Last week, four Regional Ambassadors and I took part on March of the Living, an incredibly moving event where Jewish people from all over the world join Holocaust survivors in marching from Auschwitz I to Auschwitz-Birkenau, in celebration of life.
I had the utmost privilege of experiencing a uniquely Jewish perspective on Holocaust education alongside predominantly Jewish students on the five- day educational journey. Three Jewish students, Amy, Serena, and Cameron, kindly agreed to be interviewed about their March of the Living experience. Below are their thoughts:
Amy, 20
The March of the Living
What did you enjoy most about March of the Living?
I enjoyed the actual march itself the most. It was such an incredible and unique experience to be able to stand in a place with such a dark history but to see it in such a beautifully uplifting and positive light with thousands of other like-minded people in order to celebrate the continuation of the Jewish faith and the continuation of life even after such a horrific period in history.
What did you find particularly difficult about March of the Living?
The part I found the most difficult was visiting the gas chambers in Auschwitz II - Birkenau. Members of my own family were amongst those who were murdered there and to think about what they must have gone through and to see what was left of it with my own eyes was particularly challenging and upsetting. It was heartbreaking to try and comprehend how many lives were taken there.
What does Holocaust remembrance mean to you as a young Jewish person?
Holocaust remembrance for me is about commemorating the lives lost during the Holocaust, understanding the stories of the survivors and appreciating how strong they were to have survived what they had to go through and lastly, it's about raising awareness. It is vital that we help educate people about what happened and the horror of the event so that history doesn't repeat itself and we can make sure to learn from the past.
Why do you believe that young people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, should learn about the Holocaust and modern-day antisemitism?
I think it's important to understand that many of the attitudes shown towards the Jews at the time of the Holocaust are definitely still present in society today. I believe people should be made more aware of the role antisemitism plays in the lives of the young people of today as once it's acknowledged as a real, legitimate issue, we can begin to combat it and try to change ideas and attitudes within society. The Holocaust serves as a reminder of the most horrific extent antisemitism can go to and hence should be learned from by the young generation of today so as not to repeat the past. Learning about the Holocaust and antisemitism present in today's society can help to increase tolerance and therefore in turn reduce prejudice against many minority groups.
Cameron, 20
Memorial to those murdered Zbylitowska Gora, Poland. Picture by Radlna15, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
What did you enjoy most about March of the Living?
I definitely enjoyed the trip but not because it was so enjoyable, but because I learnt so much and it was such an insightful experience. There were some highs and definitely times where I was enjoying myself, but there were lots of lows too which looking back, I appreciated more as I learnt and grew the most from those experiences.
What did you find particularly difficult about March of the Living?
The hardest place we visited for me was the forest where a mass murder occurred. It was a very heavy place and absolutely horrific to hear about. Walking around the mass graves and hearing a story written by a survivor of a similar mass shooting, it felt like we could hear the screams of the innocent lives that were lost. It’s hard to understand the extent of the brutality of the Nazis, and I still can’t comprehend how big and far spread the Holocaust was.
What does Holocaust remembrance mean to you as a young Jewish person?
I always knew Holocaust remembrance was important but I didn’t fully understand the extent of its importance until this trip. The Holocaust happened which means it can happen again, and I don’t mean only in terms of Jews but absolutely any minority could be the target of such a horrible thing. I think it is so important to educate not only Jewish people, but absolutely everyone. As a Jewish person fresh out of the trip, I feel like it’s particularly important to reconnect with my Jewish identity and heritage, and pretty much all of this desire came from being on the trip. I feel very lucky and proud to be Jewish today, and definitely have a responsibility to preserve the culture.
Why do you believe that young people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, should learn about the Holocaust and modern-day antisemitism?
I think that a lot of antisemitism goes unnoticed/easily forgotten. Obviously as a Jewish person I feel particular importance towards remembering the Holocaust, but I think that the question is and should be about racism towards all minorities. Learning about racism and history means that the next generation are more educated and will hopefully speak up in the face of events that may occur in the future. Keeping education surrounding these events helps people to never forget, and is also an attempt to prevent something similar ever happening again.
Serena, 19
Participants on the March place memorial plaques in the train tracks of Birkenau
What did you enjoy most about March of the Living?
Meeting new people.
What did you find particularly difficult about March of the Living?
Going to the real places where so many people died and hearing testimonies that made it so real.
What does Holocaust remembrance mean to you as a young Jewish person?
Remembering the murder of 6 million Jews. If we don’t remember then it could happen again - we must remember and tell the stories so that it does not.
Why do you believe that young people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, should learn about the Holocaust and modern-day antisemitism?
Modern day antisemitism is rife and very much around. Every person no matter what religion, race, gender, ethnicity etc should learn about the Holocaust and remember the victims so that it doesn't happen again.
As antisemitism becomes more prevalent, we, the Ambassador community, must empower the voices of Jewish people and listen to their experiences to condemn hatred. I believe Holocaust education and remembrance is central to this, as the Holocaust didn’t begin with mass murder, but rather with hateful speech and rhetoric.