless commitment of the selfless professionals facing today’s world health crisis. Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19 Presented by The Miller Center for Community Protection & Resilience, Rutgers University, International March of the Living, Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, in cooperation with the USC Shoah Foundation. The active participation of the medical community – those who took an oath to “first, do no harm,” – in the labeling, persecution, and mass murder of millions of those deemed unfit, represents one of the darkest periods not only in the history of medicine, but in the history of humankind. Yet, even in the darkest times, one can always find the light. Stories of physicians who remained dedicated to healing and saving lives prove that the power and privilege of medicine can be an inspiration to us all. The past year has found our society faced with unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. The lessons of the Holocaust have informed our current situation as we struggle to meet this challenge in the most ethical manner possible. This Holocaust Remembrance Day, we look to medicine and morality as a way to reflect on the past and protect the future, while appreciating the miraculous work of our healthcare professionals during this global pandemic. “Medicine and Morality: Lessons from the Holocaust and COVID-19” will include internationally known scholars discussing the nexus between medicine, ethics, and the Holocaust and how lessons learned from the past have been incorporated into the handling of the current pandemic. The program will also include testimony from Holocaust survivors and stories of healthcare professionals whose lives have been shaped by the Holocaust. Moral Courage in Medicine Award to Dr. Anthony FauciWe are proud to announce the presentation of the Moral Courage in Medicine Award to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to US President Biden. Dr. Fauci, who exemplifies our themes of morality and medicine in times of crisis, will be offering his acceptance remarks as part of our program. ACCREDITATION Program is approved for 1.5 hours of ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) credit for participating international physicians and nurses. The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This online activity is approved for 0.15 CEUs (1.50 contact hours) of continuing education credit. In order to receive 1.50 contact hours of CE credit, the participant must complete the full program and complete an online uation. Educational Sponsors (in formation) World Medical AssociationDepartment of Education of the UNESCO Chair of BioethicsDepartment of Bioethics and the Holocaust of the UNESCO Chair of BioethicsIsraeli Medical AssociationCanadian Medical AssociationIndian Medical AssociationSouth African Medical AssociationNew Zealand Medical AssociationHarvard University Center for BioethicsOhio State University Center for Bioethics University of Texas at Austin School of Pharmacy University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing New York Medical College Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University Catholic Health Association of Jewish Doctors of France Ibero Latin American and Caribbean Medical Association Jakobovits Center for Jewish Medical Ethics at Ben Gurion University Medical Women’s Society of New South Wales The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations Mossakowski Medical Research Institute. Polish Academy of Sciences For more information, please contact Dr. Wallace Greene. Special performance by Grammy Award Winning artist Miri Ben-AriThis program will also feature a special performance by Miri Ben-Ari, a Grammy Award-Winning violinist/producer/humanitarian, “United Nations Goodwill Ambassador of Music” and third generation to Holocaust survivors. Originally from Israel, Miri has created her own unique music; a revolutionary fusion of classical, Hip-Hop, soul, and dance. Ben-Ari has helped sell millions of records by collaborating with other Grammy award-winning artists such as Kanye West, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Aventura, and Armin Van Buuren. She is the CEO and co-founder of Gedenk, an organization dedicated to promoting Holocaust education to youth. Among Ben-Ari’s accolades: an "Apollo Legend" by the Apollo theater in New York City, "International Jewish Woman To Watch” the “Martin Luther King Award” from Israeli President, Shimon Peres, the “2015 Ellis Island Medal of Honor,” and ” a “Remarkable Woman” by America's First Lady, Michelle Obama. VIEW ALL 2021 VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING
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Registration for MOTL 2021 Virtual Programming
Please fill out the form below to register for International March of the Living’s 2021 Virtual Programming. You will receive more…
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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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