September 26, 2011

Dear March of the Living Leaders and Friends,

As we usher in the Jewish New Year of 5772, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the March of the Living, as we plan the commemoration of our twenty-fifth year of historic programs to Poland and Israel.

March of the Living is recognized globally for its impact in strengthening commitment to the Jewish State, the Jewish people, Jewish values, and Aliyah, in ways like no other program in the world can accomplish.

The powerful combination of celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut in Jerusalem shortly after visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau on Yom Ha'shoah has proven to be an exceptional catalyst for inspiring and motivating our young adult population to become agents for change in their communities and on their campuses. Amidst the ruins of Auschwitz-Birkenau, with our focus, all the while, on Jerusalem, our innovative and life-changing educational program serves to create a more tolerant and peaceful world through remembrance, pride and hope for a better tomorrow.

Since our first program in 1988, over 150,000 people have participated in the March of the Living. Representatives of over 40 nations and a diversity of ethnicities, cultures and faiths, count themselves as alumni of the program. This year, we attracted almost 9,000 participants from around the world. We are thankful and
deeply appreciative of your continued commitment and immense dedication to the program. Without your involvement, our extraordinary and legendary record of accomplishments could not have materialized.

We, however, do not have time to bask in our successes. We are already well into the planning stage of the 2012 program. The 2012 program begins on April 15 with Yom Ha'shoah to be commemorated on April 19.

I am excited and pleased to announce that the 2012 March of the Living is dedicated to survivors and their liberators. Once the survivors and their liberators are no longer among us, Holocaust denial will become a growing industry. Liberators are the most relevant and credible witnesses. They have no agenda, and they come from very diverse backgrounds. In a moving display of solidarity and recognition, March participants will gather together to pay tribute to the six million innocent victims who perished, to honor those who survived, and to give thanks to those who liberated Europe from the hands of Nazi tyranny.

On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International March of the Living, on Yom Ha’shoah, more than 10,000 people from around the world - young and old, Jewish and non-Jewish, survivors and liberators - will march together from Auschwitz to Birkenau to affirm our common goal - creating a society free of hatred and bigotry. As the end of World War II and the Holocaust recede into the past, the need to remember is critical. With anti-Semitism on the rise throughout Europe and the threat of terrorism as part of our daily lives, the lessons of the Holocaust are more important today than ever before. March of the Living uses the spirit of survival and hope to teach the lessons of history and provide young people with an experience that will forever change how they look at their lives.

We are preparing a comprehensive strategic plan for the next five years with the goal of developing resources that will enable us to expand the participation of young adults in the March of the Living program. Given the demographics of the survivor community, it is essential that we commit ourselves to expanding our enrollment while survivors can still accompany us, as we all appreciate the irreplaceable impact the survivors have on the March of the Living participants. When our students "listen to a witness, they become a witness" and are superbly equipped to carry the message forward to future generations on behalf of the heroic survivors. With this in mind, it is imperative that we develop new communities to participate in the March and that those already involved generate resources so that no student is ever denied this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Within the context of our master plan, and with many of our alumni now of the age where they can play a meaningful role in the growth and expansion of the March of the Living, I am pleased to announce the establishment of an International Young Leadership Board. The board is in formation and you will be receiving material concerning its entity in the near future.

We are very proud of our accomplishments, but humbly recognize that they are indeed only possible because of the great work of our dedicated and talented partners around the world. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends a sweet new year. May you and your families go forth into a new year full of health, happiness, peace and prosperity.

SHANA TOVA U'METUKA.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shmuel Rosenman
Chairman, March of the Living International