Several thousand participants set off in the afternoon from beneath the “Arbeit macht frei” gate at the former German Auschwitz I death camp, beginning this year’s March of the Living – an annual tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. The solemn procession, which moved towards the site of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau death camp, marks a powerful act of remembrance.

Among those present were the Presidents of Poland and Israel – Andrzej Duda and Isaac Herzog – who stood side by side with dozens of Holocaust survivors at the symbolic starting point. Both leaders greeted the survivors personally, standing under the historic gateway that has become an enduring symbol of German Nazi atrocities.

 Together, the presidents laid wreaths at the Execution Wall in the courtyard of Block 11, a place where thousands were murdered. They also visited Block 27, which houses a poignant exhibition dedicated to the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust.

Following the tribute, the two leaders held a private conversation at the International Centre for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. They later delivered public statements.

President Duda expressed his gratitude to President Herzog for participating in the March, describing the event as „first and foremost a celebration of life, a tribute to memory, and a powerful, dramatic call: never again – never again hatred, never again chauvinism, never again antisemitism.”

He continued: „Above all, we must never remain silent in the face of any manifestation of hatred between nations, or any form of racial or ethnic hatred. Because if we are silent, the consequences can be as catastrophic as what happened here – what was done here by the Germans during the Second World War, when, driven by ethnic hatred and a savage lust for destruction, they attempted to erase the Jewish people from the face of humanity.”

The march began with the haunting sound of the shofar – a traditional Jewish instrument made from a ram’s horn – and proceeded through the streets of Oświęcim’s Zasole district.

The procession included thousands of young Jews from across the globe, joined by around 800 Polish peers. The main commemorative ceremony is being held at the memorial between the ruins of Birkenau’s two largest crematoria, where President Herzog is scheduled to speak. The address from President Duda will be delivered on his behalf by Wojciech Kolarski, State Secretary in the Chancellery of the President.

Organisers from the international March of the Living group noted that this year’s event carries special historical significance, marking 80 years since the liberation of Nazi camps by Allied forces and the end of the Second World War. Participants also aimed to send a clear message against the resurgence of antisemitism worldwide.

Among those taking part is Fran Malkin, a Holocaust survivor originally from Lwów, now living in New Jersey. Her entire family was murdered in the Bełżec extermination camp. 

Speaking at the event, she shared: “I feel overwhelmed. I feel anger – deep anger – that this happened. That it was allowed to happen. That a nation – Germany, the most advanced country in Europe – followed its leader into destruction. That’s all I can say.”

Source: PAP

Photo: @Isaac_Herzog

Tomasz Modrzejewski