Israeli delegations will not travel to Poland this year for the annual March of the Living, organizers said, citing security concerns and flight restrictions that make it impossible to depart safely from Ben Gurion Airport.
About 1,000 participants from Israel, including dozens of Holocaust survivors, were expected to take part in the march, held each year on Holocaust Remembrance Day between the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps. The event will proceed as planned without an official Israeli delegation.
The decision by the Israeli March of the Living organization followed assessments with airlines and relevant authorities, after exploring all possible alternatives. Organizers concluded that participants could not be transported safely under current conditions, particularly given limits on passenger numbers per flight and a sharp reduction in daily air traffic.
Around 60 Holocaust survivors from Israel, alongside 40 survivors from around the world, were expected to lead the march. Due to the risks involved in transporting elderly participants, many aged 85 to 100, during wartime conditions, organizers decided to cancel their participation. A similar decision was made during the COVID-19 pandemic, though in that case the march itself was not held.
Out of an expected 8,800 participants worldwide, about 1,000 were set to arrive from Israel for the April 14 march in Poland.
The Israeli delegation was to include a group of former hostages, an initiative backed by the Menomadin Foundation and its founder, Haim Taib, as well as representatives from the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization. Hundreds of employees from Israel’s high-tech sector were also expected to participate, along with representatives from 26 companies and venture funds supporting the participation of Holocaust survivors and their families. A delegation of content creators was also planned.
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About 1,000 were set to arrive from Israel for the April 14 march in Poland
(Photo: AP/Czarek Sokolowski)
Organizers said the march will go ahead with about 6,500 participants from around the world, who will gather to pray for the safety of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Revital Yakin Krakovsky, CEO of March of the Living Israel, said the decision was made “with a heavy but resolute heart.”
“The security situation and Israel’s policies regarding opening and closing its airspace do not currently allow for safe travel,” she said. “The Israeli delegation will return next year with pride and rejoin tens of thousands from around the world to carry the torch of remembrance forward. We will continue to march, continue to remember, and do so with even greater determination.”
Micha Kaufman, founder and CEO of Fiverr, whose company has supported participation in the march, said the commitment to Holocaust survivors remains unchanged.
“As the number of survivors declines, our responsibility only grows stronger,” he said. “We are already looking ahead to next year to continue expanding this important effort, to preserve memory and honor the survivors.”
The March of the Living is one of the main events marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. Each year, thousands of participants, including Jewish and non-Jewish youth, Holocaust survivors, heads of state, ministers, religious leaders and cultural figures, walk the route between Auschwitz and Birkenau as a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
To date, more than 300,000 people have taken part in the march. For many participants, particularly young people in educational programs, the event is part of a broader journey that concludes with celebrations marking Israel’s Independence Day in Jerusalem.