Amid ongoing reports of Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine, Italian President Sergio Mattarella underscored at Auschwitz the enduring warning embedded in the memory of the Holocaust: it must not be ignored. He spoke at the main ceremony of the March of the Living, emphasizing the need to confront hatred and protect human dignity in every era.
This year’s March focused on commemorating Holocaust victims while highlighting the heroism of Jews who endured the atrocities. The event marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding, and the 35th anniversary of the first March of the Living. A solemn cadence opened with the shofar, a horn traditionally blown during Jewish rites. The delegation began its journey from the historic gate bearing a taunting inscription from the Nazi era, Arbeit macht frei, in Auschwitz I. The march was led by around 40 Holocaust survivors, including Halina Birenbaum, who endured four German camps as a prisoner.
About 10,000 participants, including Jews from across the globe and several hundred Polish students, made their way to the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau, traveling through the towns of Oświęcim and Brzezinka. At the monument dedicated to the camp’s victims, positioned between the ruins of the two largest crematoria, the main ceremony was held to honor those who perished in the camps.
During the proceedings, President Mattarella reiterated his message that the dangerous ideologies of the 1930s have resurfaced in troubling ways today. He warned that hate, prejudice, racism, extremism, indifference, delusions, and the lust for power continue to threaten conscientious people.
He stressed that allowing intolerance and violence to flourish and erode fundamental rights undermines peaceful coexistence. He cited the principle that free people must stand united when the international order is attacked from within, and he urged a firm stance for those who defend shared values.
Addressing the crowd, the Italian leader spoke to survivors and young people: today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Remembering is a duty; the vow to say never again remains essential, with memory serving to resist oblivion.
Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kish offered a tribute to the Jews who fought Nazi tyranny. He shared a personal link to the era, recounting that one of the heroes was his grandfather, who served as Chief Engineer Officer with General Montgomery’s British Eighth Army. Kish recalled his grandfather as a brigadier general who fought near Tripoli, participated in the Battle of El Alamein, and helped liberate a camp where Jews were held for extermination. He described presenting himself as a Jewish soldier during that struggle. Kish noted that his grandfather died in the Battle of Wadi Akarit, with two mines taking his life, and he was buried in a British military cemetery in Tunisia. Kish emphasized that his grandfather’s devotion embodies the courage of Jewish soldiers who fought to defend both their people and the values of freedom.
In Jerusalem, Dani Dayan, the head of the Yad Vashem Institute, spoke to non-Jewish attendees, stressing the deep friendship between communities. He invoked a biblical tale of a non-Jewish woman who saved Moses, underscoring how compassion and understanding can bridge divides and restore humanity. Dayan urged continued remembrance as a powerful moral beacon.
Throughout the main ceremony, seven torches were lit to honor the six million Jews who perished and the State of Israel. Attendees recited Kaddish and El male rachamim, and they sang the Israeli national anthem in a moment of shared memory and resolve.
The March of the Living is an educational project conducted under a framework that brings Jewish students and schoolchildren from various countries to the Holocaust sites established by the German regime in occupied Polish territories. The program offers a lens into Jewish life in Poland, creates opportunities to meet peers, and highlights the stories of righteous individuals who helped Jews survive during the war. The event thus serves as both historical reflection and a call to action for future generations to uphold human rights and dignity in every society.
Source details: official event coverage and contemporary reporting reflected the ongoing concerns about international conflict and the imperative of safeguarding human rights around the world. The proceedings highlighted the universality of remembrance, the resilience of survivors, and the commitment of leaders to keep these lessons alive for new generations.