Remembering the Holocaust: Israel's March of the Living

Teresa Neumann : Apr 9, 2013
Staff – Israel National News

"The Jewish people are still smaller than they were on the eve of the war. Even now, we have not restored what has been lost. But only three years after the war, we received this great miracle: the heights, the resurrection of the Jewish people—the State of Israel. It was established in contradiction to all chances and conventions—with want, suffering, poverty, and with much opposition." -President Shimon Peres

(Israel)—Holocaust Remembrance Day was commemorated worldwide and in Israel on April 6, with a host of events. From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, tens of thousands participated in a "March for the Living" to honor the survivors of Nazi extermination policies.

President Shimon Peres spoke to nearly 11,000 dignitaries, politicians and march attendants saying, "The Jewish people are still smaller than they were on the eve of the war. Even now, we have not restored what has been lost. But only three years after the war, we received this great miracle: the heights, the resurrection of the Jewish people—the State of Israel. It was established in contradiction to all chances and conventions—with want, suffering, poverty, and with much opposition."

One report from Israel National News also notes that dozens of Arab youths participated in a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony after traveling to Poland to visit various concentration camp sites.

Many of the youth were quoted as saying they were "harshly criticized in their home communities" for going to the camps, but that it helped them better understand how the Holocaust shaped modern Israel.

Other activities included ceremonies honoring those who aided Jews in escaping the Holocaust. And in a particularly poignant act of respect, on Monday, April 8, Israelis throughout the country stood still for one minute in honor of those whose lives were lost in Hitler's pogroms.

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