IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Director of the Mossad Yossi Cohen, and Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman composed virtual memorial messages that will be displayed this evening, along with an additional ten thousand messages, on the gates of the Birkenau extermination camp, as part of the digital commemorative project of the March of the Living. Thus far, 7,000 people from 60 countries have participated in the project. The messages will be also displayed in Israel at the Habima Theater, whose actors have joined the project.
This year, for the first time in 32 years, the March of the Living will not take place because of the Corona pandemic. In place of the March, a digital campaign has been created that recreates one of the most dramatic moments of the March of the Living – the placement of a personal memorial message on the train tracks at the entrance to Birkenau. The first participant in the digital campaign was President Reuven Rivlin. In addition, six memorial torches will be placed at the entrance to Auschwitz this evening.
Cohen and Argaman participated in the March of the Living two years ago. In addition to the messages from Israel’s security forces and the President, Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, US Ambassador to Israel Ron Dermer, actors and actresses of the Habima National Theater, singer Shlomo Artzi, Betar Jerusalem players, players and leaders of the Israel Football Association, pop star Ivri Lider and other notables composed memorial messages.
