Thousands take part in March of the Living

photo - PAP/Andrzej Grygiel

The march went from the brick barracks of the former Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz to the crematoria of Birkenau.

They were joined by a large group of Poles.

In line with a long-standing tradition, the participants were led by Holocaust survivors.

The march started with the wail of the Jewish ram’s horn, the ‘shofar’, which symbolises freedom and ended with the Kaddish, one of the most important prayers in the Jewish liturgy, the funeral prayer El male rachamim and the Israeli national anthem.

Six large-size flames were placed in Birkenau, symbolizing the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

The participants included the chief Rabbi of Israel Meir Lau. Israeli police chief Yohanan Danino as well as a group of blind visitors from Israel with their guide dogs.

The March of the Living was launched in 1988 and is primarily an educational project coinciding with the Holocaust Memorial Day.

In 2005, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the event attracted 20, 000 people and official delegations from almost fifty countries.

Prominent politicians who have taken part in the March of the Living include Polish and Israeli Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Over 1.1 million people perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau, mostly European Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet POWs and representatives of other nationalities. (mk/pg)