The March of Life – an initiative founded by descendants of the Nazi Wehrmacht (German Defense Force), SS and German police force to remember the Holocaust – will mark Israel’s 70th Independence Day with people marching in support of Israel and against anti-Semitism in 35 cities worldwide.
The marches will culminate with the March of the Nations in Jerusalem on May 15, some 70 years to the day after the end of British rule in Palestine and the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. For Israelis wishing to join, the march starts at 4 p.m. on the north part of Gan Sacher (Sacher Park) next to Yitzhak Rabin St.
Some 6,000 participants from around the world are expected to visit Jerusalem to attend the march. The march itself is the culmination of a conference taking place May 13 to 15 featuring international speakers, special guests from Israel and performing artists from the United States, Germany, Poland and Israel’s Joshua Aaron and Miqedem.
On Tuesday, conference attendees will march alongside Israelis from the Knesset to Mount Zion where they will honor Holocaust survivors and stand with the nation in opposing anti-Semitism. Israelis are invited to join the march beginning at Sacher Park and ending with a closing gala at Sultan’s Pool at the base of Mount Zion. The event will be broadcast live to millions of viewers worldwide.
MOL was founded by Jobst and Charlotte Bittner and TOS Ministries, an independent, evangelical, charismatic church and charity from Tübingen, Germany. Since its inception in 2007, MOL has marched in 20 nations and more than 350 cities in cooperation with Christians and Jewish communities.
In 2011 and 2015, MOL was honored by the Israeli Knesset for its efforts on behalf of Holocaust survivors. In 2017, the Jewish Community of Halle in Germany awarded the MOL movement with the Emil L. Fackenheim Prize for Tolerance and Understanding.
The organization’s three goals include — Remembering: working through the past and giving Holocaust survivors a voice; Reconciliation: healing and restoration between descendants of the victims and perpetrators; and Taking a Stand for Israel against modern anti-Semitism.
Accordingly, German, Israeli and Polish teens will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial together and Holocaust survivors will meet descendants of Nazis.