An Introduction:
On May 1, 2008, thousands of Jewish teens from countries around the world will share in a once-in-a-lifetime experience, when they march the three-kilometer distance separating Auschwitz from Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built by the Nazis during World War II. You could be there - along with hundreds of other Canadians taking part in this event.
The March takes place on Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day - established in memory of the six million Jews who were murdered during the war. As one of the marchers representing some thirty nations, you will walk hand in hand in silent tribute to all victims of the Holocaust.
Canadian Participation:
Approximately 800 Jewish high school students and young adults, from a variety of religious and educational backgrounds from all across Canada are expected to participate in the 2008 March of the Living. The group will be accompanied by Holocaust Survivors and chaperones, including doctors, musicians, and religious leaders. The March of the Living will bring together Jewish youth from Israel, the United States, Mexico, France, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia, and South America. There will also be groups from Eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union, Hungary and Romania.
The Program:
- In POLAND: The program will include visits to a number of Polish cities, towns and villages that were once vibrant centres of Jewish life and learning. You will see historic sites in Warsaw, including the cemetery, ghetto memorial and Mila 18. You will visit Krakow, where you will see the Jewish Quarter and synagogues, and Lublin, where you will see the famous Yeshiva Chacmei Lublin. You will also visit the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek, and Treblinka where much of European Jewry was annihilated. Your experience in Poland will be marked by special observances, culminating with the March of the Living itself on Yom Hashoah. Yet, even in Poland there will be moments of hope. You will have the opportunity to connect with a new generation of Polish Jews who are committed to keeping Judaism alive in Poland. You will meet with non-Jewish Polish students to discuss our shared past and to build bridges between our two cultures.
- In ISRAEL: The program will combine visits to a number of exciting places and ancient sites, including Jerusalem, Massada, the Sea of Galilee, Tel Aviv, the Negev desert and more. During your stay in Israel you will take part in many special events organized specifically for the participants in the 2008 March of the Living. On Yom Hazikaron - Israel's Remembrance Day - students will take part in ceremonies honoring Israel's soldiers who gave their lives in defense of their country. The next evening will include a celebration in honor of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Contrast:
Your experience on the March will be a study in contrasts. In Poland you will search for traces of a world that is no more. Like many others, you may leave wondering how it was possible for the destruction of an entire generation of Jews to occur - but you will pledge to yourself to keep their memory alive. Yet, even in Poland there will be moments of hope. You will have the opportunity to connect with a new generation of Polish Jews who are committed to keeping Judaism alive in Poland. And you will meet with young non-Jewish Polish students to discuss our shared past and to build bridges between our two cultures. In Israel you will encounter a country that is striving valiantly to keep the age-old flame of Jewish nationhood alive. On Yom Hazikaron you will cry together with all of Israel as they mourn their fallen soldiers and on Yom Ha'aztmaut you will dance in the streets of Israel as you celebrate Israel's independence with the entire country.
The Holocaust is a stark reminder of the anguish of our past - but Israel represents the hope of our future. This experience will show you how important both aspects are to your identity as young Jewish people.
Passing on the Legacy -- Becoming a Witness:
Sadly, with each passing year, fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors are able to take part in the two-week journey to Poland and Israel.
You are the last generation of Jewish youth privileged to listen to Holocaust survivors share their experiences – firsthand – in the places where their personal stories transpired.
On the 2008 March of the Living, you will visit the towns where the survivors and their families once lived and thrived … you will travel to the places where some were hidden by compassionate neighbors, and others were mercilessly handed over to the Nazis. You will witness the sites of their imprisonment and torture, the camps where their friends and families perished … and from where they were, ultimately, liberated.
As the survivors speak, you will hang on to every word describing their heroic struggle to remain alive in the face of the most evil terror humanity has ever known … and you will vow to never forget their stories.
As one survivor and past participant in the March of the Living has said, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.”
Eligibility and Participation:
All participants in the 2008 March of the Living will be carefully chosen and acceptance will be based upon emotional maturity and community involvement. On line applications are comprised of short answer questions and also include an essay requirement. Students are also required to attend an interview in order to qualify for the program.
If you are accepted, students are required to attend several educational seminars and a Shabbaton specifically created for the March of the Living. These seminars are designed to equip you with basic knowledge and background on the Holocaust and Israel prior to your departure. Key themes include: Jewish life before the war, history of Antisemitism, Nazism, the Final Solution, Zionism and the State of Israel, as well as your life as a Jewish person living in the Diaspora.
The Cost:
The price for the trip includes all costs, such as the Shabbaton, medical insurance, tips, and other expenses. The Canadian March of the Living program is coordinated by Canada Israel Experience, a department of UIA Federations Canada, and is subsidized by local UJA/CJA Federation campaigns and UIA Federations Canada. (Program and price are subject to change. Contact your local federation to get the exact price. Find my local federation. )
Traveling to Israel and seeing our own home after Poland was one of the most uplifting, reassuring feelings of my life. These uplifting and depressing, sad and happy, experiences formed my final view of the March. While I look back into the past with sadness, I look into the future with hope. Hope that what I experience, what we all went through, will have a positive lasting impact on my life, on the lives of others. Hope that we can say with certainty NEVER AGAIN.
