Travel to Poland and Israel with fellow young professionals to learn about the Jewish community that once flourished in Europe, the tragedy of the Holocaust and the establishment and survival of the State of Israel.
YOU CAN BE THERE, along with over 10,000 participants who will be part of this historic event. As a proud Marcher, your experience will be in direct contrast to the tragic fate of hundreds of thousands of Jews and others, who were forced by the Nazis to take part in the infamous death Marches, across vast expanses of European terrain, under the harshest of conditions. This time, however, there will be a difference. It will be a March of the Living among thousands, marching shoulder to shoulder.
You will participate in a memorial service at one of the gas chambers/crematoria, in Birkenau, which will conclude with the singing of Hatikvah, reaffirming Am Yisrael Chai – The Jewish People Live. From Poland, you will fly to Israel to join the entire Jewish community in celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 70th Independence Day.
The March of the Living to Poland and Israel will cause you to encounter both the richness and anguish of our past and the hope for our future.
POLAND: You will spend the first week in Poland traveling around the country, searching for traces of a world that no longer exists. You will discover that, of the hundreds of Jewish schools, synagogues and institutions that once existed in Warsaw before the war, sadly, very little remains. The century old Nozyk synagogue (used by the Nazis as a stable during the war) and the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery – the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe – are among the only reminders of the glorious Jewish life that once thrived there. Yet, you will also have moments of hope in Poland as you encounter a resurgence of Jewish culture. You will encounter Polish peers and witness a blossoming of new synagogues, schools, organizations and youth groups. Like many, you may leave Poland wondering how it was possible for the destruction of almost an entire generation of Jews to occur – yet you will pledge to keep their memory alive. The highlight in Poland will be on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when delegations of all ages from around the world will join together to march down the 3-kilometer path from Auschwitz to Birkenau, as a tribute to all victims of the Holocaust.
ISRAEL: You will then fly to Israel and encounter a country that is striving valiantly to keep the age-old flame of Jewish nationhood alive. From the majestic landscapes of the North, the beaches of Tel Aviv and the hills of Jerusalem, you will also have the opportunity to travel to world-renowned museums and meet with leading scholars. On Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, you will join together with all of Israel as they mourn their fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The trip will culminate on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, when all delegations will once again join for another March to the Old City in Jerusalem, followed by a Mega Event Concert at the Armoured Corps Museum at Latrun - the Tank Museum - where the Battle of Latrun took place in 1948.
Your trip will not end once you get home. Participants and educators continue to correspond after the trip to reflect on their experience together. The bonds that form on this trip will last a lifetime.
ALUMNI REFLECTIONS
Recorder of Righteous Conversations
Posted by MOTLorg on January 5, 2018As Holocaust survivors age and die, how will younger generations continue their legacy? One 19-year-old, Tamar “Tammy” Shine, has invested her time in learning about and interacting with local survivors. A 2017 graduate and class valedictorian of Milken Community Schools, Shine is now a freshman at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Over the past seven years, […]
Continue readingAlumni Reflections: Yazmin Stern, Tarbut Argentina, 2016
Posted by MOTLorg on October 12, 2017What is the name of the March of the Living Delegation / Group that you traveled with? Tarbut, Argentina Year(s) attended: 2016 What was the most memorable moment of your experience? On the March, Poland was the most memorable moment for me when we crossed the bridge between Auschwitz and Birkenau and I saw all […]
Continue readingAlumni Reflections: Adam Workman, Broward, 2015
Posted by MOTLorg on October 11, 2017What is the name of the March of the Living Delegation / Group that you traveled with? Broward Year(s) attended: 2015 What was the most memorable moment of your experience? The thing that got to me was back in Majdanek when we saw the blue remnants of the Zyklon B on the ceiling of the gas […]
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