March Report Issue 3 Spring 2019 : simplebooklet.com

2LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFResponding to a Growing Scourge Worldwide March of the Living to launch global action to fight increasing acts of anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism and other hatredSeveral 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 ROSENMANPresident PHYLLIS GREENBERG HEIDEMANEditor-in-Chief AHARON (AHARALE) TAMIRAdvisory Board ELI RUBENSTEIN ARIANA HEIDEMAN TIPOGRAPHEditor ROBERT SARNERDesign/Production AVIV SARNER-AFARGANThe 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) Tamirneo-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, MOTLTHE NEXTBEST THINGTO BEING THEREIf 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 toTheReport

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3CALENDARDates Worth Noting2018• 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 portionA list of MOTL highlights from recent and upcoming monthsThis 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 SpotlightMOTL pays tribute to Greek city’s doomed Jewish community, decimated by the Nazis. By ROBERT SARNERHolocaust 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.

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4Light of CooperationAt 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 eventComing Together at Reception in IsraelIn sign of warm relations, Polish president invites March of the Living to Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony in WarsawLast 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.

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5In 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 SPOTLIGHTFar Away But Close to Homery 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.”In 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 StreetsMarch of the Living to make its presence felt again at annual New York parade in celebration of Israelfamed 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 register will receive a hat and T-shi r t.

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6Leaving a Lasting LegacyBeacon of Strength, Courage and ConvictionThe 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-In 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-SemitismMOTL mourns the passing of Simcha Rotem, the last surviving leader of the historic 1943 Warsaw Ghetto UprisingIN MEMORIAMNoah Klieger at 2016 MOTL/Israeli Jewish Congress event in Tel Aviv in honor of his 90th birthdaySimcha Rotem, left, at 2013 ceremony on 70th anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

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7An Incalculable LossEach 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 activitiesThe Proper ResponseLast 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, FloridaR AY FISHLER Born: 1925 in Krakow, Poland Died: Nov. 19, 2018 in Wayne, New JerseyBILL GLIED Born: 1930 in Subotica, Serbia Died: Feb. 17, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaISA AC G OLDSTEI N Born: Oct. 9, 1925 in Bialystok, Poland Died: Oct. 9, 2018 in San Jose, CaliforniaDOROTHY 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 IsraelIN MEMORIAMMayor Horia Vasila Scubli and Police Chief Gheorghe Bora receive certicates of appreciationPhoto: Yossi Zeliger

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8An 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) TAMIRThe Importance of Preserving the Authenticity of AuschwitzSince 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 STORYDr. Piotr Cywinski addresses audience at Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, which was established in 1947 at the notorious Nazi death camp in Poland.

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9major 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 STORYThe World Must Come to its SensesEarlier 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.”

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12Passing the TorchSpecial ceremony held at Polin Museum to launch Polish edition of WitnessLast 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 ALUMNIJoin a growing communityYOU are one of more than 250,000 participants whohave marched on the same 3-kilometer path from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance DayYOUare a part of remembering our past to ensure our future.YOUand 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

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13TAL 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 RightALUMNI SPOTLIGHTWhen 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.

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14A Void in Need of FillingIn 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 MACHLISscholars 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.

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15Many of those who’ve been on MOTL will play a vital role in the leadership of the Jewish people. By AVI DICKSTEINThe Importance of Keeping Alumni ConnectedIn 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 VOICEPlease 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 ReportAttention: Editor-in-Chief2 West 45th Street, Suite 1500New York, New York, USA 10036. Or motl@motlmail.orgcial 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

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16MOTL 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 MACHLISMore 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

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17the 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.”The 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 UKUNITED KINGDOM:REGIONAL FOCUSTwo New Initiatives

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18MEXICO: This Year’s Theme: For them… For UsIn 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

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19BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: MOTL Growing Every YearThe 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 FOCUSMain 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

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20GALLERYTelling the Story Around the World Snapshots of interesting moments in the life of Holocaust education and rememberance near and farWorthy 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 YOUDonor 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.