Sharon Patch
BOSTON, MASS. (Issued Summer/Fall 2016) — Recruitment is underway for the 2017 March of the Living (MOTL) when 10,000 teens from around the world will join hands and hearts as they experience the pain of World War II Poland and the pride of 21st century Israel.
Irv Kempner of Sharon, Massachusetts MOTL Chairman, father of 3 grown children and 10 grandchildren, son of Holocaust survivors, and former business executive, aims to recruit at least 20 Mass. teens to participate in the upcoming trip, April 24 – May 2, 2017.
He says the annual spring trip is a life-changing event: “Where else would your 17 – 18 year-old be able to participate in a pilgrimage whose primary goal is to teach lessons of the Holocaust through an emotional experience outside of school, and inspire them to lead the Jewish community into the future, vowing ‘Never Again.’” Kempner has participated in several MOTL teen and adult trips. MOTL was established in 1988.
Along with the 2017 recruitment goal, Kempner’s committee plans to raise $60,000 to pay half the cost for each participant. The trip coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day — with tours of Nazi concentration camps and former shtetls in Poland, followed the next week marking Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day in Israel – with trips to Masada, ancient Jerusalem, modern Tel Aviv and more.
“As parents prepare to send their sons and daughters off to college, many Jewish parents want to provide guidance on how to deal with situations their kids may encounter – and why it’s so important,” Kempner says. “We’ve seen Israelis being discriminated against at the Olympics, the growing BDS movement, and rising incidents of anti-Semitism in Europe and on college campuses. Anxious parents are asking ‘What I can I do to make sure that my child is prepared to face the challenges of an ill-informed anti-Jewish bigotry?’”
One 2015 participant said, “It was an amazing experience. We were with a survivor who shared her experience – similar to my grandfather. I saw the Holocaust in a new way. The trip will keep the memory and lessons of the Holocaust alive.” A 2016 participant said, “The March gave me an appreciation for Israel and allowed me to bond with Jewish teens from around the world.”
Groups are accompanied by local guides, historians and survivors. A 2015 study showed that participants in MOTL-type trips have higher levels of identification with Israel and are more likely to value marrying Jews than the general Jewish population.
After visiting the remnants of Jewish Poland –once the home to 3.2 million Jews — the March of the Living continues its heritage journey in Israel where teens experience the rebirth and vitality of the Jewish state.
Kempner says the following excerpt from a poem by San Diego teen Gabrielle Katzenelson, a 2016 MOTL participant, says it all:
Why I Marched
I marched for Roman Myron Lubetzky. I marched for my grandfather and for all of those who suffered his torture. I marched for the 6 million Jews that were murdered, and for the 5 million other victims that endured the same fate… I marched so that this atrocity never happens again. I marched for a safe country to call home. I marched for Israel. I marched because we as a Jewish people are not going anywhere. I marched because we are here to stay.
Donations of $1,000 will be matched dollar for dollar by the Kempner Foundation. Tax-deductible donations may be made online: https://motl-wordpress.wmkwso.easypanel.host/
