This annual ‘pilgrimage’, where participants have the opportunity to ‘go where history books can’t’, comprises a jam-packed 7 to 14 day* immersive, emotive and educational journey in Poland and Israel. Our Young Adult and Adult participants are accompanied by the March of the Living Australia team of highly-qualified educators and remarkable Survivors to learn about 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland; the devastation and horrors of the Holocaust; incredible stories of selfless bravery by Righteous Among the Nations; the re-building of a thriving Jewish community in Poland; the attitudes of Polish citizens today, and so much more.

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The journey in Poland builds towards the International March of the Living commemorative event on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), where our Australian delegations join up to 15 thousand people from all around the world to share in a once-in-a-lifetime experience: marching the three kilometres from Auschwitz I to Birkenau, culminating in one of the most moving and meaningful ceremonies imaginable alongside the remains of the gas chambers and crematoria, paying tribute to all those who were murdered during the Holocaust and the Survivors, and pledging to make the world a better place.

The first week in Poland is contrasted and greatly enhanced by the second week in Israel.

Those choosing to continue the journey to Israel will have the opportunity of experiencing the country in a way and at a time of year that escapes most tourists: they will connect with the biblical and historical aspects of the Holy Land; make the linkage between the Holocaust and the birth of an independent State of Israel; explore the context of the struggles that Israel faces from a geo-political and existential perspective; come face to face with some of Israel’s miraculous and exemplary achievements as the Start Up Nation, and explore and discuss some of Israel’s ongoing challenges and issues. Our participants experience all this whilst having the privilege of ‘celebrating / marking’ two of the most fundamental modern-day holidays in the Jewish calendar: Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day) - a day dedicated to memorialising those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the fight for the State of Israel, followed immediately by Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Israel’s Day of Independence. This juxtaposition of being in Poland over Holocaust Memorial Day and then in Israel over Remembrance / Independence Days, accompanied by a supportive and like-minded group and led by exemplary educators and auxiliary staff, is what makes March of the Living so special. Now is the time to experience this for yourself and ‘go where history books can’t’.