Overview
- The annual March of the Living drew thousands along the three-kilometer route from the former Auschwitz camp to Birkenau to honor the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis.
- Roughly 50 Holocaust survivors took part, with some flying in from Israel despite travel hurdles tied to airspace restrictions reported in connection with the Iran war.
- Organizers said antisemitism has risen sharply since October 7 and warned about the growing normalization of hate.
- Young participants stressed the need to record eyewitness accounts as survivors become fewer, including groups brought by employers like Volkswagen with the International Auschwitz Committee.
- One guest, Hannah Abesidon from Sydney, recalled her father being killed in a December attack at a Chanukah event, linking remembrance at Auschwitz to present-day violence against Jews.