Thousands, including Holocaust survivors and freed Israeli hostages, march from Auschwitz to Birkenau

Berlin – Thousands marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau Wednesday in the annual March of the Living – an event that resonated with deep historical and present-day meaning. The march, marking 80 years since the liberation of the German Nazi death camps, honored the memory of over one million Jews murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, while also highlighting the resilience of the Jewish people in the face of renewed trauma since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Among the 8,000 participants were 80 Holocaust survivors – many visiting for what may be their final time – and 10 former hostages recently freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza. 

Relatives of Israeli hostages also took part in the roughly 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) march to Birkenau, the largest Nazi German extermination camp. They were joined by bereaved families, young people and delegations from 40 countries.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, leading Israel's delegation, was welcomed by Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Auschwitz Memorial site, where both leaders delivered statements ahead of the march. 

"Although after the Holocaust we vowed, 'Never again,' today, even as we stand here, the souls of dozens of Jews again yearn within a cage," Herzog said, referring to the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. "The return of the hostages is a universal human imperative."

Herzog's office said this year's participation by both survivors of the Holocaust and those recently freed from captivity reflects "the resilience of the Jewish people in their homeland."

Among the released hostages who marched on Wednesday was Eli Sharabi, who endured months of captivity following the Oct. 7  attack. Sharabi's wife, two daughters and brother were killed in the attack, and he was released in February as part of a negotiated deal between the terror group Hamas and Israel.

Jonny Daniels, founder of the advocacy organization From The Depths, which supports causes important to the global Jewish community, described the march as "emotional … surreal and difficult."

He said a sudden downpour forced the official ceremony after the march to last just 10 minutes.

"I felt absolute sadness for the people who aren't here to witness this," said Daniels, who is based in Warsaw, Poland.

Polish President Andrzej Duda described Auschwitz as not only a site of Jewish tragedy, but also of deep significance for Poland.  

"This place is hugely important not only for Jews but also for us, Poles," Duda said, noting that Auschwitz was originally a Polish village overtaken by the Nazi Germans, who first imprisoned Poles as forced laborers before it became a death camp. "More than a million people were murdered here—people with Polish citizenship, Polish Jews."

Reflecting on today's global tensions, Duda said Auschwitz must stand as a warning amid ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

He called the March of the Living "a manifestation of life and remembrance," and a "dramatic call of 'never again, no more hatred, no more chauvinism, no more antisemitism.'"