In 2023, Ottawa resident Talia Gitter, who was then in Grade 11, participated in the March of the Living, an annual educational program that brings individuals from around the world to Poland and Israel to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance, and hatred. The program includes a poignant three-kilometre walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), symbolizing a commitment to remember the past and shape a better future. Participants also travel to Israel to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), experiencing the resilience and continuity of Jewish life.

The Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin is honoured to share the following essay she wrote about her experience to mark Holocaust Education Month. 

The March [of the Living] was always something that I had been interested in because I knew that it was important for me, as a Jewish person, to really see the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust. In my opinion, it’s one thing to hear or read about concentration camps, but it’s a completely different experience to be standing there, bearing witness to what happened.

I can say with complete certainty that the March of the Living changed who I am as a Jewish person more than anything else ever has. There’s just something about standing in Auschwitz or Treblinka or the Warsaw Ghetto that is indescribable to someone who hasn’t seen it. Something deeply moving about listening to survivor testimonials while in the barracks or walking through the forests where hundreds of Jews were murdered. It made me feel despair like I had never experienced before, and that feeling was overwhelming. But at the same time, I was experiencing it with people who were going through the exact same thing I was. I had friends by my side that I could talk to, and I had a great relationship with my group leaders. 

Every night that we were in Poland we sat down in small groups and discussed what we had seen that day. These moments of reflection and being able to listen to how other people had experienced the days’ events really offered a time for me to decompress and feel more grounded, even while being in such an upsetting situation.

With each group of participants, a Holocaust survivor travels with you from Poland to Israel. These survivors add a real perspective on the things we see in Poland and in Israel. This particular subject is deeply personal to me. I would be remiss to not tell you that our survivor was Alex Buckman. 

Alex passed away while we were in Poland. He died while sharing his story with us. 

Prior to his death, we were asking Alex about his life, and someone asked a well-known question; she asked him “how did you reconcile your relationship with G-d after what happened to you in the Holocaust?” and he said, “It’s difficult for me to believe in G-d”. He said, “My religion is kindness”. These were some of his last words. 

That view is something I think about every single day, and I hope that Alex knows the impact he had on all of us. Knowing him, and being with him in Poland, was a privilege, and I hope that everyone has the opportunity to bond with a survivor in their lifetime.

The trip takes you on a journey from darkness into light. From the depths of the concentration camps to the highs of Israel. Being in Poland for Yom HaShoah was difficult, but I definitely value the significance of it. 

On Yom HaShoah, we met up with other marchers from all over the world and marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau; there were thousands of us. To me, the march was very symbolic. It was like I was taking back a piece of history by standing in Auschwitz, with so many other Jews of all ages, remembering and honouring those who never survived their march.

Once is Israel for Yom Hazikaron, I remember being in Jerusalem where we spent the whole day honouring fallen soldiers. In the morning, we listened to IDF soldiers share the significance of Yom Hazikaron with us, and we spent most of our day on the streets of Jerusalem. When the siren sounded, everything stopped. We were in the middle of a busy city, and absolutely everybody stopped moving to honour the fallen soldiers. That memory has really stayed with me.

At sunset the country moves from mourning to joy with the start of Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Isreal’s Independence Day. Spending Yom Ha'azma'ut in Jerusalem was honestly one of my absolute favourite parts of the whole trip. 

While Yom Hazikaron was a gloomy day of remembrance, Yom Ha'azma'ut was a celebration of everything Israel represents to me. It was crowded and loud, and people were literally singing and dancing in the streets. Everybody was outside with family and friends, and we were at the center of it all in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. I remember that that day really lifted my spirits after everything that I had seen in Poland; it made me thankful for Israel in a completely new way.

I came away from the March with a different view on Israel and on Judaism. By being in Poland I could really get a deeper understanding on why Israel is so important; I’m not sure I would have reached that opinion without having seen the concentration camps of Poland. I felt more secure in my Jewish community, and I also felt a stronger sense of obligation to give back, to advocate for Israel, and to actively stand up to antisemitism.

Going on the March of the Living made me a prouder Jew. After witnessing the current university and college campus climate, it’s more imperative than ever to bear witness to our history and uphold the promise of 'never again.' I was inspired to lead this group on the March of the Living to share my knowledge of recent events and provide guidance that helps students find strength and resilience in their identities. I hope to be a strong support system for them as they navigate these challenging times and connect deeply with our shared history.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa is the local sponsor of the Ottawa MOL trip scheduled for May 2025. 

Registration for the 2025 trip is now open and we are pleased to announce that Oren Baray, Young Adult Engagement Associate, will be the Ottawa chaperone. Baray has worked with Hillel students and is a young adult himself. His capacity to connect with teens and young adults is remarkable and anyone who meets him is put at ease. In addition, he is Israeli and will be able to further enhance the Israeli experience for the students. 

Information and registration about the March of the Living can be found here.