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Remembering the Grim Legacy of Antisemitism at the Olympics
Remembering the Grim Legacy of Antisemitism at the Olympics International March of the Living calls for Olympics to banish antisemitism, live up to its ideal of building a better world
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Remembering Alex Danzig, Z”L
The International March of the Living organization mourns the death of historian and educator Alex Danzig, who was kidnapped from his…
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Historic Conservation Effort Brings Shoes of Children Murdered in Auschwitz Back on Display
Over 3,000 of 8,000 shoes of children murdered in Auschwitz return to display, following the conservation process A child’s shoe going back to exhibition at Auschwitz after conservation. Photo Credit: Auschwitz Museum The Auschwitz Memorial, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, and the International March of the Living announced today that, following more than a year of conservation work at the Auschwitz Museum Conservation Laboratories, over 3,000 of approximately 8,000 shoes belonging to children murdered at the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau are now again on display for the public to view.In September 2023, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation issued a call to raise half a million dollars for the conservation of children’s shoes, which desperately needed conservation in order to be preserved for future generations. The International March of the Living organization, which has been conducting Marches of the Living between the former Auschwitz I and Birkenau sites since 1988, took on the mission out of its commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education and launched an international campaign to raise the necessary funds. SUPPORT THE MARCH OF THE LIVING Conservation work at the lab. Photo Credit: Auschwitz Museum The required amount was reached within a few months, with thousands contributing to the campaign, including Eitan Neishlos, founder and president of the Neishlos Foundation and a third-generation Holocaust survivor, who made the initial major contribution to kickstart the conservation project. The general public, both in Israel and abroad, contributed thousands of dollars, and businesses such as Discount Bank made significant contributions. The largest single donation, which completed the fundraising project, was generously given by Mati Kochavi, creator of the “Eva.Stories” project, along with his daughter Maya Kochavi.Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, Chair, and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President, of the International March of the Living said: “The initiative to conserve the shoes of children murdered in Auschwitz is a historic project that is crucial for preserving the evidence of Nazi German crimes during the Holocaust. It also has educational importance, allowing active participation in preserving the memory of children who were brutally murdered. We, who march every year in their memory along the path of death they walked, have been privileged to involve many in this project and ensure the preservation of the children’s shoes for another hundred years.” (L-R) Greg Masel, Senior Advisor, International March of the Living; Revital Yakin, Deputy CEO, International March of the Living, Dr. Piotr Cywiński, Director of Auschwitz Memorial, President of Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation; Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President, International March of the Living; Wojciech Soczewica, Director General of Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation; Richard D. Heideman, Senior Counsel, Heideman Nudelman & Kalik PC. Credit: Arkadiusz Wrzesień Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz Museum, said: “The tragedy of the more than 200,000 children murdered at KL Auschwitz seems to represent the darkest area of the history of this extermination center. This is where all the innocence, trust, helplessness, and goodness of children are juxtaposed with the ruthlessness of the German Nazi murderers. This is the apex of crimes of an ideology built on hatred. Very often the only thing left of these children are the shoes. And just as every human step leaves a mark, so these shoes remain today the footprints of child victims.”Wojciech Soczewica, Director General of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation said: “This collaboration has strengthened our bonds and will, hopefully soon, lead to other projects, including the area of education of young generations. Saving the shoes of the youngest victims of the crimes of Auschwitz is possible thanks to the financial support of the International March of the Living, Next Generations to Holocaust and Heroism in Israel and other major donors, some of whom decided to stay anonymous. A significant part of the project budget comes from the Foundation Perpetual Fund, providing yet another preservation objective to our unique mission.” Conservation work at the lab. Photo Credit: Auschwitz Museum SUPPORT HOLOCAUST MEMORY Holocaust survivors Arie Pinsker and Naftali Furst, who were imprisoned in the camp as children and participated in the death marches, arrived last year to the Auschwitz conservation lab to launch the project. They were very moved to hear about the progress and thanked the public for their involvement in preserving the evidence of Nazi crimes. ARIE PINSKER“This is a full circle moment. When I stood in front of the mountain of shoes at the Auschwitz Memorial, holding the crumbling children's shoes, I thought of my family who were murdered there and of all the innocent children brutally killed by the Germans in the Holocaust. We must preserve their memory forever.” NAFTALI FURST“I want to express my utmost gratitude to everyone who is involved in this sacred project to preserve the memory of the children and ensure that this evidence of Nazi crimes remains forever. I will forever be grateful that I took part in this effort. “Preserving the last remaining evidence of the children who were murdered at Auschwitz has even more meaning today, as the Jewish people around the world experience rampant antisemitism. We must all come together to make sure that no one will be able to deny or distort the horrors the Jewish people endured in the Holocaust.”Eitan Neishlos, third-generation Holocaust survivor and philanthropist with Arie Pinsker at the Auschwitz Conservation Lab SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST HOLOCAUST DENIAL
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International March of the Living Responds to Worldwide Antisemitic Attacks: ‘Jewish Blood is Being Shed with Impunity’
Responding to a spate of serious antisemitic attacks seen in recent days, the International March of the Living released today the…
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International March of the Living Decries Incitement to Violence at McGill University
Holocaust survivor Angele Orosz, a Montreal resident and educator: “What’s happening today at McGill is so frightening for me. I was born…
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International March of the Living Marks D-Day 80th Anniversary
A photograph showing troops of the 1st US Infantry Division, 5th US Corps attacking Omaha beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) International March of the Living pays tribute to the heroic allied forces who took part 80 years ago in the historic D-Day operations to free Europe from the hands of Nazi tyranny.Throughout WWII, Jews played an important role, serving with Allied militaries forces as well as in partisan units who fought all across Nazi occupied Europe.During D-Day itself, thousands of Jewish soldiers were part of American, British and Canadian forces that landed in Normandy.“Over 4,000 of the soldiers who landed on the Normandy beaches to fight in D-Day were Jewish,” said Walter Bingham, a Jewish German-born veteran who was rescued by the Kindertransport. Bingham later fought with the British Army in the Normandy landings. According to Bingham, the world’s oldest working journalist, Jews made up 4.2 per cent of American soldiers, one per cent of British fighters, and 1.5 per cent of Canadian forces. “52 Jewish men died in the Normandy landings. I took part in some of those battles, and by the grace of God survived them unscathed.”Walter Bingham has participated in several March of the Living programs and was featured in a recent March of the Living documentary, Journey of Hope: Retracing the Kindertransport after 85 Years. In 2024, at 100 years of age, Walter Bingham was one of 55 Holocaust survivors who traveled to Auschwitz-Birkenau to share his story on the March of the LivingIn 2012, March of the Living brought a delegation of American WWII veterans in their late 80s and early 90s who liberated concentration camps during WWII to the March of the Living where they were honored for their service. Among the goals of the March of the Living are these:To honor the heroic Allied veterans and partisan fighters who fought to liberate Europe from the hands of Nazi tyranny during WWII. To inspire participants to commit to building a world free of oppression and intolerance, a world of freedom, democracy and justice, for all members of the human family.As the world marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we acknowledge our eternal debt to these heroic WWII fighters – who not only liberated Europe from the evil grip of Nazi Germany, but preserved the blessings of freedoms and democracy for the next generation and for many generations long into the future. World War II Veteran Hilbert Margol, of the US Army’s 42nd Infantry, Rainbow Division, which liberated Dachau, shares his memories with student participants on the 2012 March of the Living. Photo Credit from Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations. David Sondervan
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Highlights from the 2024 March of the Living
The 2024 March of the Living took place against the backdrop of the 80th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jews during the Shoah, the October 7th attack on Israel, and the dramatic rise in antisemitism across the globe.On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a March was held in Budapest followed the next day by the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau, 36 years since the first March took place in 1988.
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International March of the Living salutes Holocaust survivors around the world on Holocaust Survivor Day 2024
55 Holocaust Survivors gather underneath the Arbeit Macht Frei sign at Auschwitz-Birkenau to begin the 2024 International March of the Living on Yom HaShoahIn honor of 2024 Holocaust Survivor Day, International March of the Living salutes our beloved Holocaust survivors around the world for the courage, resilience and faith they exhibited throughout their lifetimes.After the Shoah, despite their difficult pasts, they rebuilt their lives, planted new seeds, started new families and made countless contributions in communities throughout the world.We especially want to express gratitude to our over 300 March of the living Holocaust survivor educators, who have joined us on the March of the Living since the inception of the program in 1988. These remarkable individuals have shared their stories of loss and love in the very places their tragic histories unfolded, ensuring that the history and lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.Please see moving clips from this year’s March of the Living ceremony featuring the words of Holocaust survivors shared with students on the 2024 March of the Living ceremony on Yom Hashoah in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Daniel Louz, Israeli Holocaust Survivor who survived the October 7th attack, speaking at the 2024 March of the Living ceremony Nate Leipciger, Canadian Holocaust Survivor, sharing his message at the 2024 March of the Living ceremony Through their extraordinary efforts, these dedicated and eloquent Holocaust survivor educators have created a new generation of young witnesses committed to bearing the torch of memory and transmitting the memory of the Shoah to the generations to come.Am Yisrael Chai! HONOR A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
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International March of the Living Responds to University Student Groups Condemnation of Israel
“Jewish rights are also human rights!”, 96 year old Holocaust Survivor Nate Leipiciger speaking at 2024 March of…
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