Dear Friend, Welcome to the April newsletter. Pesach (Passover) is fast approaching and so is the start of this year's March of the Living program.
Every year, as we sit with family and friends at our Passover Seder tables, we tell the story of the enslavement of our ancestors in Egypt and how they were freed. Every year we read the story from the Hagaddah and we are reminded over and over of the commandment: "And you shall tell your child on that day as follows: 'Because of this, HaShem did for me, when he took me out of Egypt.'" (Shemot/Exodus 13:8). We must draw parallels between the commandment of "VeHigadeta" (and you shall tell) and us telling the story of the Holocaust - we must never forget. Tell the story over and over so it shall never recur.
Pesach is also known as "Zman Cheruteinu" - the time of our freedom. We must not take our freedom or that of others' for granted. Always retell our story. Always remember.
I would like to wish all our Jewish readers Chag Sameach, our Christian readers a Happy Easter and our Muslim readers - Ramadan Mubarak! May this festive season be one of freedom and peace for all. |
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In this edition (if viewing this on a desktop, click on each heading to skip to that section): |
An update on our 2023 MOTL Program
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With the program starting in Krakow, Poland on 17th April, time is fast approaching for our departure and the excitement is palpable. The following article appeared recently in the Australian Jewish News:
Three high-profile Australian identities will embark on March of the Living (MOTL), the 2023 program marking 80 years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the 75th anniversary of Israel's independence.
With 50 Australians due to participate on MOTL for the first time in four years, the delegation will include Olympic champion swimmer and LGBTQI+ activist Ian Thorpe, investigative journalist Nick McKenzie and Pymble Ladies' College Principal Dr Kate Hadwen.
The powerful fortnight-long journey to Poland and Israel – the 35th iteration of the program, which brings together about 10,000 participants from around the world - is predicated on Holocaust education and memorialisation and designed to combat bigotry in general and antisemitism in particular.
The involvement of the three thought-leaders signals a significant strategic shift by MOTL Australia, its new direction opening the program to a more diverse group of participants and including a strong focus on young adults – a departure from the historic concentration on Year 11 students. A major fundraising campaign was undertaken to support their participation.
MOTL President Cedric Geffen will lead the Australian delegation for the eighth time alongside newly-appointed Young-Adult cohort leader Dean Levitan.
Adding to the diversity of this year's contingent will be the participation of an Australian Muslim woman who will feature in a thought- provoking documentary about her experiences on the journey, to be filmed in real time and produced by previous MOTL participant Adam Dostalek and videographer Calum Stewart.
A member of the Muslim community, Hala Sbat, 39, will be the central character in "Beyond the Divide" - a compelling documentary focusing on racism, discrimination and bigotry. Through her unique lens, viewers will be there as she confronts the reality of the genocide of the Jewish people while grappling with her personal experiences of prejudice and the complexities of interfaith dialogue. The film will also examine current issues of xenophobia, Islamophobia and antisemitism and how they affect communities worldwide.
Saying he was pleased to welcome Thorpe, McKenzie and Dr Hadwen to MOTL, Geffen said: "Coming at a time when antisemitism is on the rise both globally and locally, the participation of these high-profile identities will have a powerful exponential impact, both in conveying the enormity of the Holocaust and educating the broader Australian community about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination. There won't be a newsletter in May due to our travels however please join us on our journey by following us vicariously through our social media.
The actual March and ceremony on Yom Hashoah from Auschwitz Birkenau (Tuesday 18 April) will be livestreamed as will the March to the Kotel on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Wednesday 26 April). Details of how to connect will appear on our Social Media platforms. |
Photo highlights from our 2019 trip
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Why attend the 2023 program? What some of our participants are saying |
Read Toni Waters motivation for attending the program this year and the promise she made to Holocaust survivor, George Ginzburg:
It has always been my lifelong desire to visit Israel, Yad Vashem and as many sacred sites of the Holocaust as possible. Forty three years ago, I read a book as a nine year old on the Holocaust, Judith Kerr's "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit". This had a big impact on my life. Ever since this time I have had a life long desire to ensure that I pay my respect to all those and their families whose lives were inhumanely and unfairly taken away from them, most way too early. It is my wish to ensure that no one ever forgets the evil that happened to so many innocent people.
As a teacher and a Christian I believe that I must do everything in my power to ensure that all the stories of the Holocaust are told to future generations in order to educate, challenge and to ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again. For the past thirty three years this has been one of the main messages of my teaching career. I have travelled the world in search of meaning, to give witness and to remember and most importantly to pay my respect to all by visiting many sacred sites. I have read widely, attended PD, taught whole school units of work and many classes about the Holocaust. In 2010, I was fortunate enough to meet and work with a number of survivors from the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, in particular George Ginzburg who came up to Queensland and worked with myself and our whole P-12 school on "If not in 2010 then when project?"
During this time, George, developed a wonderful life long friendship with my family and I. From this time on, we made lots of fun memories together. Sadly we lost George a couple of years ago. However, I made an important promise to George when he was alive, and that was that one day I would do the March of the Living in honour of him and his father Mark Ginsburg who was murdered at Auschwitz. The time has come to make this promise a reality. It is time to walk in their shoes and pay my respects to these two incredible men and all who suffered at the hands of the Nazis and their perpetrators! This is the main reason I am doing the March of the Living. It is also to honour and pay my respects to all, particularly the Ginzburg family and the righteous, walk in solidarity with others, continue to educate and challenge the future generation and to ensure that Nothing like this can ever happen again . I feel so honoured, and privileged to be joining you all!
Read some of our other participants responses here |
Toni Waters with George Ginzburg |
Would you like to join the program in 2024? |
If you are interested in joining the program in 2024 - we are already accepting Expressions of Interest for our 2024 programs so click on the button below if you would like to be added to our mailing list and to receive details about our 2024 program. |
Jewish Studies in Contemporary Poland - Sunday 16 April at 7.00pm |
March of the Living is proud to support this important discussion with Professor Marcin Wodziński and Dr. Daniel Heller about the present and future state of Jewish Studies in Poland,
Poland, universities are increasingly offering Jewish Studies programs. What draws Polish students and researchers to studying Jewish history and culture? What role might Jewish Studies play in contemporary Polish civil society? And what is the future of Jewish Studies in Poland? Join this lively discussion between Professor Marcin Wodziński, Chair of the Department of Jewish Studies at Wrocław University, and Dr. Daniel Kupfert Heller, Kronhill Senior Lecturer in East European Jewish History. |
Driftwood The Musical - an epic story of love, courage, survival...and foldable umbrellas
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March of the Living is proud to promote this original production which is true to our core of telling stories related to the Holocaust.
Driftwood The Musical tells the inspirational story of the renowned Austrian/Australian sculptor Karl Duldig and his artist/inventor wife, Slawa Horowitz-Duldig. We follow their lives in pre-war Vienna, Slawa's ingenious invention of the foldable umbrella, and an incredible chain of events: miraculously escaping the Holocaust and rebuilding their careers as artists in Melbourne. A magical story of art and creativity, survival and perseverance, family, freedom and love.
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Making, Playing and Picturing Chess in the Theresienstadt Ghetto - with Galina Lochekhina
Online Event - Sunday 12 March
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On Sunday 12 March we welcomed Galina Lochekhina, a Cultural Heritage and Holocaust researcher, an alumna of the graduate school at Jagiellonian University in Krakow and the Weiss - Livnat International MA Program in Holocaust Studies at Haifa University.
Galina discussed what it meant for people under the most inhumane conditions to make chess sets; what the cost of making such objects was; and what people were willing to give up to stay in the game. The talk examined a wide range of objects made in Ghetto Theresienstadt. It illuminated the creative responses of people in extreme situations, depicting emotions and life under persecution. |
JCCV Yom Hashoah Commemoration - 17 April 2023 |
The JCCV's annual community Yom Hashoah Commemoration will be held for the first time at Glen Eira Town Hall Auditorium, in the heart of our Jewish community. Our Jewish community is invited to gather to remember those murdered in the Shoah.The commemoration will feature our Jewish school students, youth movement leaders, Yiddish-language performers, and most importantly, Holocaust survivors and their families.
Please note: there is no allocated seating so please arrive early if you would like to sit alongside family members or friends. This venue is fully accessible. |
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust remembrance event - 16 April 2023 |
The annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust remembrance events hosted by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies will take place on Sunday 16 April.
The theme for this year's communal commemoration is "Heroism in the Holocaust", with keynote speaker Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's Ark, which was adapted into the film Schindler's List. As the very person who told the world of Oskar Schindler's heroism, Keneally will share his remarkable story behind revealing Schindler's story, and his thoughts on the impact of Schindler's Ark and Schindler's List on Holocaust remembrance worldwide.
The commemoration will mark 80 years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, featuring representatives from Jewish youth movements, and a tribute to partisan fighters will include the Sydney Jewish Choral Society singing the Partisan Song. There will also be a moving segment honouring the life and experiences of beloved Holocaust survivor, Yvonne Engelman. |
Livestream of Yom Hazikaron Ceremony at Mount Herzl |
Mount Herzl is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities. It is named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb (above) lies at the top of the hill. Israel's war dead are also buried there. Every plot section in Mount Herzl has a broad plaza for memorial services. Most state memorial ceremonies for those killed in war are conducted in the National Military and Police cemetery. Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut 2023 events will take place between April 25-26. Click here for information |
Sydney communal Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut events - 24 & 26 April 2023 (Click on image for link) |
Melbourne communal Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut events - 24 & 26 April 2023 |
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Life-Saving Heroes Wanted |
Gift of Life Australia is urgently testing to find a stem cell match for Murray Foltyn, a 41 year old father of 2. If you are between the ages of 18-35 with Jewish parents / grandparents from Iford, UK, Czech, Slovakia or Russia please consider coming forward to test. Sydney: Wolper Jewish Hospital on 2 March otherwise book directly with the Australian Red Cross to donate blood and ask to be registered with ABMDR. |
Here is a selection of recent articles and videos from around the world, many of which we have shared across our social media over the past few weeks: |
Become a Member of the Association of March of the Living Australia in 2023
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We greatly encourage all friends and supporters of March of the Living to play an active role in improving and influencing March of the Living Australia, its work, outreach, engagement and programs by becoming a paid MEMBER of the Association for 2023. In doing so, you will have a voice and influence across the organisation.
The annual membership fee is $18. If you would like to apply to become a member of March of the Living Australia Inc, click on this link to download the application form.
Please fill in your details on the form and get two (2) current Members of March of the Living Australia Inc. to support your membership application. If you do not know any other association Members, please email your completed Membership Form (without endorsement) to the Secretary - Shirley Atlas - at shirley@motl.com.au, and she will be in touch thereafter with regard to endorsement. Please note that Membership is not automatic and that all applications for membership need to be approved by the Committee of Management.
We greatly look forward to hearing from you, and to hopefully having you join us as a Member of the Association in 2023! |
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via the bottom of the Homepage on our website - www.motl.com.au |
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