ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 500

Promoted Article The Times of Israel - Promoted Content International March of the Living

“We have to march this year. It might be our last chance.”

This year’s March of the Living may be the last chance for young participants to walk with survivors and bear witness to their stories. They need your help.

As the 80th anniversary of liberation approaches, the March of the Living takes on a profound urgency. With each passing year, the opportunity to walk alongside Holocaust survivors, to hear their firsthand accounts of unimaginable suffering and resilience, becomes more precious. In light of October 7th and the subsequent surge in antisemitism around the world, it’s also never been more important.

“Marching together with Holocaust survivors and students from around the world on the 80th anniversary since liberation means the world to me”, said Nate Leipciger, a 96-year-old survivor who will attend his 21st March, “We have to march this year because it might be our last chance. I march because I survived. I march to tell the world that we endured. And I march with the young because they are our future.”

Holocaust Survivor Nate Leipciger at the 2023 March of the Living (Ziv Koren)

Sponsor a Survivor Today

The March of the Living is an educational journey that defies history. It transforms the death marches of the Holocaust into a victory march, honoring those who perished and celebrating the survival of a people. For over 35 years, the program has brought together Holocaust survivors and young people from around the world, bridging generations through memory and shared commitment. Elie Wiesel’s words, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness,” guide its mission to create a living legacy of remembrance.

In April 2025, on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, survivors will lead the March alongside thousands of students from across the globe, as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Holocaust Survivor Hershel Greenblat and Participant Maya Gordon (Courtesy)

Hershel Greenblat, marching for the third time, speaks of the weight and meaning of this journey: “The March gives me the chance to honor the six million Jews perished during the Shoah, my family among them. It gives me hope. Marching with young people shows me that they will carry my story forward when I’m no longer here. They will ensure the world never forgets.”

For Maya Gordon, a past participant, marching alongside Hershel changed her life. “At Majdanek, I stood with him in the gas chambers where most of his family was murdered. Hershel fell to the ground, overcome with grief, crying, ‘Why us? What did we do?’ I will never forget the sound of his sobs or the smell of that place. That moment made his story my responsibility.”

Holocaust Survivor Eva Kuper and students at the 2018 March of the Living (Ryan Blau)

Holocaust survivor Eva Kuper urges participation in the March of the Living: “We, the Holocaust survivors, are a rapidly diminishing group. We are in the last moments of being able to share with young people our firsthand testimonies. Time is rapidly running out.”

“Marching with students allows them to learn and understand about our resilience, our strength, and our determination. When the students listen to stories told by survivors like me, they are ready to accept the responsibility of becoming witnesses themselves. It is the legacy of what we, the survivors, lay on their shoulders. Let us not squander the opportunity. Let us do our utmost to ensure that our legacy lives on.”

Many survivors like Nate, Eva and Hershel want to march this Yom HaShoah, the Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day, with students at the International March of the Living, in Auschwitz.

They need your help.

The International March of the Living asks you to help sponsor a Holocaust survivor’s journey: Bearing witness to their stories is a sacred duty, a vital link between the past and the future. Your sponsorship empowers them to share their experiences, inspiring new generations to remember and fight against antisemitism.

Join us. Stand with the survivors. So the world will never forget.

Sponsor a Survivor Today

 

*Featured image credit: Sam Churchill

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