International March of the Living mourns the passing of Holocaust survivor and educator, Ben Lesser. Ben passed away on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the age of 96, on the first day of, Rosh Hashanah.
Ben Lesser being filmed in 360 in Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of a joint project of the USC Shoah Foundation and International March of the Living. (USC Shoah Foundation)
Born in Krakow Poland in 1928, the second youngest of five children, Ben survived the Holocaust, including four concentration camps and a Nazi death march. Liberated in Dachau in 1945, Ben, and his older sister Lola, were the only remaining survivors of their immediate family. His Holocaust memoir, “LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream” was published in in 2011.
After his retirement in 1995, Ben devoted his time to sharing his story at schools and colleges in the US.
Ben was the co-founder of the ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, which was established in 2009 and is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and teaching tolerance.
Ben often spoke to delegations traveling on the March of the Living. In 2010, he traveled with the Los Angeles delegation to Poland and Israel and continued to connect with participants online and in person after the trip.
Monise Neumann, International March of the Living’s National Consultant, who traveled with Ben on the 2010 BJE LA Teen Delegation observed:
“In 2010, the BJE LA Teen Delegation had the privilege of traveling with Ben Lesser to Poland and learning from and with him. With much gratitude, we were able to find the cemetery where some of his family members were buried and collectively, we said kaddish to honor their memory. Ben dedicated his life to honoring memory through the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation he founded with his daughter Gail. His memory and his story will continue to be ingrained in all of us lucky to have been in his orbit.”
Ben Lesser meeting in Las Vegas with March of the Living students in preparation for the 2023 March of the Living (Marcia Tatz Wollner)
Marcia Tatz Wollner, Director, Western Region March of the Living, added the following:
“Ben Lesser, z”l was a true tzadik. He lived a life with meaning and purpose. Many teens on the March of the Living wear the Zachor (remember) pins during their March of the Living journey. Ben was supposed to travel with the Western Region March of the Living delegation in 2023, but could not do so because of health reasons. Prior to the 2023 March of the Living, Ben met over zoom with the Western Region and Cincinnati delegations and spoke in person with the Las Vegas teens and their parents. Through his story, the world was reminded that even after unthinkable suffering, dignity, compassion can prevail. His devotion to build light through his foundation is a legacy that will never fade.”
Ben was one of a number of March of the Living Holocaust survivor/educators who participated in 360º Testimony at Historical Sites initiative, a joint project of the USC Shoah Foundation and International March of the Living. The initiative involved filming Holocaust survivors in 360-degrees while giving testimonies on location at European places where their stories of love and loss unfolded. See: https://sfi.usc.edu/testimony-location
The memory of Ben’s life and the lessons he shared will live on in the hearts and minds of the many young people he so deeply touched.
May his memory be for a blessing.
