Survivor Helps Plan Holocaust Remembrance Trip to E. Europe & Israel

Adult March of the Living: A Holocaust Remembrance Journey to Poland, Lithuania & Israel                                                                                              Organizers Aim to Recruit Large New England Contingent

BOSTON, MASS. (Issued August 2013)  --  Irv Kempner of Sharon, Mass,, says “While many people have thought about ‘remembrance journeys’ to Poland and Lithuania, some  are accelerating their plans because they want to be accompanied by survivors so they can  hear first-hand accounts of the Holocaust years. Unfortunately, most survivors are now in their 80’s and 90’s.’ 

Kempner, son of Holocaust survivors, and octogenarian Sid Handler of Newton, a Vilna native and Holocaust survivor, are actively recruiting participants for the Friends of the March of the Living (FMOTL), trip to Poland, Lithuania and Israel, April 23 – May 7, 2014. Participants must be over 21.

Reservation deadline is October 1st.

Over the past 26 years, thousands of Jewish teenagers from 40 countries have gone on the March of the Living, an emotional journey to Eastern Europe and Israel that commemorates the Holocaust. Marchers visit the remnants of Jewish life including cemeteries, ghettos, mass graves and Nazi death camps. Then they travel to Israel, where they witness the rebirth of the Jewish Nation.

The Friends MOTL  group aims to raise $6 million to establish an endowment so all  teens who want to learn about the Holocaust first-hand will be able to do so in coming generations.

Kempner and Handler’s goal is to recruit enough people from New England to fill at least one bus with relatives and friends of survivors and others interested in Holocaust history.  The Friends of the MOTL trip coincides with the annual dramatic international program March of the Living which this year is expected to draw some 12,000 teens from across the globe. Since 1988, some 250,000 teens  have participated.

A past MOTL participant said, “Seeing the historic sites with my own eyes and hearing from survivors while at the camps had a profound impact on me. This trip helps you to better understand and comprehend the Holocaust. It leaves a lasting impression that lives with you from the moment you step foot onto a concentration camp. That impact inspired me to pursue a job in Jewish Communal Service.”

Irving Kempner, who has been on 5 MOTL trips and will serve as a docent in 2014, notes, "There is no path to our future without the map of our past.  Having the chance to travel back to Eastern Europe accompanied by a survivor is a rare opportunity. Through MOTL,  you can travel from the darkness of the death camps to the bright light of Israel on the same trip. The country of Israel is our precious legacy that was only a dream to those imprisoned during the Shoah."

"The mission of the Friends of the MOTL is to establish an endowment to ensure that no student is left behind who wishes to experience this unique educational program. People are realizing how important it is that we keep talking about this with our kids," says Kempner.

Mel Mann of Miami, administrator of the adult program for the Friends of the March of the Living, says, "The success of our people is influenced by our past, both good and bad. I have no doubt that the next great leader in our community will arise from experiencing this trip."

Reservation deadline is October 1st or until all spaces are filled. For those who cannot travel for the full two weeks, the Israel portion of the itinerary is optional. Each participant will be responsible for arranging their own airfare. For more information, contact Mel Mann: (305) 378-0254 or  melmann54@aol.com.

The Friends of The March of the Living will hold an informational Parlor Meeting on Monday evening, August 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Kehillah Schechter Academy in Norwood. Among guest speakers will be Mann, Kempner, and Boston City Councilor Michael Ross, all sons of survivors, and Sid Handler (a survivor). Also, survivor Israel ‘Izzy’ Arbeiter will give a tour of the Gallery of Understanding named in his honor at the school.  To reserve a seat at the August 19 Parlor Meeting, email https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i0mCYhOg62Xi9wrDEU9Z4dskpFQ--xDZqt29QgaUbHw/viewform . For more info: www.friendsofthemarchoftheliving.org.

-        By Stanley Hurwitz  

stanhurwitz@gmail.com /  508-269-0570