March Report Issue 3 Spring 2019

Issue 3, Spring/Summer 2019

Teach your children ךינבל םתננשו :רמאנש יפכ ,האושה ןורכיז תא ץיפהלו רמשל םיביוחמ ונלוכ

NEW CHALLENGES AT AUSCHWITZ

Ahead of the 75

anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp,

the head of its state museum wrestles with difficult questions

MOTL honors Thessaloniki’s lost Jewish community • Noah Klieger’s lasting legacy • Tribute to

Justice Gabriel Bach • Polish edition of Witness launched • UN diplomats focus on Holocaust

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The

Report

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Responding to a Growing

Scourge Worldwide

March of the Living to launch global action to fight increasing

acts of anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism and other hatred

everal weeks from now,

many thousands of people,

coming from 45 countries,

will arrive in Poland to take

part in the annual March of the

Living which will

also include time in

Israel. Participants

will be comprised

of teenagers, adults,

survivors, Right-

eous Among the

Nations, guides and

others.

For most of

those taking part in

MOTL, it will be their rst such

March. Some of the leaders,

educators and organizers will

return to the sites as part of their

ongoing holy mission which

they’ve been carrying out for

years. These wonderful, special

individuals are deeply com-

mitted to MOTL’s ideals and

principles.

I don’t have enough words

to express my deepest thanks

and appreciation to each one of

them for their enormous efforts,

devotion and hard work to pro-

mote and expand the March.

One of this year’s important

missions is to clearly present the

need to unite all human beings

in the civilized world to combat

and help eliminate anti-Sem-

itism, hatred and

Holocaust denial.

These toxic

currents, along

with pernicious

fascist movements,

are increasingly

present all over the

planet. We must act

against this evil.

Terrible attacks of

all kinds, cruel events, threats

and odious ideas are targeting

the Jewish people. It’s as if the

world learned nothing from the

darkest chapter in history of 75

years ago.

In February, CNN released

a frightening survey that shows

that more than one third of peo-

ple in European countries the

Nazis occupied during WW2,

believe Jews are responsible for

anti-Semitism. Not surprisingly,

their awareness of Holocaust

history is minimal.

The world shouldn’t be

surprised from these disturbing

results. People have long ignored

such ndings, much to their own

peril. The survey and countless

other manifestations of racist

ignorance should be of grave

concern. The current situation is

dangerous. Nobody should ever

think something like the Holo-

caust can’t happen again.

Leaders of this year’s

March of the Living will

demand that the growth in an-

ti-Semitism, hatred, xenophobia

and racism be met head-on. On

the eve of Yom Hashoah, (Holo-

caust Memorial Day), at Krakow

University in Poland, we will

have a conference at which

we will launch MOTL’s global

action ghting anti-Semitism,

Chairman and CEO

DR. SHMUEL ROSENMAN

President

PHYLLIS GREENBERG HEIDEMAN

Editor-in-Chief

AHARON (AHARALE) TAMIR

Advisory Board

ELI RUBENSTEIN

ARIANA HEIDEMAN TIPOGRAPH

Editor

ROBERT SARNER

Design/Production

AVIV SARNER-AFARGAN

The International March of the Living

Report is published twice a year by the

International March of the Living. We

welcome letters/comments from readers.

Please send them to motl@motlmail.org or

International March of the Living, Atten-

tion: Editor-in-Chief, 2 West 45th Street,

Suite 1500, New York, New York 10036

USA. Tel: 212-869-6800 www.motl.org.

Aharon (Aharale) Tamir

neo-Nazism and hatred.

In addition to this im-

portant mission, MOTL will

promote the second part of its

mandate – the visit to Israel to

implement the Israeli experience

for participants. All delegations

will express their support and

commitment to Israel.

The visit to the homeland

of the Jewish people is of great

importance and a wonderful,

we dare say, perfect closing of

the circle, from “Holocaust to

Revival” which is at the heart

of MOTL’s ideals, values and

commitment.

Strengthening Jewish

identity and supporting the state

of Israel go hand in hand and

shoulder to shoulder with the

MOTL mission to remember and

ensure that such atrocities never

happen again.

I welcome all readers to

this new issue of The March of

The Living Report and hope you

enjoy it. Wishing everyone a

happy and meaningful Pesach

holiday.

Aharon (Aharale) Tamir

Deputy World Chairman, MOTL

THE NEXT

BEST THING

TO BEING THERE

If you can’t take part in the March of the Living this spring,

you can watch it live online at two places.

The March will be livestreamed on its website’s homepage

at www.motl.org

or alternatively on the MOTL Facebook page

at facebook.com/MOTLorg.

At Auschwitz, visitors see for themselves what racial hatred can lead to

The

Report

CALENDAR

Dates Worth Noting

2018

• Oct. 4 - Sighet, Romania

International conference on combating anti-Semitism

• Oct. 4 - Sighet, Romania

Remembrance ceremony in honor of the late Holocaust sur-

vivor Elie Wiesel on what would have been his 90th birthday

• Oct. 20 - Fukuyama, Japan

Memorial traveling exhibition in honor of Japanese Righ-

teous Among the Nations, Chiune Sugihara

• Nov. 6 - Brussels, Belgium

Annual conference of European Jewish Association

• Nov. 11 - Vilnius, Lithuania

Participation in EU educational conference and seminar for

teachers and educators

• Nov 21 - Warsaw, Poland

Launch of the Polish version of the March of the Living book

Witness, at Polin Museum

• Nov 25 - Warsaw, Poland

Launch of Dr. Janusz Korchak exhibition at Polin Museum

• Nov 30 - Dec. 2 - Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Chaperone training weekend for Canadian delegation to

MOTL

• Dec. 9 - Warsaw, Poland

Ofcial event at Presidential palace, presenting MOTL ofcial

album and Polish edition of Witness to Polish President

• Dec. 9 - Warsaw, Poland

Participating in Hanukkah candle-lighting with Polish

President

• December 15 and 16 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

New Horizons Conference with Anne Frank House

• Dec. 19 - Jerusalem, Israel

International conference on 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann with

Supreme Court judge Gabriel Bach

• Dec. 20 - Jerusalem, Israel

International conference on ghting Holocaust denial, xeno-

phobia, anti-Semitism and other racial hatred

• Dec. 20 - Jerusalem, Israel

Launch of Elie Wiesel Memorial Conference with partners

2019

• Jan. 2 - Warsaw, Poland

Visit of delegation of UN Ambassadors

• Jan. 27 - Jerusalem, Israel

Commemoration in honor of Japanese Righteous Among the

Nations, Chiune Sugihara

• Jan. 27 – Auschwitz/Birkenau, Poland

Participating at International Holocaust Commemoration Day

at Auschwitz – Birkenau State Museum

• Jan. 28 - Warsaw, Poland

Ofcial visit to the Polish Ministry of Culture and Heritage

• Feb. 12 - Aventura, Florida

MOTL operational and educational meetings, and meeting of

the Board of Directors

• March 10 - Skopje Bitola, Macedonia

March of the Living ceremonies, seminar and Memorial

March

• March 17 - Thessaloniki, Greece

Commemoration event and public march

• April 14 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

MOTL symposium for students covering wide range of Holo-

caust-related topics

• April 16 - Budapest, Hungary

March of the Living public march and ceremony

• April 28 - Poland

2019 March of the Living, start of the Poland portion

• May 2 - Auschwitz/Birkenau, Poland

Annual silent 3-km procession at Nazi death camp culmi-

nates Polish leg of MOTL

• May 1 - Krakow, Poland

Conference on combating anti-Semitism

• May 3 - Israel

2019 March of the Living, start of the Israel portion

A list of MOTL highlights from recent and upcoming months

his year, the International

March of the Living is, for

the fth time, specically

honoring the venerable Jewish

community of Thessaloniki,

Greece that was nearly eradi-

cated by the Nazis during the

Holocaust. MOTL will spotlight

local survivors and Righteous

Among the Nations who saved

Jews in the city and pay tribute

to the 55,000 Jews in Thessa-

loniki who the Nazis deported

to Auschwitz, where almost all

of them perished.

As part of this initiative,

MOTL has invited dignitaries

from Greece to Poland to be

special guests on May 2 to

lead the annual 3-km silent

procession at Auschwitz. These

include Greek Orthodox Patri-

arch, Bartholomew 1; the Presi-

dent of the Hellenic Parliament,

Nikos Voutsis; the head of the

country’s Jewish community,

David Shaltiel and a delegation

of Greek Jews.

Recently, Aharon Tamir,

Deputy World Chairman of the

International MOTL, repre-

sented the organization at a

commemorative ceremony in

Thessaloniki, also known as

Solonika, where he was one of

the speakers. In mid-March,

thousands of people, mostly

non-Jews, marched from the

Thessaloniki in the Spotlight

MOTL pays tribute to Greek city’s doomed Jewish community,

decimated by the Nazis. By ROBERT SARNER

Holocaust memorial monument

in the city center to the railway

station where Jews were deport-

ed in the spring and summer of

1943, almost all never to return.

MOTL has been a full partner

in Thessaloniki’s annual com-

memorative events since they

began ve years ago.

In addition to focusing on

the tragedy of the Holocaust,

MOTL also spotlights Jew-

ish life in Europe before the

Nazis began their anti-Semitic

persecution in the 1930s. The

Jewish community in Greece is

one of the oldest in the world.

When World War II began, the

country was home to 80,000

Jews, most of whom lived in

Thessaloniki. The city, once

known as the ‘Jerusalem of the

Balkans,’ had an extremely rich

Jewish, predominantly Se-

phardic, heritage.

In April 1941, the Ger-

mans occupied Greece. In

March 1943, after the Nazis had

conned local Jews to ghettos,

they began deporting Jews to

Auschwitz by train. By the time

the last shipment left the city

six months later, the Jewish

community had been virtually

eliminated.

Today, some 5,000 Jews

live in Greece, including 1,400

in Thessaloniki.

Light of Cooperation

t the invitation of Polish

president Andrzej Duda,

the International March

of the Living took part in the

lighting of Chanukah candles

at the Presidential Palace in

Warsaw in December. It reects

the ongoing close cooperation

between MOTL and Polish

ofcial institutions, government

ministries and national organi-

zations, including the Chancel-

lery of the Polish President and

presidential advisors. During

the 2018 March of the Living

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Re-

membrance Day) Ceremony at

Auschwitz-Birkenau, President

Duda was a keynote speaker

along with his Israeli counter-

part, Reuven Rivlin.

First initiated several years

ago, the Chanukah candle-light-

ing ceremony at the Presidential

Palace has now become an

annual tradition. Poland’s pres-

ident and First Lady host the

event to which they invite Jew-

ish organizations and leaders of

the Polish Jewish community.

As part of the ceremo-

ny, Aharon (Aharale) Tamir,

Deputy Chairman of Interna-

tional March of the Living,

presented to President Duda

and First Lady, Agata Korn-

hauser-Duda, an album of the

president’s participation at the

2018 MOTL along with a copy

of the Polish edition of the

MOTL book, Witness: Passing

the Torch of Holocaust Memory

to New Generations, which was

launched in Poland.

March of the Living hosts alumni and friends, including a Knesset Member, at Tel Aviv event

Coming Together at Reception in Israel

In sign of warm relations, Polish president invites March of

the Living to Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony in Warsaw

ast fall, on the rst evening

of the Jewish Federations

of North America General

Assembly taking place in Israel,

March of the Living hosted

a reception for alumni and

friends in Tel Aviv. It proved

a wonderful opportunity for a

diverse group of people from

all over Israel, the United States

and Canada to get together.

The event featured re-

marks from the guest of honor,

Likud MK Sharren Haskel, who

at age 34, is one of the youngest

members of the current Knes-

set. Born in Toronto, she is also

a MOTL alum.

Additional speakers

included Dr. Shmuel Rosen-

man, Chairman of the March of

the Living; Phyllis Greenberg

Heideman, President of the

March of the Living; and Jim-

my Garber, an alum of March

of the Living Mexico. MC for

the evening was Board Member

Avi Dickstein.

n just a few weeks, I will

experience something

which I expect will prove

extremely meaningful and

life-changing for me. I

will be participating in the

March of the Living with

fellow Los Angeles-based

teens. Given that my grand-

parents, Freddy and Ilse

Diament, were survivors

of notorious Nazi death

camps, the March hits

close to home for me.

Although I was only

four years old when my

grandpa Freddy passed

away, my grandma Ilse

made sure to tell both my

sister Alexandra and me

about their experiences.

Having heard this histo-

Why I feel the need to take part in the March of the Living this year. By ELIJAH COOPERMAN

MARCHER SPOTLIGHT

Far Away But Close to Home

ry through the voice and

words of a survivor, my

grandma, I know how

important it is to hear it all,

remember it all and – most

importantly – to never for-

get any of it. This is some-

thing I will pass onto my

children someday.

Every year on the

March of the Living, when

participants stand in a par-

ticular spot at Auschwitz,

they are read a story my

grandfather wrote in April

1958 about three heroes

of Auschwitz. They were

hung in that exact place

where I will soon stand

among thousands of other

teenagers. One of these

three heroes was my great

uncle, Leo Yehuda Dia-

ment. My grandpa told this

story of the three heroes of

Auschwitz to thousands of

teenagers every year when

he went on the March of

the Living as a Holocaust

survivor docent.

He was honored to

attend the March for many

years. It meant the world to

him. My mom told me he

had expressed to her that

going on this program as a

survivor, and being able to

tell his brother’s story and

his own experiences, gave

him a sense of purpose in

life.

For me, being a part of

the last generation to hear

first-hand from survivors

is an experience I feel

every Jewish teenager

should have. We must bear

witness! My sister went

on the MOTL in 2015, and

she said it was the most

important and profound ex-

perience she feels she will

ever go through in her life. I

expect to come back with a

similar feeling.

For the past four years,

I’ve been privileged to at-

tend de Toledo High School

in West Hills, California.

As a graduating senior,

I’m honored to be able

to be a part of this year’s

BJE March of the Living

program. Together with my

friends from school, I will

soon embark on this mon-

umental experience during

which I will witness with

my eyes and my heart and

touch the ground where

many of my relatives per-

ished. They are all heroes

to my family and me. We

will never forget them, and

I’m honored to be named

after my grandma’s brother.

My grandparents, Freddy

and Ilse Diament, will al-

ways be my biggest heroes

in every sense of the word.

May we all “Never

forget.”

n June, scores of March of

the Living alumni and friends

of the organization will take

part in New York City’s annual

celebration of Israel’s birthday.

Building on the great suc-

cess of its participation in the

2018 event, this year’s MOTL

presence will again include a

specially designed oat for the

occasion.

The Celebrate Israel

Parade, in tribute to the Jewish

state’s 71st birthday, will take

place on June 2 on Manhattan’s

Taking to the Streets

March of the Living to make its presence felt again at annual New York parade in celebration of Israel

famed Fifth Avenue, travelling

north from 57th Street to 74th

Street. Held annually since

1964, it attracts tens of thou-

sands of people in what organ-

izers say is the world’s largest

regular gathering in support of

Israel.

To be part of the MOTL

contingent, advance registra-

tion, which is free, is required

at https://motl.org/israel-pa-

rade/. All participants that

T-shi r t.

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Beacon of Strength, Courage and Conviction

he International March of

the Living family suffered

a major loss in December

with the passing of prominent

Holocaust survivor Noah Klieg-

er. Having dedicated his adult

life to Holocaust education, he

was strongly committed to the

MOTL mission, having taken

part in the annual trip to Poland

and Israel many times.

A highly-respected sports

writer, he worked for 60 years

at Israel’s largest daily newspa-

per, Yedioth Ahronoth, where

his last column appeared two

days before he died at age 92 on

December 13.

Born in Strasbourg,

France in 1926, his family had

originally lived in Germany but

due to the rise of the Nazis, left

Germany for France and then

in 1938 to Belgium. Early in

World War II, after the Nazis

occupied Belgium, despite

being only 13 years old, Noah

helped found a Zionist youth

underground organization. His

group successfully smuggled

270 Jews to safety in neutral

Switzerland. He also fought in

the French Resistance.

Noah was eventually

arrested and sent to Auschwitz

where he shared barracks with

longtime friend Elie Wiesel.

He survived the death camp,

in part by claiming he was a

boxer – he wasn’t – and joining

a prisoner team of boxers. He

also survived two Nazi death

marches.

After the war, he reunited

with his parents who also sur-

n the nal days of 2018, the

world lost the last surviving

leader of the legendary 1943

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, with

the passing of Simcha “Kazik”

Rotem. In an ofcial statement,

MOTL paid tribute to Simcha,

who died on Dec. 22 in Jerusa-

lem at the age of 94.

“Simcha Rotem’s life was

a shining beacon of strength,

courage and conviction as was

his commitment to humanity,”

the MOTL statement read.

“His death represents the end

of a generation, but his legacy

will forever be remembered by

those who cherish freedom and

human dignity.”

Born in Warsaw, Simcha

was a member of the city’s Jew-

ish underground during World

War II. He served as the head

courier of the Warsaw Ghetto’s

Jewish Fighting Organization

(or ZOB) which planned and

vived Auschwitz, and began his

career as a journalist, covering

the trials of Nazi war criminals

in Belgium, France and Ger-

many. In 1947, he boarded the

ship, Exodus, to immigrate to

pre-state Israel and soon after

volunteered for the Haganah

and fought in the War of Inde-

pendence. He later resumed his

career as a journalist, becom-

ing a prominent gure in the

profession for decades.

Noah also became a pow-

erful voice about the lessons of

the Holocaust and dangers of

anti-Semitism. To that end, he

led more than 150 delegations

to visit Auschwitz, including

heads of state, Israeli lead-

ers and youth delegations. In

September 2016, the Interna-

tional March of the Living and

the Israeli-Jewish Congress

hosted a special evening in Tel

Aviv to honor Noah on his 90th

birthday. The event included a

screening of the documentary,

Boxing for Life, about Noah’s

inspirational life story.

executed the ghetto’s heroic

uprising against the Nazis.

Following the war, he

moved to pre-state Israel.

In 2013, at a ceremony in

Poland to mark the 70th anni-

versary of the uprising, Simcha

recalled that by April 1943

most of the ghetto’s Jews had

been killed by the Nazis and the

50,000 who remained expected

the same fate. Reecting on this

harrowing chapter of his life,

he added:

“From all the tragic expe-

riences of the war and the Hol-

ocaust, there is one lesson to be

learned: that is there is nothing

more valuable than human life.

Nobody, in any situation, has

the right to take it away. To this

day, the world has not drawn

conclusions from this horrible

crime, which was done in the

very heart of Europe in the 20th

cent ury.”

With Noah Klieger’s passing, the world has lost a powerful voice about

the lessons of the Holocaust and the dangers of anti-Semitism

MOTL mourns the passing of Simcha Rotem, the last surviving leader of the historic 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

IN MEMORIAM

Noah Klieger at 2016 MOTL/Israeli Jewish Congress

event in Tel Aviv in honor of his 90th birthday

Simcha Rotem, left, at 2013

ceremony on 70th anniversary

of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

An Incalculable Loss

ach year, the March of the

Living honors those who

perished in the Holocaust

and those who survived. Since

1988, more than 300 Survivors

have shared their poignant

rst-hand experiences with

participants on the March of the

Living. Those participants have

now become the witnesses for

the witnesses.

Sadly, in each successive

year, there are increasingly less

Survivors to bear witness to

young people. Each Survivor

in his or her own way made an

impact on the lives of so many.

In this issue of the MOTL

Report, we spotlight Survivors

who died in 2018 after having

played an important role in

MOTL activities over the years.

Grieving the passing in 2018 of Survivors who

played key roles in March of the Living activities

The Proper Response

ast October in northern Ro-

mania, local leaders along

with Jewish and non-Jew-

ish dignitaries from around

the world gathered in Sigehtu

Marmatiei. Formerly known as

Sighet, the city is the birthplace

of Holocaust survivor, noted

author and Nobel Peace Prize

Laureate Elie Wiesel.

All came to protest and

combat rising anti-Semitism,

Holocaust denial and other

forms of racism. They also

were honoring city ofcials

for acting swiftly after an

anti-Semitic incident that made

international headlines.

Two months earlier,

vandals had defaced Wiesel’s

childhood home in Sigehtu

Marmatiei, spraying highly

disturbing anti-Semitic grafti

on the exterior of the building

which is now a museum de-

voted to his memory and local

Jewish culture.

The next day, municipal

authorities scrubbed clean the

anti-Semitic grafti and within

a week arrested the perpetrator

behind it.

In appreciation, Interna-

tional March of the Living,

together with the Limmud

FSU International Foundation,

organized a special event to

honor and thank Mayor Horia

Vasila Scubli and Police Chief

Gheorghe Bora for their quick

and effective response to the

anti-Jewish action.

In a public ceremony at

the targeted building, Aha-

ron Tamir, Deputy World

Chairman of March of the

Living and Haim Chesler,

Limmud Co-Founder, along

with representatives of the

city’s Jewish community and

Romania’s Jewish Federation,

presented awards of apprecia-

tion to Scubli and Bora. They

also expressed support for the

community’s campaign against

anti-Semitism and commem-

orated what would’ve been

Wiesel’s 90th birthday.

Participants in the event,

which included local students

and teachers, also issued a

statement condemning an-

ti-Semitism, hatred and Holo-

caust denial, expressing their

commitment to ght it wherev-

er it appears.

Prior to the public cere-

mony, a conference included

an interfaith dialogue between

representatives of Romania’s

religious communities and

Jewish leaders from Israel.

During World War II,

the city was part of Hungary.

In May 1944, the entire local

Jewish community of 14,000

people, including Wiesel, was

deported to Auschwitz. Today,

only about two dozen Jews live

in Sigehtu Marmatiei.

In hometown of the late Holocaust survivor and writer Elie

Wiesel, authorities show resolve to fight anti-Semitism

• View the March of the Living Holocaust Survivors Database

at motl.org/survivors.

JOSEPH ECKSTEIN

Born:

April 24, 1929 in Etyek, Hungary

Died:

Oct. 14, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida

R AY FISHLER

Born:

1925 in Krakow, Poland

Died:

Nov. 19, 2018 in Wayne, New Jersey

BILL GLIED

Born:

1930 in Subotica, Serbia

Died:

Feb. 17, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ISA AC G OLDSTEI N

Born:

Oct. 9, 1925 in Bialystok, Poland

Died:

Oct. 9, 2018 in San Jose, California

DOROTHY GREENSTEIN

Born:

Dec. 10, 1930 in Otwock, Poland

Died:

Died: Dec.16, 2018 in LA, California

NOAH KLIEGER

Born:

July 31, 1926 in Strasbourg, France

Died:

Died: Dec. 13, 2018 in Israel

IN MEMORIAM

Mayor Horia Vasila Scubli and Police Chief Gheorghe

Bora receive certicates of appreciation

Photo: Yossi Zeliger

An interview with Dr. Piotr Cywinski, longtime director of the state museum at Auschwitz,

which in 2018 attracted a record 2.1 million visitors. By AHARON (AHARALE) TAMIR

The Importance of Preserving the

Authenticity of Auschwitz

ince its inception in 1988,

the March of the Living

has worked with the

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Mu-

seum as part of its programing.

It has always been an important

site in Poland that MOTL par-

ticipants visit given the death

camp’s centrality in the Holo-

caust. The visit takes place in

the framework of MOTL’s main

ceremony on Yom HaShoah

(Holocaust Remembrance Day).

Over the past nearly 20

years, cooperation between

MOTL and the Museum has

grown signicantly, leading to

new initiatives and activities.

These include seminars, study

missions, courses and member-

ship in the Museum’s organiza-

tion. Its commitment to raising

awareness of the Holocaust,

and developing new horizons

in Holocaust education are of

great importance.

It’s in this framework that

the Museum long ago recog-

nized MOTL as a vital partner.

Last year, Poland’s Deputy

Prime Minister and Minister

of Culture and Polish Heritage

nominated MOTL as a member

of the Museum’s Council and

Management.

I am honored to represent

MOTL as a Council mem-

ber, and to share with other

members ideas gained from our

vision and experiences.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau

State Museum has become an

icon of the March and we are

moving forward to implement

goals in our mutual obligation –

Never again another Shoah!

The person most respon-

sible for the changes in the

Museum’s orientation and its

achievements over the past

decade is its director Dr. Piotr

Cywinski.

I rst met Dr. Cywinski

many years before he became

the Museum’s Director in 2006.

Our cooperation dates back to

when he was an active leader of

educational and humanitarian

organizations in Poland and

internationally.

Born in Warsaw in 1972,

Dr. Cywinski spent much of

his youth in Switzerland and

France due to his father’s polit-

ical exile. He graduated from

the University of Humanities in

Strasbourg, France in 1993 as

a historian of the Middle Ages

and the Catholic University of

Lublin in 1995. He obtained his

PhD at the Institute of Histo-

ry of the Polish Academy of

Sciences in 2001.

Dr. Cywinski, 46, is an

active participant and frequent

participant in Polish-Jewish and

Christian-Jewish dialogue. He

has received numerous awards

for his work.

This past January, after

many years of close cooper-

ation, I had the privilege of

interviewing Dr. Cywinski for

this issue of the MOTL Report.

I’m sure our alumni, partici-

pants, leaders and readers will

learn a lot from Dr. Cywinski’s

answers and his attitude on

Holocaust education, remem-

brance and vision.

Q: What changes have you

introduced in the Museum since

you became Director and what

prompted them?

A: Initially, I spent a lot of

time observing the Museum,

to feel it. As previous curators,

with former prisoners among

them, treated some issues in

a certain way, I had to think

twice if I had the right to

change anything.

Quite quickly, I under-

stood that the most crucial

issues were preserving the

authenticity of the museum,

education in a changing world

and communication in a broad-

er sense. But this required a

different nancial aid than what

the Museum previously had

access to.

So, rst, we established

the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foun-

dation, whose Perpetual Fund

was built from donations of

almost 40 states and many pri-

vate donors. The fund enables

us to plan preservation work

for decades. At the same time,

it was necessary to change

the structure of revenue and

expenditures, which required

a great deal of work and better

communication.

My aim was to adapt the

Museum and Memorial to

meet the challenges of the 21st

century, which became a part

of our reality.

What are the main tasks for the

next generation as a unique

institution for remembrance?

We live in a difcult

world. The accelerating chang-

es around us are not just of a

cultural nature but pertain to

our civilization. They concern

most crucial human aspects

like spirituality, culture,

communication, technology

and even relations between the

individual and the community

in a given area.

The level of changes and

their pace make the future un-

certain. People feel stress and

anxiety which often contributes

to demagogy and populism

from politicians. Despite

COVER STORY

Dr. Piotr Cywinski addresses audience at Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum,

which was established in 1947 at the notorious Nazi death camp in Poland.

major educational efforts in

many countries, we still see an

increase in xenophobic, racist

and anti-Semitic attitudes. In

many places, particularism

and separatist tendencies are

gaining ground, even if clearly

these are not reasonable or well

considered alternatives for the

post-war world.

The Memorial and

remembrance of the Shoah

and concentration camps will

also evolve in that context. I

was gravely concerned about

the silence last year over the

genocide committed in Burma.

It was indeed a genocide

according to the denition by

both Rafal Lemkin and ONZ

(United Nations Association of

Polish Students). And yet al-

most the entire world remained

silent. If that reects our ability

to react to extermination, then

the methods of teaching must

be reconsidered from scratch.

The balance between education

versus remembrance… Are

these two tasks completing each

other?

Today, the Shoah is includ-

ed almost solely in teaching

within the historical curric-

ulum. That choice was made

in the 1990s when it seemed

the most important issue was

the threat of Holocaust denial.

Incorporating the Shoah into

history classes involved more

of a chronological approach to

the subject.

Today, I wouldn’t say

we tackled the issue of denial

and relativisation once and for

all. Having not drawn certain

conclusions from teaching the

tragedy of Auschwitz makes us

reect on the idea of teaching

about the Holocaust. It should

be also included in other school

courses more related to our im-

agination of today’s world like

ethics, religion, social sciences,

and mass-media.

Otherwise, there’s a risk

that while we empathize with

the victims from more than 75

years ago and rail against the

world that didn’t react properly

then, we may become bystand-

ers ourselves. And considering

today’s conditions (peace, op-

portunities to travel, economic

conditions, and information and

communication technology)

we can offend not only today’s

victims, but also the memory of

victims from 75 years ago.

In light of the above, what

should be added to the Museum

to keep its values?

We are all today in an un-

certain era. However, the most

crucial priority for the Museum

is to save it from politicization,

from populist inuences and

from any morbid conicts of

remembrance.

Just as Auschwitz should

not be used for politics, politics

should not interfere in the area

of remembrance. Otherwise,

it will bring a situation that

would be morally unbearable,

whose victims would be used

for particular purposes, and the

message of the Memorial and

history of its victims – Jews,

Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners

of war, almost everyone –

would become distorted.

After 30 years of cooperation

with International March of

The Living, how should we pro-

ceed to strengthen our mutual

cooperation?

There’s so much that has

already been done. The last

two decades were a period of

overcoming many barriers.

Nevertheless, I’m wondering

if the huge potential of MOTL

alumni could be even more

revealed and brought to light.

These are hundreds of thou-

sands of people who saw and

understood so much, who cer-

tainly feel responsible not only

for carrying on remembrance,

but also for moral obligation,

which stems from awareness of

the Shoah.

I‘m sure that, among oth-

ers, this great human potential

can be used to build a whole net

of cultural diplomacy, of aware

and committed people who

wouldn’t remain passive but

would care about the quality

of the awareness and sense of

responsibility of their own so-

cieties about what is happening

around us.

The March of the Living

is not happening only on Yom

HaShoah. This day is the be-

ginning of everyday efforts, the

arduous march of all those who

decided to join it.

COVER STORY

The World Must Come to its Senses

arlier this year, Dr. Piotr Cywinski wrote Aharon (Aharale)

Tamir about plans for events in 2020 in connection with the

milestone anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Herewith an

excerpt from the letter:

“In less than a year, on January 27, 2020, we will meet again

with those who survived Auschwitz and the hell of the Shoah still

present amongst us. On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of

the largest of the camps, we will recall the tragedy and suffering

of the victims. However, this memory will be all the more bitter

as it will take place in the context of the world we are creating

today…

Let us stand together on January 27, 2020 to reflect on

ourselves, on a world that must come to its senses, as this today

seems to be the sense of the [Auschwitz] Memorial.”

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU STATE MUSEUM

Preservation of brick barracks is one of the most complex

preservation projects at the Auschwitz Memorial

At work in the highly modern conservation laboratory that

preserves the authenticity of everything on view at Auschwitz

The Memorial preserves more than 110,000

shoes that belonged to Auschwitz victims

Guide gives group tour of the complex where Nazis killed

more than 1.1 million people (most of whom were Jews)

Using the pioneering method to remove adhesive tapes

from documents using organogels and hydrogels

Some of the objects found in 1967 during archaeological

search at the ruins of the gas chamber and crematorium

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU STATE MUSEUM

The site of the former Auschwitz I camp

Working on the conservation of one of the 38,000 suit-

cases in the collection of the Auschwitz Memorial

The oldest part of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, sector

BIIb. Two historical barracks are preserved inside the white tents

A specialist works on the conservation of a suitcase

Preserving a vast array of spoons

that prisoners used 75 years ago

The Auschwitz Memorial Archives

contains more than 250 linear

meters of historical documents

Precision scanning of archival camp documents

Passing the Torch

Special ceremony held at Polin Museum to launch Polish edition of Witness

ast November in Warsaw,

as part of the commemora-

tion of the 30th anniversary

of the March of the Living, the

organization helped launch

the Polish edition of Witness:

Passing the Torch of Holocaust

Memory to New Generations.

Among those taking part in

the event at the Polin Museum

of the History of Polish Jews,

were Aharon (Aharale) Tamir,

MOTL’s Deputy Chairman; Eli

Rubinstein, National Director

of MOTL Canada, who com-

piled the book’s content; and

Dr. Piotr Cywiński, Director of

the Auschwitz-Birkenau State

Museum; Prof. Dariusz Stola,

Director of the Polin Museum;

and Marian Turski, Deputy

Chairperson of the Jewish Insti-

tute in Poland.

Originally published in

English, the book’s most impor-

tant testimonies are from Holo-

caust survivors, most of whom

are originally from Poland, and

from students who joined them

during the March. A section is

devoted to people who resisted

the Nazi tyranny, including

the legendary Janusz Korczak,

the Polish Jewish educator and

children’s author, and Polish

gentiles (Righteous Among the

Nations) who risked their lives

to save Jews from the Nazis.

In his opening remarks

at the event, Eli Rubinstein

thanked all those who helped

make the publishing of Witness

in Polish possible. He paid

special tribute to his longtime

friend, Malgorzata Dzieduszy-

cha, with whom he has worked

closely for nearly 20 years on

improving Polish-Jewish rela-

tions, and who translated the

book into Polish. He expressed

his gratitude to the Polin Mu-

seum for its constantly positive

attitude and generous cooper-

ation with projects initiated by

MOTL.

Aharon Tamir, MOTL’s

main contact person with Polin

Museum, delivered a speech

in which he spoke very highly

about the cooperation, support

and unique relations between

the two organizations. He cited

educational initiatives such as

seminars, workshops, exhibits

and visits as examples.

Earlier this year, Witness

was also published in Hebrew

and Spanish.

CALLING ALL ALUMNI

Join a growing community

YOU

are one of more than 250,000 participants who

have marched on the same 3-kilometer path from Auschwitz

to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day

YOU

are a part of remembering our past to ensure our future.

YOU

and your perspective are important to the March of the Living.

Please visit motl.org/alumni to join the International MOTL Alumni Network to

receive updates about alumni activities. Share your March of the Living experience

with our global community and inspire future participants at motl.org/share.

What was the most memorable moment of the March for you?

How were you impacted by the overall experience?

Browse our selection of Alumni Reflections at motl.org/alumni/reflections

TAL EDELSTEIN writes that the March of the Living made a lasting impact on him,

especially of the importance of not looking away when faced with gross injustice

Taking a Stand for What’s Right

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

hen I often think about

the March of the Living

I went on in 2014 as a

high school senior, it feels like

it was yesterday. Maybe it’s

because two weeks in a row

don’t go by that I’m not talking

with someone about the trip or

having a memory from it cross

my mind.

I’ll think about the endless

tears I cried in the Polish vil-

lage of Zbylitowska Gora, and

the feeling of bliss a few days

later as our El Al plane ew

over Israel’s beaches. Often as I

say the Amidah, I’m taken back

to the Amidah I said at the back

of Birkenau, standing next to a

destroyed crematorium as hun-

dreds of young Jewish students

streamed out the gates of the

infamous concentration camp.

I sometimes think about

the vividness of Majdanek, the

surrealness of the barrack with

the walls of shoes and mound of

ashes at the back of the camp,

juxtaposed with the untem-

pered exuberance of thousands

of proud Jews the next week

dancing through the streets of

Jerusalem on their way to the

Western Wall.

Whenever people ask me

if they should go on this trip,

whether the person is a high

school junior or an adult, I

always say the same thing and

their responses rarely vary.

What I say is a line from the

rst info session I went to

for the March of the Living

when Monise Neumann said,

“There’s nothing more powerful

for a Jew than to walk out of

the gates of Auschwitz and into

the gates of Jerusalem for the

6,000,000 who couldn’t.” The

response I invariably receive is,

“I have to go.” Yes, you really

do.

To say that the March of

the Living experience had an

impact on me would be a gross

understatement. Not only do

images of the moments cited

above follow me years later, but

I instantly became a much more

outspoken advocate for the Jew-

ish people and for Israel. Within

a span of just two weeks, I saw

the horrors of our past and the

glory of our present and future.

It’s hard not to be changed by

that.

At my undergraduate uni-

versity, California Polytechic

State University, I started two

different Israel-related organ-

izations. I was Chabad presi-

dent, I was an active member of

Hillel and of my Jewish frater-

nity, AEPi, all while watching

the Jewish community there

become stronger.

Today, I work at Hillel at

the University of Pennsylva-

nia, supporting the multitude

of pro-Israel organizations

and their student leaders. I’ve

constantly sought to ensure

the continuity of my beautiful

Jewish community, knowing

full well what can happen if

we all decide to just let go and

“let someone else take care of

it.” This commitment was, in

large part, spurred by those two

weeks on MOTL in 2014.

Last spring, I had the

immense pleasure of stafng

the same trip from Los Angeles

to Poland and Israel that I was a

part of four years earlier. Expe-

riencing it all for a second time,

through the eyes of these bright

students, and with the added

perspective I had gained over

the intervening years working

for and with my Jewish commu-

nity, was highly powerful.

Most poignant was seeing

the light bulb go off in the

minds of the students on the

trip, as they, too, understood

the horrors of what can happen

when you don’t take a stand

for what’s right. Like I did, I’m

sure the students I accompanied

last year will make an impact in

their respective communities.

That’s the power of the March

of the Living.

A Void in Need of Filling

n the spring of 2018, after

the March of the Living

reported that two-thirds of

universities and colleges in

the United States don’t offer

a course in Holocaust studies,

the March of the Living/George

Washington University Faculty

Fellow Program was launched,

directed by Ilana Weltman at

GW. I designed and developed

it to engage more universities in

Holocaust education.

This past year alone, we

witnessed extensive need for

Holocaust education, as the US

suffered the most murderous

attack in its history on one of

its Jewish communities. At the

same time, the Anti-Defama-

tion League (ADL) reported a

signicant increase in anti-Se-

mitic incidents in the US.

In 2014, the ADL con-

ducted a comprehensive global

study which found that only 54

percent of those polled had ever

heard of the Holocaust. More

than half of those 54 percent

said the Holocaust was either

greatly exaggerated or had

never even occurred.

As the pilot year of the

MOTL/George Washington

University program wraps up,

students at participating univer-

sities will see new Holocaust

courses offered. The program’s

rst year included the recruit-

ment of professors from Liberty

University, Utah State Univer-

sity, George Mason University,

Rutgers University, George

Washington University and the

University of Akron. None had

offered a Holocaust course at

the colleges they represent.

Last summer, the pilot

fellowship began in Washing-

ton with an intensive one-week

program during which profes-

sors engaged with educators,

scholars and professionals to

learn pedagogy, facts and new

trends in Holocaust education.

The educators included many

Addressing the lack of Holocaust studies in many American universities, March of

the Living launches two higher education programs. By DR. DAVID MACHLIS

scholars from the nearby Unit-

ed States Holocaust Memorial

Museum; Chief Academic Of-

cer of the program, Professor

Steven Katz of Boston Univer-

sity; Professor Sarah Horowitz

of York University and Profes-

sor Peter Hayes of Northwest-

ern University, among others.

The Faculty Fellows then spent

a week in Poland where they

engaged with Holocaust sites

and fully understood the impact

Holocaust education can have

by experiencing it rst-hand.

“Traveling to Germany

and Poland was an impor-

tant experience,” says Mark

Helmsing, a professor in the

original Faculty Fellows cohort

of professors from George

Mason University. “It allowed

me to see in person historical

sites, centers and programs

that deeply impressed on me

the signicance of strengthen-

ing and supporting Holocaust

education in the United States

and globally.”

Brad Maguth, professor

of education at the University

of Akron, also found himself

teaching at a university with no

Holocaust education.

“As a result of this expe-

rience, I feel extremely well

prepared to plan and teach a

Holocaust course, the rst ever

at my university,” says Prof.

Maguth. “This program has

armed me with the necessary

experiences, content knowledge

and networks to best reach

my students in teaching this

difcult topic. Without this

funded fellowship, my teaching

a Holocaust course wouldn’t

have been possible.”

David Snead, a professor

at Liberty University and a

graduated Fellow who partic-

ipated in the Faculty Fellows

program, felt the trip was

extremely important.

“Classes on the Holocaust

need to be taught on every cam-

pus,” says Prof. Snead. “In my

view, the March of the Living is

an excellent vehicle for prepar-

ing educators to do so.”

MOTL plans to contin-

ue building this program and

expand the cohort of professors

in the coming year. To develop

Holocaust education, inno-

vative programs must target

schools not offering a course,

with an in-service model, such

as the GWU Faculty Fellow

Program, created with GWU’s

Graduate School of Education

and Human Development and

directed by Ilana Weltman.

The educational impact

from this rst year alone will

reach hundreds of college

students. At George Mason

University, Prof. Mark Helms-

ing’s new Holocaust education

course will now be a require-

ment for all Master’s of Social

Studies Education students.

In its ongoing efforts to ac-

cess new audiences, in particu-

lar those with educational inu-

ence, MOTL recently launched

a program for university deans

of schools of education. Coordi-

nated in partnership with the

Miller Center for Community

Protection and Resilience at

Rutgers University, the 2019

inaugural program will host 12

deans who will benet from a

specially coordinated itinerary

in Poland coinciding with the

main March of the Living.

The goal of the initiative,

which I developed, is to allow

educators to better understand

the need for innovative Hol-

ocaust education. The Miller

Center, under the direction of

John Farmer, himself a Dean

of the Rutgers Law School and

former Attorney General of

New Jersey, is involved with

numerous efforts with MOTL

focused on this goal. The 2019

inaugural Deans Mission will

also include education sympo-

sia in both the US and Poland,

featuring some of the academ-

ic world’s leading Holocaust

scholars including Professor

Steven Katz of Boston Univer-

sity, who will be the program’s

Scholar in Residence.

Many of those who’ve been on MOTL will play a vital role in the leadership of the Jewish people. By AVI DICKSTEIN

The Importance of Keeping Alumni Connected

n recent years, the alarm-

ing rise in anti-Semitism

throughout the globe has

underscored the ongoing

relevance of the March of the

Living. Created with the vision

of ‘Never Forget,’ MOTL en-

courages Jewish teens world-

wide to remember the deleteri-

ous repercussions of hate and

anti-Semitism from our past, to

ensure we have a better future.

Over its 30 years of oper-

ation, MOTL has become the

world’s most preeminent Holo-

caust education program, with

some 275,000 people having

participated in the project. Its

inuence is tangible – students

return with a greater commit-

ment to Israel, to remembering

the Holocaust, to strengthening

their Jewish identity and prac-

tice, and to becoming involved

in their local Jewish commu-

nities.

MOTL alumni have also

made important social con-

tributions to the community

at large, such as assisting the

homeless, combating the

continuing genocide in Darfur,

volunteering at home or abroad

in worthy humanitarian efforts,

and working diligently to

combat prejudice and hatred of

every kind.

MOTL believes we have –

and will continue to have – an

impact on future leaders of the

Jewish people. In 1988, one of

the founders of the organization

spoke about his vision of the

day when a half-million Jews

around the world would speak

the language of MOTL. We’re

thrilled we’ve now already

made it more than half-way to

this goal and have no intention

of slowing down.

Over the last year, we’ve

made great strides in furthering

our mission to create a more

involved alumni network. We

have held a number of alumni

events worldwide, including

in the United States, Canada,

Mexico, Argentina, England

and Germany. In late March,

we hosted a special event in

Jerusalem for our many alumni

studying and living in Israel.

Last June, MOTL alumni

participated in the Salute to

Israel Parade in New York City,

marching with a fabulously out-

tted March of the Living oat,

the rst of its kind. We will

participate again in this year’s

Parade and are looking forward

to hosting an Alumni Brunch

prior to kickoff.

In October, the General

Assembly of North America

took place in Tel Aviv for the

rst time. MOTL hosted a

special reception at the Carlton

Hotel for all alumni attending

the GA. More than 50 alumni

participated and were treated

to an elaborate dessert buffet,

hearing from MK Sharren

Haskel, herself a MOTL alum,

and a musical reception.

In February, we hosted a

special alumni dessert reception

in Aventura, Florida, for alumni

in the South Florida area. Spe-

RAISE YOUR VOICE

Please speak up.

The March of the Living Report wants to hear from you so we can feature

a selection of letters and comments starting with the next issue.

Let us know your reaction to the March of the Living Report

or to any recent related issues.

Please send your correspondence to:

The March of the Living Report

Attention: Editor-in-Chief

2 West 45th Street, Suite 1500

New York, New York, USA 10036. Or motl@motlmail.org

cial thanks to Rochelle Baltuch,

Amy Wildstein, Jack Rosen-

baum, Roneet Edrich, Shoshana

Brownstein and Carly Orshan

for their assistance with this

event.

It’s our duty to continue

to develop alumni activities in

each region around the globe,

as the day will soon come when

MOTL alumni represent the

leadership of the Jewish world

and the torch of ‘Never Again’

will fall on their shoulders.

MOTL’s alumni network is a

powerful force that can – and

will – make positive and signif-

icant change.

- Avi Dickstein is a member of

the MOTL Board of Directors

MOTL co-hosts evening in Jerusalem in tribute to Justice Gabriel Bach, Deputy Prosecutor

in the historic 1961 trial of arch-Nazi Adolf Eichmann. By DR. DAVID MACHLIS

ore than 55 years after

the guilty verdict was

issued, the trial of Adolf

Eichmann remains a key mo-

ment of justice condemning the

Nazi destruction of European

Jewry. Culminating the dra-

matic capture of the arch-Nazi

outside his home in Argentina

and the clandestine effort to

bring him in front of a court

in the young Jewish state, the

story has captivated the world

ever since.

While few of the trial’s

main players are alive today,

Gabriel Bach, who served as a

Deputy Prosecutor in the trial,

continues to tell the story of

that remarkable time. In so do-

ing, he’s become a voice for the

place of justice and legal pro-

cedure, even in prosecuting the

worst criminals in history. For

his professional legacy, which

includes sitting on Israel’s

Supreme Court, Justice Bach

was honored at the 2018 Paul S.

Miller Distinguished Lecture

at Jerusalem’s Begin Heritage

Center in late December.

The event was hosted by

the Miller Center for Commu-

nity Protection and Resilience

of Rutgers University and the

International March of the

Living. Chaired by Richard

Heideman and Professor John

Farmer, the evening featured a

conversation with Justice Bach

followed by a distinguished

panel of experts discussing how

to protect and strengthen vul-

nerable communities worldwide

– the key focus of the Miller

Center’s work.

Paul Miller, who founded

the Miller Center, opened the

program saying, “Communities

around the globe are under at-

tack and saying ‘Never again,’

praying for it to cease and

talking about the lessons are

not enough. The time for action

is now.”

With that mission state-

ment, he outlined how the

Center that bears his family’s

name is actively working with

law enforcement in relevant

communities around the world

to better address the growing

threats from extremism and

intolerance that target people

of all faiths and backgrounds.

He said the recently launched

partnership with the Interna-

tional March of the Living is

intended to “remind the world

of the horrors of the past, lest

we repeat them tomorrow.”

MOTL Chair, Dr. Shmuel

Rosenman, then thanked the

Miller Center for its support

saying, “Your mission ts

perfectly with ours, to teach the

roots of evil, hatred, intolerance

and racism in order to build a

better future for all mankind.”

The conversation with

Justice Bach was moderated by

Richard Heideman, himself an

accomplished and renowned

international attorney, who

has been involved in numerous

high-prole cases. Richard is

also a close friend of MOTL

and together with his wife,

Phyllis Greenberg Heideman,

MOTL President, they’ve pro-

moted the March’s mission at

the highest levels. In introduc-

ing Justice Bach, Richard cited

his “commitment to building a

better path forward for the Jew-

ish people and for all people.”

Standing before a rap-

tured audience, Justice Bach

spoke with eloquence for more

than 45 minutes, recounting

his personal trials as a refu-

gee from Nazi Germany and

how that impacted his role in

the epic trial of Eichmann. In

the months leading up to it,

Bach spent many hours alone

with the notorious Nazi in his

cell. Those meetings helped

establish the conclusion that the

evil Eichmann perpetrated was

motivated by personal hatred

and a desire to kill Jews rather

than ‘simply following orders’

as many Nazi leaders tried to

contend.

I was then honored – in

my role as Vice-Chair of the

International MOTL, and

having designed the program of

the evening – to present Justice

Bach with an award in recog-

nition of his lifetime’s work in

pursuit of justice.

In my presentation, I said

the work of the Miller Center

and MOTL are more critical

than ever in the face of growing

global anti-Semitism, hatred

and intolerance. Referencing

numerous studies of ignorance

and apathy among the world’s

younger generations vis-à-vis

the Holocaust, I commended

the Miller Center for adopting

the mantra that “Remembrance

is the key to prevention” in

their work and in their partner-

ship with MOTL.

The recent rise in an-

ti-Semitism was the focus of

Prosecuting Evil

the nal portion of the Jeru-

salem program, moderated

by Professor John Farmer,

Executive Director of the Mill-

er Center and a former Attor-

ney General for New Jersey.

He chaired the panel of three

leading experts in contempo-

rary justice and public affairs

in discussing how society today

can best protect and strengthen

vulnerable communities around

the world.

Stephan Kramer, former

Secretary General of the Cen-

tral Council of Jews in Germa-

ny, said “while we don’t have

state-organized anti-Semitism,

at least not at the moment, we

can’t make any mistake. There

are groups giving us a taste of

anti-Semitism of years past.”

Irit Kohn, past President of

the International Association of

Jewish Lawyers, spoke of the

critical nature of both educating

and advocating in areas where

anti-Semitism is beginning

to take hold because this is a

process which takes time.

Elie Honig, Executive

Director of the Rutgers Institute

for Secure Communities and a

former Assistant United States

Attorney, said all enforcement

efforts must be carried out

within the rule of law. Citing

Justice Bach as an example, he

saluted how the trial afforded

rights under the law to Eich-

mann who was “the worst

war criminal we could ever

imagine, but if we abandon the

rule of law then our efforts will

lose their very legitimacy.”

Prof. Farmer, who also

served as Senior Counsel to

the 9/11 Commission, closed

the evening stating, “What

was murdered in 9/11 and the

Holocaust was incalculable

human potential. We have to

have the moral courage to seek

justice and do the right thing

even when it’s inconvenient

and difcult and Justice Bach is

the very best exemplar of those

ideals.”

he pace of change in

the world is relentless

and with it comes new

challenges and uncertainties –

not least for our young people.

Jewish students are experienc-

ing the rise of anti-Semitism,

making life very difcult for

them on campuses throughout

the UK. Consequently, Jewish

identity is under threat, with

many young people nding it

increasingly difcult to publicly

display their Jewishness in the

face of racism, intolerance and

hatred. It’s only through educa-

tion that change can occur.

Learning the lessons from

the Holocaust – specically

through the experience gained

from the March of the Living

– has proven to be particularly

formative for students grap-

pling with these issues on a

daily basis. We have been visit-

ing university campuses across

the UK to engage with students

about the importance of making

the journey to Poland.

Alongside this, we were

pleased to partner with the

Limmud festival in December,

which attracted 2,500 attend-

ees. We had a March of the

Living Day with Survivor Mala

Tribich. Mala gave her moving

testimony to a packed room and

then hosted a lovely afternoon

tea for people to drop in and

discuss the upcoming trip.

We were delighted that

our Alumni from last year

initiated the creation of a young

events committee with the aim

of raising awareness about the

trip, educating their peers and

fundraising. They are creating

a series of engaging events for

the community.

We are also busy launch-

ing two new initiatives for

this year’s trip. The rst is a

training course to become an

educator on the program. It’s

imperative that we enable the

next generation to become

Holocaust educators. The

second is that we are bringing a

group of multi-faith leaders on

this year’s MOTL. It’s impor-

tant that we engage with other

religions in this area.

Lastly, I feel privileged

to be the rst CEO for MOTL

UK. It’s a huge honour to hold

this position for such a vital

organization, on behalf of

which I’m looking forward to

expanding the important work

that we do.

- Cassie Matus is CEO of

March of the Living UK

UNITED KINGDOM:

REGIONAL FOCUS

Two New Initiatives

MEXICO: This Year’s Theme: For them… For Us

n Mexico, the March of the

Living Project began almost

30 years ago when our cur-

rent President Moishe Punsky

motivated a small group of

Mexicans to participate in

MOTL as a delegation. Today,

almost 5,500 Mexicans, repre-

senting more than 13% of the

country’s Jewish community,

are connected to this initiative.

March of the Living is

much more than a trip or a one-

time experience. It becomes a

milestone in the life of partic-

ipants, marking a difference

between life before and life

after the March.

To make it happen every

year, Mexico has a large group

of hard-working volunteers.

Central to its success, a com-

mittee of dedicated members

oversee the necessary areas

such as fundraising, nancial

support, administration, alum-

ni, social media and web page

creation.

As these volunteers previ-

ously attended MOTL, they’re

highly committed to the pro-

ject. Their support is essential

to ensuring that every year the

Mexican delegation is extrem-

ley motivated in participating

in the project. Their impact

extends beyond the Jewish

community as in recent years

they’ve also attracted the par-

ticipation of non-Jewish groups

in the March.

In Mexico, there are two

types of projects for MOTL

based on the age of partici-

pants. Each takes place every

two years. One is designed

for upper school and college

students. For this group, the

“Madrichim” (guides) have to

be between 30 and 40 years

old and have previous experi-

ence in “Hadracha” (guidance/

leadership training) and group

management. This helps with

students easily bonding with

their leaders.

There’s a similar prepa-

ration for the second group,

despite it being comprised of

adults. The process has similar

objectives although the infor-

mation is adapted to better t

the interests, age and needs of

participants.

The team behind the

March of the Living Project

includes numerous people

who return every year. These

include a Mexican Holocaust

survivor, a rabbi, “Madrichim,”

doctors, psychologists, school

teachers and photo and video

specialists. The president and

coordinators of the MOTL

Project for Youth are chosen

from the previous March for

the Youth, favoring Madrichim

who rose to the occasion last

time.

All staff go through a

rigorous training process. It

involves around 30 sessions,

each with different activi-

ties, lectures and a weekend

seminar. Staff members work

on improving their skills in dif-

ferent areas to ensure the best

experience for participants. To

achieve the project’s goals for

youth, every two years experi-

enced Madrichim participate in

a process involving psychologi-

cal tests, interviews and special

assessments to better prepare

them to guide a delegation.

Ultimately, after many

months of preparation and

reviewing hundreds of appli-

cations, MOTL staff select 16

- 18 Madrichim who have the

honor of preparing a group of

young people for the March.

The Madrichim are divided

into groups of two or three and

assigned a specic group. They

work together for almost eight

months, conducting 20 or more

sessions of activities according

to a specic program which

covers different subjects in or-

der to better prepare each par-

ticipant to ensure they get the

most out of this experience. For

the adults going on the March,

current and former presidents

of MOTL and experienced pre-

vious youth Madrichim work

with them in the months before

the trip.

As the March approaches,

staff organize activities which

focus on logistics and other

practical aspects for the trip

and help Madrichim create a

bond with their student partic-

ipants. There’s also a special

weekend seminar designed for

the entire delegation which

offers different activities over

the two days.

This year, Mexico’s MOTL

staff committee has chosen a

phrase – “For them... for us” –

as a theme statement. It has a

special meaning for the 2019

March of the Living delegation

because this time it’s marching

for the victims, the survivors,

future generations, and also for

March participants to become

better people, better parents,

better sons and daughters, bet-

ter leaders and better examples.

One could say “the March

lives on,” or, as otherwise ex-

pressed in Spanish, “La Marcha

continua.”

- Elias Dana

REGIONAL FOCUS

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: MOTL Growing Every Year

he March of the Living,

the most well-known

experiential program in

Broward County, Florida, is

growing each year. Having our

beginnings with Miami-Dade

County and what is now the

Southern Region, Broward

County has grown and has

been “independent” since 2004.

Our students come from both

the public and private sector,

Jewish schools and secular. We

enjoy tremendous nancial and

professional support from the

Jewish Federation of Broward

Cou nty.

I was part of the staff of

the rst MOTL in 1988 and

never looked back. Both on

and off the job, it’s on my

mind. Whether it’s recruit-

ment, interviews, fundraising

or curriculum, the March is

always front and center. As the

most talked about program in

our high schools, students look

forward to participating in it

when they’re eligible.

We strive to make it pos-

sible for any eligible student to

take part in MOTL, and appre-

ciate the much-needed nancial

assistance we receive from our

Federation, the Jewish Commu-

nity Foundation, the Friends of

the March of the Living and our

many individual donors.

Broward County bnei

mitzvah also receive a gift

certicate toward their future

participation through the gener-

osity of the Lipson Family and

the Elaine Jamie Lipson Bar/

Bat Mitzvah Program, raising

awareness of Jewish genetic

diseases. The International

March of the Living has been

helpful on the nancial side

with challenge grants to help

make the March more afforda-

ble.

Each year, we begin our

recruitment the moment we

return from the March. Our

students speak in their classes

at schools; in their synagogues;

at our Federation and other

agencies and organizations

throughout our community.

They are so successful that

enrollment is almost completed

by mid-August and a waiting

list begins. In recent years, due

to growing interest from par-

ents and other adults, we began

taking adult groups. We strive

for touch points during the

program for both the teens and

adults to share experiences.

Our students commit to at-

tending weekly seminars from

January to March to increase

their knowledge of the Holo-

caust; to better understand what

Jewish life was before, during

and after the Holocaust; to

learn about the places we will

visit; to meet our survivors and

begin to get to know each other.

Our staff, who pay a

reduced fee to participate (and

work very hard) help make the

seminars informative, interac-

tive and experiential following

the lessons created by our edu-

cation coordinator and commit-

tee. While in Poland, students

participate in activities to make

their visits more meaningful.

The impact of seeing 10,000+

individuals gather at Birkenau

after walking the three kilo-

meters from Auschwitz will

forever remain an indelible

memory.

Traveling on to Israel is a

wonderful culmination of our

journey. Visiting sites, enjoying

the waters of the Mediterranean

and the Dead Sea; praying at

the Kotel; paying our respects

at Har Herzl and participating

in the Jerusalem March and

REGIONAL FOCUS

Main Event are an incredible

way to end our trip.

Broward County prides

itself in keeping in touch with

our Alumni. We produce a

newsletter three to four times

a year which has information

on the current March; life

cycle events, the good as well

as the condolences; updates

from Marchers on graduations,

new jobs or businesses. Lots of

pictures as well. We are still lo-

cating many of our alumni who

have changed email addresses

or moved away.

In addition, we are seeking

our 1988 alumni and present-

ing them with a special 30th

anniversary gift. If you are

reading this and we haven’t yet

found you, give us a call. Our

alumni continue their rela-

tionships with our survivors,

calling them, and taking them

to lunch or dinner when home

from school.

Wearing their jackets on

college campus brings together

individuals who had a shared

experience. The lessons learned

on the March stay with partici-

pants forever. Together they can

make a difference and stand up

for what they believe is right

when issues arise on campus.

Friendships are made which

last forever. After graduation,

our Alumni have become

involved with national and local

Jewish organizations, serving

in professional and leadership

capacities. Their life choices

are often credited with having

been formed by their participa-

tion on the March of the Living

The March has made

a lasting impact on all our

participants. Students and

adults alike return with a better

understanding of the Holocaust

and a greater sense of Jewish

identity and pride.

- Rochelle Baltuch is Director

of March of the Living in

Broward County, Florida

GALLERY

Telling the Story Around the World

Snapshots of interesting moments in the life of Holocaust education and rememberance near and far

Worthy of celebration: Members of

Toronto’s Jewish community recently

honored Holocaust Survivor and local

resident Max Eisen on his 90th birth-

day. At a special evening at the Beth

Shalom Synagogue, they celebrated

his life and paid tribute to his three

decades of dedication to the cause

of Holocaust education. Eisen’s mem-

oirs, By Chance Alone, is currently on

Canada’s bestseller lists and recently

won the 2019 Canada Reads battle of

the books competition.

UN diplomats focus on the Holocaust: In late January, Ambassadors to the

United Nations from dozens of countries went to Poland as part of the Holo-

caust Remembrance Program. After visiting sites connected to the Nazi geno-

cide of European Jews, they then traveled to Israel to learn about the Jewish

state. Initiated by the International MOTL and American Zionist Movement, the

mission followed the rst-ever such trip last spring when UN Ambassadors

took part in the March of the Living in Poland and then visited Israel.

Connecting in southern Florida: In February, MOTL hosted a special recep-

tion in Aventura, Florida for alumni from the region. More than 80 alumni joined

MOTL International Group Leaders who were there for the organization’s

bi-annual Educational Seminar. Among the topics on the agenda: Exploring

ways to further develop alumni-related initiatives.

Nazi trial makes for powerful real-life lm. The acclaimed documentary, The

Accountant of Auschwitz, which has been shown on TV and at lm festivals

around the world in recent months has a strong connection to the March of

the Living. Focusing on the 2015 trial in Germany of former Nazi SS guard

and accountant Oskar Groning in connection with the murder of 300,000

Jews at Auschwitz in 1944, the lm was made by Canadian director Matthew

Shoychet. He became involved in Holocaust education after going on MOTL in

2013 and again in 2015 as a chaperone. Three of the four survivors featured in

the lm are MOTL educators..

MOTL on the small screen: Dana Arschin is an American TV reporter at Fox 5

in New York who took part in last year’s March of the Living. She had a strong

personal connection to the subject. Her grandfather miraculously survived two

years at Auschwitz while other relatives were less fortunate. Learning more

about her ancestors who were murdered by the Nazis, Dana lmed material

during her MOTL trip which she later developed into a series of poignant

personal reports that were broadcast in recent months on Fox 5.

PLEASE… AND THANK YOU

Donor support helps International March of the Living continue its

vital work teaching Holocaust history to people around the world

while strengthening Jewish identity and connections to Israel.

Please consider making a donation to International March of the Living,

a non-profit charity organization. All contributions are deductible to the fullest

extent of applicable tax law. (Our Tax ID is #22-326-1085).

To donate to the International March of the Living,

please go to www.motl.org/donate or call +1.212.869.6800.

Please. And thank you.