The 37th March of the Living took place today (April 24) in Poland, marking Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025 with a symbolic march between the Auschwitz and Birkenau extermination camps. This year’s event also commemorated 80 years since the liberation of the camps and the end of World War II.
For the first time, the March of the Living Award was presented to individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to Holocaust remembrance and the strengthening of national resilience. Among the honorees was Ifat Ovadia-Luski, Chairwoman of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), in recognition of her leadership and the organization’s ongoing commitment to preserving memory and building a secure future. She was honored alongside Iris and Haim Taib, Co-Chairs of the Menomadin Foundation, and representatives of Israel’s high-tech sector.
The official ceremony included the lighting of six memorial torches by Holocaust survivors, IDF soldiers, and families of hostages—both those still in captivity and those who have returned. One of the most moving moments was a tribute to the late Yosef Wiener, a Holocaust survivor from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, who lived through the October 7 attacks in which two of his grandchildren were murdered. He passed away in December at the age of 98.
President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog led the Israeli delegation, walking side by side with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Their presence emphasized the role of the Allied forces in liberating the camps, represented at the ceremony by Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, great-grandson of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Photograph: Alex Kolomoisky, KKL-JNF Photo Archive
Among the marchers were 40 Holocaust survivors, aged 80 to 97—some who had survived the camps, others who had been hidden, and some who were rescued by the Righteous Among the Nations. They were joined by survivors of the October 7th attacks, attending as part of a special delegation organized by the Menomadin Foundation. Also present were World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel and representatives of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Each year, a delegation from KKL-JNF participates in the march. The organization sees deep significance in the connection between Holocaust remembrance and the ongoing struggle for the existence and security of the State of Israel.
Marching alongside Chairwoman Ovadia-Luski were Co-Chairman Yitzhak Vaknin, Deputy CEO and Legal Advisor Shimi Baron, Education and Community Division Director Sar Shalom-Gerbi, and Yuval Yenni, CFO, CDO, and Acting Head of the Resource Development and External Affairs Division—along with board members and senior staff.
The march concluded with a moving ceremony at Birkenau, featuring a performance by Daniel Weiss, a musician from Kibbutz Be’eri who lost both parents on October 7th. He performed alongside Agam Berger, a recently released hostage, who played a 130-year-old violin that survived the Holocaust.
Ifat Ovadia-Luski, Chairwoman of KKL-JNF, said: "On our path from the shadows of the Holocaust to the light of national revival, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund serves as a vital bridge between the past and future. Here, in a place that bore witness to the greatest atrocities, stands a proud and sovereign nation.
For over 120 years, KKL-JNF has fulfilled the vision of building the Land of Israel and continues to stand as a symbol of life’s triumph over death, and of creation over destruction. With every tree we plant, every forest we cultivate, and every water source we develop, we fulfill our promise to the six million: not only to remember, but also to build and to flourish.
As we march today in the March of the Living, we carry with us the legacy of those who perished—and at the same time, we pledge to continue building a thriving, green country.
KKL-JNF stands at the forefront of the fight for a hopeful future in the State of Israel, just as it stood by the Jewish people in their darkest hours. The March of the Living is not only an act of remembrance—it is a commitment to a future where every blossoming patch of land stands as a living testimony to our victory."