Support marches for Israel to be held around the world
The events will culminate in a large march in Jerusalem in honor of Israel's 70th Independence Day.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: APRIL 12, 2018 17:20
The March of the Living is the most well-known march taking place to commemorate the Holocaust, but there will also be dozens of “Marches of Life” around the world in the coming week, including in Germany and Poland.Marches of Life commemorating the Holocaust, combating antisemitism and advocating for Israel will take place in almost 50 cities in Europe, the United States and Latin America. The March of Life organization unites Jews and Holocaust survivors – together with descendants of Nazi perpetrators – for the memorial and reconciliation marches.The events will culminate with a large march in Jerusalem in honor of Israel’s 70th Independence Day. The "March of The Nations" will be attended by over 6,000 people from around the world.The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus sent Zionist Union MK Nachman Shai to participate in and speak at Marches of Life in Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday and Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday.“In light of recent Holocaust denial attempts, now is a more important time than ever before to embrace our responsibility of preserving the memory of those who perished,” Shai said. “As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, it is a great privilege and honor for me to participate in the March of Life together with Jews, Germans and Poles who remember our tragic history, confront antisemitism, and support the modern State of Israel.”Shai’s statement made reference to a new Polish law that criminalizes accusing Poland of Nazi crimes.In Warsaw, the Israeli ambassador to Poland, Anna Azari, will participate in the march. In Stuttgart, the Israeli consul-general Sandra Simovich will be in attendance. There will also be local politicians taking part, including Vice Mayor of Stuttgart, Isabel Fezer, as well as locals from the Jewish and Christian communities.“The March of Life organization is unique because it goes beyond memorializing the tragedy of the Holocaust by imparting the moral imperative to support the Jewish State of Israel,” said Knesset Christian Allies Caucus director Josh Reinstein. “March of Life’s initiative will bring thousands of Bible-believing Christians to Jerusalem to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Modern State of Israel. These Christians are here to convey an important message that a strong Israel is the only guarantee that another Holocaust will never happen again.”The marches began this week with one that began in Konstanz, Germany, and ended more than four kilometers away in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. More than 500 people participated in the march, including the March of Life’s founder, Pastor Jobst Bittner and Holocaust survivor Margot Wicki-Schwarzschild.“We have established our organization to commemorate the Holocaust, fight antisemitism and support Israel,” said Bittner. “Unfortunately, to this day, antisemitism has not disappeared, and it continues to raise its ugly head. In honor of Israel’s 70th Independence Day, we will unite the marches for a huge march in Jerusalem in order to support Israel.”