Thousands of people, including 50 Holocaust survivors, gathered on Tuesday for the 38th annual March of the Living, a solemn procession between the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps in Poland. The event, held on Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish calendar, serves as a living memorial to the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
This year’s commemoration was marked by a stark intersection of historical trauma and contemporary violence. For many participants, the walk from the Auschwitz main camp to the gas chambers of Birkenau—a distance of approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles)—was not only a reflection on the 1940s but a response to a global surge in antisemitism. The event underscored a growing fear among the Jewish community that the “lessons of the Holocaust” are being ignored in the face of rising hatred.
Organizers noted that the journey to Poland was fraught with difficulty for some. Several survivors traveling from Israel faced significant logistical hurdles due to airspace restrictions tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran, yet they persisted in making the trip to ensure the memory of the victims remained central to the global conversation.
A Surge in Modern Hatred
The atmosphere of the march was heavily influenced by the events of the past year, specifically the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel. Revital Yakin Krakovsky, deputy chief executive of the International March of the Living organization, emphasized that the hatred witnessed today is not an isolated phenomenon but a systemic resurgence.
“Since October 7, antisemitism has surged and is spreading everywhere,” Krakovsky said. She warned that the current climate of hostility is not merely a series of incidents but a normalization of hatred that mirrors the precursors to the Holocaust. “The scale and normalization of this hatred echoes the dark times we have seen before and, today of all days, we know how it ended.”
This sentiment was echoed by the presence of survivors from recent attacks, bridging the gap between the victims of the 20th century and those targeted today. Among the guests were individuals impacted by a mass shooting in December at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia, where 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration.
The Human Cost of Targeted Violence
For Hannah Abesidon, the march was a deeply personal act of mourning. She attended the event to honor her father, 78-year-old Tibor Weitzen, who was one of the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach massacre. Her testimony served as a reminder that the mechanisms of antisemitism—targeting individuals based on their identity—remain active and deadly.
“My father didn’t make it given that he was a Jew,” Abesidon said. “It starts with the Jews but it doesn’t end with the Jews.” Her words pointed to the historical pattern where the targeting of a specific minority often serves as a gateway to broader societal collapse and wider violence.
The presence of survivors and their descendants highlights a critical shift in the March of the Living. While the event has always been about remembering the 6 million, it has increasingly become a forum for addressing current threats. The participants—ranging from Jewish students and political leaders to the few remaining survivors of the camps—used the physical journey to Birkenau to discuss how to prevent a recurrence of the “dark times.”
Understanding the March of the Living
The March of the Living is more than a walk; it is an educational and spiritual pilgrimage. By traversing the actual rail lines used to transport victims to the gas chambers, participants engage in a tactile form of remembrance. The event typically includes:
- Intergenerational Dialogue: Connecting youth with survivors to pass on firsthand accounts of the Shoah.
- Educational Seminars: Analyzing the political and social conditions that allowed the Nazi regime to rise.
- Communal Prayer: Honoring those who died in the camps and those whose remains were never found.
Why the Current Climate Matters
The normalization of antisemitism, as highlighted by Krakovsky, is viewed by historians and diplomats as a primary indicator of democratic decay. When hatred becomes acceptable in public discourse, it often precedes physical violence. The connection drawn between the 1930s and the post-October 7 era is intended to serve as an urgent warning to the international community.
The logistical challenges faced by the Israeli survivors—navigating a region under the shadow of the Iran war—further emphasize the precarious nature of current Jewish security. The fact that these individuals traveled despite airspace restrictions underscores the perceived necessity of the march in a time of global instability.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Annual Edition | 38th Year |
| Route | Auschwitz to Birkenau (approx. 3km) |
| Participants | Thousands, including 50 Holocaust survivors |
| Purpose | Commemoration of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust |
As the number of survivors dwindles, the responsibility of memory shifts to the next generation. The integration of recent victims, such as those from the Sydney attack, into this tradition ensures that the “echoes of the dark times” are recognized not as distant history, but as an ongoing struggle for human rights and safety.
The international community continues to monitor the surge in hate crimes globally. Official updates on antisemitism trends and safety measures can be tracked through the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which provides standardized definitions and reporting frameworks for hate speech and violence.
The next major scheduled event for the International March of the Living will involve the coordination of educational materials and survivor testimonies for the upcoming academic year to ensure the lessons of the 2026 march reach students worldwide.
We invite you to share your thoughts on the importance of historical memory in the comments below.
