Alumni Spotlight: Josh Ahdoot (’09), Los Angeles, USA

Josh Ahdoot (BJE Los Angeles ’09), EntrepreneurThis week we are proud to feature Josh Ahdoot (’09), alumnus from BJE Los Angeles, who, inspired by his March of the Living experience, strives to create safe spaces for inter-community dialogue. Gas chambers, mass grave sites, bloody dolls and a toddler’s abandoned shoe are just some of the many things that changed my perspective on life forever. It’s been over ten years since I had the privilege of going on the March of The Living, but the memories engraved in my mind make it seem as if it was just yesterday. I will never forget the survivors I met and the concentration camps I visited. I would never have thought that such a cruel part and place in Jewish history would be the place that made me most proud to be a Jew. With each passing day on the trip, my appreciation for my Jewish heritage began to grow at an exponential rate. The more I learned and saw, the more I vowed to forever fulfil my duty as a Jew and NEVER FORGET. I promised myself that I’d always stand up for the Jewish People whenever I had the chance and do whatever was in my power to create change. As a proud Jew and Zionist, I’ve always looked for ways to take what I learned from my March of the Living experience and apply it towards helping my religion and the State of Israel. When a recent controversy over an anti-Semitic social media post made by the football wide receiver, DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles, and a follow-up remark by former NBA Basketball player Stephen Jackson became public, I decided that I could not stand idly by. Since I know that every race and religion have their own form of struggle, I wanted to do something to provide an opportunity for dialogue between the Jewish community and the Black community to discover what unites us rather than divides us.   I contacted my childhood Rabbi, David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, and Stephen Jackson, the former NBA basketball player, and put together an Instagram Live conversation between them, so that we could all listen and learn. Rabbi Wolpe and Stephen Jackson had an honest and candid discussion that has hopefully opened the doors to further tolerance, mutual respect and understanding.I am proud to share that over 10,000 people to date have watched this video and become more educated and, hopefully, more tolerant, because of it.

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Alumni Spotlight: Brian Frojmowicz (’18), Argentina

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA LEER EN ESPAÑOL Brian Frojmowicz, Argentina ’18 (Martin Buber School), Student Activist This week we are proud to feature Brian Frojmowicz (’18), alumnus from Marcha de la Vida Argentina, Martin Buber School. Inspired by his experience on March of the Living, in which he was followed by public television documenting his journey, Brian went back to make a difference in his community. I participated on the March of the Living in 2018 with the Martin Buber School as part of Marcha de la Vida Argentina. My Bobe and Zeide saved up money for many years so that I could have this experience. My March experience was unique in that during my journey, I was followed by public television, who were producing a documentary about the trip. The trip was incredible. The March experience reaffirmed my identity as a Jew and strengthened my belief in the importance of having the State of Israel as a safeguard for the Jewish people. The documentary came out several months after returning from Poland and is currently used mainly in non-Jewish schools to teach about the Shoah and the importance of Never Again. I have had the opportunity to speak several times in the Jewish community about my experience. Since participating on the March, I have devoted time to in-depth study on the Shoah, the historical and philosophical texts on Nazism and the “Auschwitz” phenomenon. After coming home I wanted to help bring the experience to even more people throughout Buenos Aires. I became a volunteer guide at the Holocaust Museum upon my return from the program. I am a member of the Students for Liberty, a youth organization whose main purpose is to provide education about liberty and democracy, and promote empowerment amongst youth. Most recently, last year, along with other alumni, we organized a parallel March in Buenos Aires, coinciding with the March in Auschwitz on Yom Hashoah. Hundreds of people and diplomatic representatives attended all pledging to never forget the victims of Nazi tyranny. Participating on the March has influenced me to spread its lessons, and the importance of Never Again, as much as I can in my home community. TRADUCCIÓN EN ESPAÑOL Brian Frojmowicz, Argentina ’18 (Escuela Martin Buber), activista estudiantilEsta semana estamos orgullosos de presentar a Brian Frojmowicz ('18), ex alumno de la Marcha de la Vida Argentina, Escuela Martin Buber. Inspirado por su experiencia en Marcha de la Vida, en la que fue seguido por la televisión pública que documenta su viaje, Brian regresó para marcar la diferencia en su comunidad. Participé en la Marcha por la Vida 2018 junto a la Escuela Martín Buber. Mi Bobe y Zeide ahorraron dinero por muchos años para que yo pudiera vivir esta experiencia. Fue una vivencia única. Durante el viaje, me acompañó la Televisión Pública Argentina, que estaba produciendo un documental sobre Marcha.  El viaje fue increíble. Definitvamente reafirmó mi identidad como judío y fortaleció mi convicción sobre la importancia de tener al Estado de Israel como salvaguarda para el pueblo judío. El documental fue estrenado algunos meses más tarde de mi regreso de Polonia y es usado en la actualidad principalmente en escuelas no judías, para enseñar sobre la Shoah y la importancia del “Nunca Más”. Tuve la oportunidad de hablar muchas veces en la comunidad judía sobre mi experiencia. Desde que participé en Marcha, he dedicado tiempo al estudio profundo sobre la Shoah, el contexto histórico y filosófico del surgimiento del nazismo y el fenómeno “Auschwitz”.  Yo quería ayudar a difundir la experiencia del viaje a cada vez más personas por todo Buenos Aires. Un tiempo después de volver del viaje tuvé la posibilidad de ser guia voluntario en el Museo del Holocausto. Soy miembro de Students for Liberty, una organización juvenil cuyo principal objetivo es promover los valores de la democracia y la libertad, empoderando a la juventud. Recientemente, el año pasado, junto a otros ex-marchistas organizamos una marcha paralela en Buenos Aires que coincidía con la que se estaba realizando en Polonia en Yom Hashoah. Cientos de personas y representantes diplomáticos estuvieron presentes con el compromiso de no olvidar a las víctimas de la tiranía nazi.  Participar en la marcha me influenció para difundir sus enseñanzas y la importancia del “Nunca Más” en toda mi comunidad local.

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Alumni Spotlight: Gábor Gordon (’03-‘20), Hungary

CLICK HERE TO READ IN HUNGARIAN Gábor Gordon (MOTL ’03-‘20), Founder, March of the Living HungaryThis week we are proud to feature Gábor Gordon (MOTL ’03-‘20), who was so inspired by his March experience that he founded the March of the Living organization in Hungary, Az Élet Menete. I am a born and raised Hungarian. I first attended the March of the Living in Poland in 2003. The program of The March of the Living become part of my life. The stories I heard from my grandparents and elderly relatives living in Israel consumed me from an early age, and I desperately tried to understand how such atrocities could happen to PEOPLE.  Inspired by that experience, and after understanding the core message of the March of the Living, myself and some friends decided then and there that everybody from Hungary should join, regardless of their religious affiliations. One year later, we formed our foundation and devised the program of the Budapest March of the Living. Modeling a similar event as the March of the Living in Poland, we march together calling for tolerance, co-existence and a cry against fascism in Budapest. The Budapest March of the Living is the largest event of its kind in all of Hungary. Every year tens of thousands of people take part, irrespective of their political commitment or religious denomination. We can proudly say that the March has become the largest antifascist and tolerance event in Hungary, as of today. Well known public players, artists, sportsmen, intellectuals and representatives of many different political parties all take part. We are quite proud of our progress and will continue to do everything we can to ensure that our educational program continues for many years to come, attracting more and more young people from the new generations. I believe you must talk about the Holocaust and about the mistakes and sins that led to it, because that is the only way to prevent it from happening again. Am Israel Haj! HUNGARIAN TRANSLATION Gordon Gábor (MOTL ’03-‘20), alapító, az Élet Menete MagyarországEzen a héten büszkék vagyunk Gordon Gábor (MOTL '03 -’20) bemutatására, akit márciusi tapasztalata inspirált, hogy megalapította az Élő Magyarország / Az Élet Menete. Magyarországon születtem és nevelkedtem. Az Élet Menetén 2003-ban vettem részt először Lengyelországban. Az Élet Menete programja életem részévé vált. A nagyszüleimtől és Izraelben élő rokonaimtól hallott történetek kiskoromtól kezdve emésztettek és kétségbeesetten próbáltam megérteni, hogyan történhettek ilyen szörnyűségek EMBEREKKEL. E tapasztalat lelkesített, s miután megértettem az Élet Menete lényegét, két barátommal együtt akkor és ott elhatároztuk, hogy Magyarországon a lehető legtöbb embernek csatlakoznia kellene a programhoz, tekintet nélkül vallási hovatartozására. Egy évvel később létrehoztuk az alapítványt és kialakítottuk a Budapesti Élet Menete programját is. Azóta a lengyelországi Élet Menetéhez hasonló eseményen, együtt vonulunk fel Budapest utcáin, hirdetve a toleranciát, az együttélést és a fasizmus elleni harcot. A Budapesti Élet Menete a legnagyobb ilyen jellegű esemény lett Magyarországon. Minden évben több tízezer ember vesz részt rajta függetlenül politikai nézeteitől vagy vallási hovatartozásától. Büszkén állíthatjuk, hogy a Menet mára a legnagyobb toleranciát hirdető antifasiszta eseménnyé vált Magyarországon. Ismert közéleti személyiségek, művészek, sportolók, értelmiségiek és sok különböző politikai part képviselői vesznek részt rajta. Hiszem, hogy beszélni kell a Holokausztról, a hibákról és bűnökről, amelyek odavezettek, mert csak így érhetjük el, hogy soha ne történhetjen meg ismét. Am Israel Haj!

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Alumni Spotlight: Dana Arschin Kraslow (’18), New York, USA

Dana Arschin Kraslow (MOTL ’18), Reporter, Fox 5 News New York, USAThis week we are proud to feature Dana Arschin, ’18 alumna from the Sinai Temple Young Adult group. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living, Dana, a reporter for Fox 5 News in New York, went on to document and produce three short films about her experience. She won an Emmy for her outstanding reporting. Come hear Dana interview Resistance star Jesse Eisenberg and director Jonathan Jakobowitz during our first live webinar event! For more information, click HERE. As the granddaughter of an Auschwitz survivor, I always felt it was my duty to keep my Poppy’s story alive and honor the memories of my ancestors who perished in the Holocaust. It was life-changing for me to walk in my Poppy’s footsteps as a March of the Living participant. For the first time, I came face-to-face with the horrors he endured for 2+ years in Auschwitz-Birkenau. That experience awakened me— giving me a new sense of responsibility to share Holocaust-related stories. My journey to Poland fueled my desire to document and produce three shorts films that later aired on Fox 5 in the New York/Tri-state area.  The first film, ‘The Forgotten Camps,’ focuses on some of the most notorious Nazi death camps that operated throughout Poland during WWII. The second film, ‘A Community Reborn,’ highlights the rebirth of Jewish life happening right now in Krakow, Poland. The third film, ‘March of the Living,’ follows thousands of MOTL participants as they walk from Auschwitz I to Auschwitz II (Birkenau) on Holocaust Remembrance Day. I am incredibly honored and humbled to have won an Emmy award for ‘The Forgotten Camps‘ and an Emmy nomination for ‘March of the Living.’ This recognition proves that there’s still an audience that wants to hear these stories and hopefully join our efforts in passing them along to future generations. Come hear Dana interview Resistance star Jesse Eisenberg and director Jonathan Jakobowitz during our first live webinar event! For more information, click HERE. REGISTER NOW

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Alumni Spotlight: Julia Sussman (’13 & ’17), Australia

Julia Sussman, Australia Youth ’13, Staff ’17, Founder, Youth HEARThis week we are proud to feature Julia Sussman (’13, Staff ’17), alumna from March of the Living Australia. Inspired by her experience on the March of the Living Julia went on to found and direct Youth HEAR (Holocaust Education and Remembrance), an organization dedicated to mitigating hate in society by connecting young Australians with the memory of the Holocaust. March of The Living taught me how to forgive while still fighting to never forget.When I was 16, in 2013, I was a participant on the March of The Living. I stood as a witness to the lives lost and vowed to honour the survivors. I was forced to sit with the darkness, accept the worst parts of history and channel my energy into actively learning how to wholeheartedly say never again.  These two weeks left me with so much drive and instilled a sense of power within me. The power of knowing that I was able to positively influence not only my own life, but the lives of those around me. This was the driving force that lead me to go on the student trip again in 2017, although this time I was there to open the eyes, minds and hearts of students who stood in my shoes just three years later.In the years since, I have gone on to be the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Youth HEAR (Holocaust Education And Remembrance), an organisation dedicated to mitigating hate in society by connecting young Australians with the memory of the Holocaust.  I, as does Youth HEAR, fundamentally believe it is pivotal to remember and commemorate the sorrows, loss and dehumanisation of the Holocaust while paying tribute and memorialising the deaths, terrors and trauma. March of The Living took it one step further, the program exposed me to the resilience and light that shone throughout the surviving community, even in the wake of one of the darkest points in human history. Youth HEAR endeavours to emphasise the resilience, rebirth and courage so many had, enabling us to be here today. By continuing to understand and learn about the complexity of this time period we can shed light on the agency we have in our own lives and become up-standers in society. In this way, we strive to learn the lessons of the past in the hope that we will truly be able to say ‘never again’.

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Alumni Spotlight: Kim Nates (’05, ’08, ’15-17), South Africa

Kim Nates ('05, '08, '15, '16 & '17), NGO Marketing Consultant, South AfricaThis week we are proud to feature Kim Nates, alumna from March of the Living South Africa and the International Adult Delegation. Inspired by her experiences with the March of the Living, Kim went on to work with the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre as a project manager for five years, and currently works as a project management and marketing consultant in the education, museum and NGO space. I first attended March of the Living in 2005, as a shy 16-year-old, the only delegate from a secular High School with very little connection to my Jewish identity. I was a third generation Holocaust survivor: my maternal grandfather, Moses Turner, and his brother had been saved by Oskar Schindler and his famous list. My mother, Tali Nates, was consumed by this history and a legacy of teaching others the importance of “never again”. My memories of that first trip centre around a feeling of connection: being able to connect for the first time with other Jews my age, being able to connect with my family’s story and, most importantly to me, with my mother’s passion and dedication for changing the world.Little did I know that I would re-connect with MOTL at several other critical milestones in my life.I next attended MOTL in 2008 as part of the adult delegation; my mother was then the tour leader and guide. I had just recovered from a cancer diagnosis and months of chemotherapy treatment; and this trip became my effort to reconnect with the world and find direction ahead of entering college, where I would soon study history and international relations. Then again in 2015, after completing my studies overseas, I joined MOTL as a Madrichah (staff member) for the incoming South African youth delegation. Now a mostly shy 26-year-old who had just moved back to South Africa, I was deeply lost and confused about my next steps as an adult. And what started out as a way to “keep busy” re-awakened both a personal and professional passion for Tikkun Olam and using the power of historical storytelling to teach empathy, compassion and inclusivity. MOTL began a new journey for me, and shaped my future. First, alongside my mother at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, which she founded. In addition to managing the various events and exhibitions at the Centre, I was also able to coordinate study tours to Germany, Poland, South Africa and Rwanda – sharing the power of experiential, hands-on learning with students and adults alike. Today I work as a project management consultant for NGOs, museums and educational institutions and continue to advocate for the importance of learning about the past to better shape our future.

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Alumni Spotlight: Sharon Zaga (’92) & Mily Cohen (’98), Mexico

We are proud to kickoff our new Alumni Spotlight series with Sharon Zaga (’92) and Mily Cohen (’98), alumnae from Marcha de la Vida Mexico. Sharon and Mily founded the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia (Museum of Memory and Tolerance) in Mexico City, where they currently hold the titles of President and Vice-President, respectfully. Open since 2010, where it has since greeted more than 4 million visitors, the museum’s mission is to disseminate the importance of tolerance, nonviolence and human rights and create awareness through historical memory, particularly from the Holocaust and other genocides. SHARON ZAGAPresident, Museum of Memory and Tolerance, Mexico City Delegation: MexicoYear: 1992 While I was 16 years old, I visited Auschwitz, for the first time, with March of the Living Mexico. My mind could not truly comprehend what it meant to be standing there in a killing factory – a place where so many humans were assassinated on a massive scale. It is incomprehensible for any mind, but especially for a 16-year-old girl. I never recovered from this.During my visit in the camps I remember walking toward the gas chambers, where I proceeded to throw myself to the ground and start digging dirt to collect in my pockets. Other people walking with me tried to stop me and help remove me from the place. Many years later I still ask myself what compelled me to do that. I believe I was trying to bring something tangible from the experience back home so as to ensure that I would never forget.Then and there I decided to take action and promised myself I would do something. That piece of dirt taught me that memory is diffuse, volatile, and forgetful. I became obsessed with ensuring that a crime of this magnitude would not be forgotten. Deep inside I knew that I wanted to do my part to make sure that history wouldn’t repeat itself.I spent the subsequent twenty years of my life in the development and creation of the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City. It represents not merely historical accounts, but promotes something bigger – the respect of all human dignity.A los 16 años visité Auschwitz el campo de exterminio nazi, simplemente mi mente no podía entender lo que es estar en una fábrica de muerte, un lugar donde masivamente se producía la muerte de seres humanos. Sinceramente es incomprensible para cualquier mente y mucho menos para una niña de 16 años, es algo de lo que uno nunca se repone. En los Campos me pasó una experiencia muy fuerte m, en algún momento estábamos caminando hacia las cámaras de gas y me tiré al piso y empecé a escarbar la tierra para guardarla en mis pantalones, mis compañeros me volteaban a ver extrañados de lo que me pasaba y recuerdo que me sacaron del lugar. ¿Muchos años después me he preguntado por qué hice eso? Quería llevarme algo de ahí, quería tener la seguridad de que nunca iba olvidar. Ahí tomé la decisión desde los 16 años que yo iba a dedicarme a esto, me prometí hacer algo. Ese pedazo de tierra me ha enseñado que la memoria es difusa, caprichosa, que todo tiende a olvidarse, estaba obsesionaba. ¿Cómo un crimen de esta magnitud se va olvidar? Decidí desde lo más profundo de mi ser que me dedicaría a evitar que la historia se olvide y se repita. He dedicado 20 años de mi vida en la creación y desarrollo del museo Memoria y Tolerancia, y no es un lugar de historia es una experiencia que promueve el más grande valor el respeto de la dignidad humana. MILY COHENVice President, Museum of Memory and Tolerance, Mexico City Delegation: Mexico Year: 1998 Since I was little, I’ve had a special and deep interest in the Shoah. In high school, I heard my first testimony from a survivor. I remember him saying that he was afraid of dying and that no one would continue to tell the story of the Holocaust. I left our meeting with the conviction that I would continue to tell the story. I didn’t know how, but the promise was already made. Years later at the age of 26, already married and a mother of two children, I went on the March of the Living, with the Mexican delegation. I never imagined that this trip was going to define my future life. Little by little, the atrocity, the inconceivable and the barbarism was revealed before my eyes. Despite everything we saw and heard, we could not even glimpse the dimension of what had happened there. Poland filled me with indignation yet Israel filled me with hope. Day by day the need to do something continued to grow within me; the trip transformed me into a different person entirely. Upon arriving home from the trip, I already had an idea brewing to create a museum about the Holocaust, other genocides, tolerance and the power of love. Immediately I got in touch with those who had organized the March and told them my idea and they informed me that another young woman, Sharon, had already started doing something similar. We met, talked for hours, and left shaking hands, sealing the promise to do everything possible to make the Museum a reality.Twelve years later the dream came true one day in October 2010. Today the Memory and Tolerance Museum has received more than 5 million visitors and has become a national and international benchmark for historical memory and human rights. The success is not only ours, it is also thanks to a committed team, to hundreds of donors who believed in the Museum and, of course, it is also a success of the March of the Living.Desde pequeña sentí un interés especial y profundo por la Shoa. En preparatoria escuche el primer testimonio de una sobreviviente. Recuerdo que había dicho que le daba miedo morir y que nadie siguiera contando la historia del Holocausto. Salí de la conferencia con la convicción de que yo seguiría contando la historia. No sabía cómo, pero la promesa ya estaba hecha. Años después a los 26 años, ya casada y siendo madre de dos niños, me fui a la Marcha de la Vida. Jamás imagine que este viaje iba a definir mi vida futura. Poco a poco se iba revelando ante mis ojos la atrocidad, lo inconcebible, la barbarie, y,a pesar de todo lo que veíamos y oíamos, ni siquiera podíamos vislumbrar la dimensión de lo que ahí sucedió. Polonia me llenó de indignación pero Israel me llenó de esperanza. Día con día crecía en mí la necesidad de hacer algo con lo que sentía, en tan solo una semana yo ya era otra persona. Al llegar de este viaje yo ya tenía la idea de lo que quería hacer, un museo que hablara del Holocausto, de otros genocidios, de la tolerancia y del poder del amor. Inmediatamente me puse en contacto con quienes habían organizado la Marcha y les comenté mi idea, ellos me dijeron que otra joven como yo ya había a empezado a hacer algo similar, ella era Sharon Zaga, a quién conocí en la sala de su casa dando una conferencia sobre la Shoa, al final de la conferencia me acerque a ella y le conté lo que quería hacer, platicamos durante horas, al final nos dimos la mano y sellamos la promesa de hacer hasta lo imposible para hacer realidad el Museo. Doce años después el sueño se hizo realidad un día de octubre del 2010. Hoy el Museo Memoria y Tolerancia ha recibido a más de 5 millones de visitantes y se ha convertido en un referente a nivel nacional e internacional sobre la memoria histórica y los Derechos Humanos. El éxito no es solo nuestro, es también gracias a un equipo comprometido, a cientos de donadores que creyeron y creen en el Museo y, también, por supuesto, es un éxito de la Marcha de la Vida.

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