Marching

As we entered Auschwitz we were greeted by a sea of blue rain coats and Israeli flags. On Yom HaShoah thousands of Jews gathered to remember the six million that tragically died in the Holocaust. As I looked around I couldn’t help but to feel proud. I felt proud to be Jewish, to be surrounded by my fellow Jews, and that we survived and were able to return to the camp to celebrate life. We watched as Jews from Panama, the United States, Japan, Israel, and the Israeli Defense Force all began to march. Teenagers, adults, and survivors all joined together as we walked from Auschwitz 1 to Birkenau. It felt incredible to walk and schmooze with Jews from around the world as Polish supporters eagerly waved from the sidewalks. When we arrived at Birkenau, the ceremony was just beginning. During the ceremony several people made speeches all agreeing to never again let anything happen, as well as a choir sang several songs. The ceremony ended with several Holocaust survivors leading the Mourner’s Kaddish and then the whole program joined together in the singing of Hatikvah.

In typical Jewish fashion, everyone was talking throughout the whole program, but when Hatikvah began everyone joined together in song. It was so powerful to have 10,000 Jews join together in the national anthem of Israel and to show their pride. We joined together in a place where horrible deaths and torture occurred all those years ago, and were able to stand tall and celebrate.
- Abby Kreines and Daniel Allen