Virtual March of the Living ceremony – watch live

“This is the first time in 32 years that the March of the Living has not taken place on Holocaust Memorial Day, but we must never let the flame of memory be extinguished,” said March of the Living World Chair, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman. 

He continued, “We moved our activities to the virtual space and in this way, we have ensured that Auschwitz-Birkenau is not abandoned on this important day. Thousands of virtual plaques have been uploaded during the past week and many will be screened at Birkenau, sending a strong and clear message – Never Again.”

“This is a Holocaust Memorial Day unlike any other. Yet, its message is more relevant than ever. Remembering and educating about the unparalleled tragedy that is the Holocaust is absolutely vital if we are to eradicate antisemitism, racism and intolerance,” commented March of the Living President, Phyllis Greenberg Heideman. She continued, “I am delighted that The ‘NeverMeansNever’ campaign has given so many people across the world the opportunity to not only honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust but to express their determination to build a better future.”

“Our mission and our commitment to those who perished and to the survivors, is to remember, to tell their story and to educate about everything that happened,” said Deputy Chair, International March of the Living, Aharon Tamir. He continued, “While we cannot be there physically, where such tragedy took place, we are there entirely in both mind and spirit. The fact that the number of people who have uploaded virtual plaques is similar to those who would have been marching, is a source of real gratitude and excitement.”

March of the Living is the largest annual international experiental Holocaust education program in the world and has taken place in Poland without interruption since its inception in 1988. Each year thousands of participants from 150 communities around the globe participate in The March, including survivors, students, adults, liberators and educators from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Hungary, France, Australia and Poland. To date, more than 260,000 March of the Living participants have walked the 3.2 kilometers from Auschwitz to Birkenau in tribute to the greatest loss in the history of the Jewish people and all humanity.