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Alumni Spotlight: Sabrina Naimark (’09, ’19), Panama
Sabrina Naimark (Panama ’09, Staff ’19), Founder and CEO, ImpactaThis week we are proud to feature Sabrina Naimark (Panama '09, '19), alumna from March of the Living Panama, whose experience on the March of the Living inspired her to found a company, Impacta, whose goal is to foster social impact to create a better world. As a young and passionate member of the Panamanian Jewish Community, I have always carried around the feeling of being a proud Jew. I strongly believe that our culture and traditions bring happiness to our lives. With this in mind, I had one mission when I was 17 years old – to commemorate Iom Hashoa in Poland and Iom Haatzmaut in Israel by attending the March of the Living. After having the opportunity to attend as a janija (student) in 2009 and again as a madrija (staff) in 2019, I can definitely confirm that no books can teach you nor make your heart ache the same way as if you were there personally. Walking through the concentration camps in Poland, with more than 8,000 people from all over the world is a moment that I will never forget. That experience taught me the true meaning and value of the word unity. We were such a diverse group of people, from different cultures and traditions, coming from countries all around the world, standing together for the same purpose – declaring NEVER AGAIN. The March of the Living inspired me to bring that sense of unity back home. I experienced the power of bringing people together for the greater good on the March of the Living – and sought to create a similar experience, making an impact in communities that need us the most back in Panama. I founded the social impact company Impacta. We create social impact projects with the main goal of bringing people together to help others in need, by creating a strong and powerful impact in our society. I identify communities in need, create projects from the ground up, and connect them with volunteers and companies that want to make a difference. The power of unity will help us all create a better world.
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Let There Be Light: 2020 Kristallnacht Commemoration
In honor of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass, on November 9th, 2020, the International March of the Living aired our 2020 Kristallnacht Commemoration…
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Let there be Light Gallery of Houses of Worship & Institutions (2020)
Thank you to all of the Houses of Worship and institutions around the world who participated in our “Let there be Light” Kristallnacht commemoration campaign to fight anti-Semitism, racism,…
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Let there be Light Projections in Jerusalem & the UK (2020)
International March of the Living Kristallnacht Commemoration projected on the Old City Walls of Jerusalem and Coventry Cathedral in the UK Help us send the message to the world, help…
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The Hampton Synagogue Kristallnacht Commemoration (2020)
On the eve of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass – International March of the Living World Chairman and CEO, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, participated…
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Presidents of Germany, Austria, and Israel say LET THERE BE LIGHT (2020)
“Eighty-two years, and the dark shadows of the past have not disappeared from our streets.” The Presidents of Germany, Austria, and Israel stand together in a joint call against…
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Alumni Spotlight: Joana Kirsch (’19), Costa Rica
Joana Kirsch (Costa Rica ’19), EducatorThis week we are proud to feature Joana Kirsch (’19), alumna from the Costa Rican Adult delegation, whose experience on the March of the Living inspired her to pursue a career in early childhood education, where she helps instill a love for the Jewish people and Jewish heritage among her students on a daily basis. I traveled with the March of the Living Costa Rican Adult Delegation in 2019. I experienced the March of the Living as a married woman, and as a mom of three, making this journey vastly unique. For many years prior to the trip, I had wrongly believed that traveling to the concentration camps was superfluous since I had already attended a Jewish day school and had learned about the Holocaust in depth. Boy was I wrong! Being in Poland was entirely different than learning about the Holocaust through books and movies. By visiting the different shtetls, synagogues and camps and learning from our extremely knowledgeable guide about all facets of WWII, I was moved to heights that I never believed possible. Even prior to the trip, I was active in my Jewish community by volunteering for WIZO and for my children’s Jewish day school, Scheck Hillel Community School, in my current home state of Florida, but this trip strengthened my resolve to do so even further. Upon my return, I was offered a position as an early childhood educator at the aforementioned Jewish school, and I knew instantly that this was how I could do my small part in ensuring Jewish continuity. Daily as a teacher, I think about the struggles that the people who endured the Holocaust navigated in order to guarantee the survival of the Jewish nation. This motivates me to instill in my students a love for their people and their heritage even at their young age. Overall, I value life so much more now than I did before the March of the Living, and I am especially grateful for the freedom of religion and speech that we enjoy today.
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Telling the Story through Art: Holocaust Art as a Primary Source
In our continuing webinar series, the International March of the Living hosted a lecture October 29, 2020 with Holocaust Educator Liz Elsby. Focusing on individual artworks, Elsby demonstrated how exploring the artistic aspects of each painting, together with the context in which they were created and the questions they raise, combine to deepen our understanding of the Holocaust as a human event.(Click on the video player below to watch the full program) Liz Elsby made Aliya from the United States in 1984 and has worked for Yad Vashem as a Holocaust educator and museum guide since 2006. She guides educational groups in Poland, Prague, Terezin and Berlin for various organizations including March of the Living, as well as teaches about the Holocaust to teachers in the United States through Yad Vashem and Echoes and Reflections. When Liz is not guiding or teaching, she continues her own learning. She traveled to Vilna to enrich her knowledge of both pre-war and present-day Jewish Life. In 2016, she participated in a five-day course to become an accredited guide in the Polin Museum in Warsaw.Liz is also an illustrator and children’s book author. She is currently illustrating both a children’s book she wrote about pre-war Krakow, and a book of the poems of the child poet, Hanus Hachenberg, which he wrote while imprisoned in Terezin.To view and download the list of artwork featured in Liz’s presentation, please click here.
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Alumni Spotlight: Robin Ashleigh (’15-‘19), United Kingdom
Robin Ashleigh (United Kingdom ’15-‘19 ), Marcher, Leader, EducatorThis week we are proud to feature Robin Ashleigh, an alumnus from March of the Living UK. Since first attending the program in 2015, Robin has made the March of the Living a priority, returning as bus leader and soon, as lead educator. My journey with MOTL UK began when I participated on the programme as a young adult in 2015. Even though I had grown up very involved in the Jewish community, I had never been to Poland and, until this point, I had never prioritised my own learning about the Holocaust in any great depth. The week I spent in Poland had a profound and lasting effect on me. My educator helped me to appreciate the rich Jewish history that existed before the Holocaust. At the sites of the Jewish ghettos and Nazi death camps, the expertly prepared programme, and the opportunity to memorialise and reflect, deepened my understanding of such a dark chapter of history. The survivors I met taught me so much about the events of the past and, more importantly, I was inspired by their positive outlook and message of responsibility for the future. This message has stayed with me, and has motivated me to further my own knowledge so I can educate others. After my first MOTL experience in 2015, I knew there was so much more I wanted to learn, and so much more I could contribute, so I started volunteering my time. I got involved in events to fundraise and recruit participants for the programme, and since then the March of the Living has become a much bigger part of my life. I have returned to volunteer as a Bus Leader, and on the next March will serve as a lead guide and educator. Making this important experience happen for so many other participants has been a very worthwhile and rewarding journey. I’ve been lucky to learn from so many great educators over the years, so I decided that training as an educator was the logical next step for me so that I can really give back, and hopefully start others off on a similar journey to my own. This is a huge responsibility, but it is also an honour that was made possible by my initial MOTL experience, and the subsequent investment in me, without which my development as an educator would have been impossible. Now, I hope to help many more Jewish people connect with their own heritage, and live out their lives in a way that is faithful to their Jewish values. As Elie Wiesel says, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness”. MOTL has made this possible for me, and for thousands of others who have participated and will participate in the life-changing programme.
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