(JNS) – The 36th International March of the Living kicked off on Monday, with thousands traversing the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in memory of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust and in honor of those who survived.
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Watch Live: 2024 International March of the Living
“This year’s March of the Living holds profound significance, as the horrors of the past intertwine with the present ongoing nightmare faced by the State of Israel. The recent incomprehensible massacre on October 7 serves as a constant reminder of the persistent threat posed by antisemitic hatred,” Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, chairman, and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, president of the International March of the Living, jointly stated.
“This year, more than ever, we understand why preserving the memory of the Holocaust is still essential. Fighting against the continuous and overwhelming wave of antisemitism, makes the March of the Living’s mission to remember more important and more relevant than ever. We will strenuously continue to teach about the history of the Holocaust, and we will continue to stand together against antisemitism,” they added.
Following the formal ceremony, a “Train of the Living” departed for Auschwitz on an educational journey retracing the path of the death transports from Hungary. Accompanied by hundreds of Hungarian students, the train arrived at Oswiecim after which they joined the thousands of participants gathered at Auschwitz.
Over 550,000 Hungarian Jews perished in the final stages of World War II. Within a span of weeks in the Spring of 1944, the majority of these victims met their life’s end in Auschwitz-Birkenau or during death marches to Austria. Close to 15,000 people were murdered per day and tens of thousands were tragically slain along the banks of the Danube in Budapest.
Since 1988, more than 300,000 people from over 150 communities across 50-plus countries have participated in the march, along with some 300 Holocaust survivors.
JNS CEO and Jerusalem Bureau chief Alex Traiman is co-anchoring the March broadcast from Poland.
March of the Living is NOT a football game. It does not, “KICK OFF”. It may “start” or “begin” or any other appropriate synonym
This “March of the Living ” gives meaning to many Jews who don’t have a different, more enduring way of identifying. I am a descendant of a family that was wiped out, except for my grandparents who trained as agricultural pioneers and earned visas to move to Israel in the early 30’s. I resent the tourism revenue that goes into the coffers of Poland! While today Poland has been standing in solidarity with Israel, many Polish ppl were Nazi collaborators. Paying money to witness how our ancestors were tortured and massacred defies my sense of logic. Do we reward the oppressors? Like will there be a Gaza National Museum of the Oct 7th massacre, that Jews will pay admission for?!