PROGRAMS
The March of the Living Australia program is unique, experiential, extraordinary and unforgettable.
Click here to watch the video from our 2025 Program Information Session.​
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Click here for Expression of Interest Form for our 2025 Program.
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’.
The program in its entirety comprises one week in Poland followed by one week in Israel (excluding flights). We strongly recommend completing both weeks of the program in order to experience and benefit from its full impact. However, we fully acknowledge and understand that this may not always be possible or desirable depending on the particular circumstances of the participant, and therefore offer a Poland-only option alongside the full 2-week program (Poland and Israel)*.
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March of the Living Australia endorses a policy of inclusiveness and shared humanity. While there is a strong focus on the ‘Jewish story’ pre / during / post the Holocaust, we fully acknowledge that many non-Jews faced a similar fate as Jews at the hands of the Nazis, and we explore and learn about the non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust in the most appropriate manner. Furthermore, great attention is paid to the role of the Righteous Among the Nations and, where possible, we try to engage with as broad a spectrum as possible of modern-day Poland and its people.
These principles of inclusiveness and shared humanity are maintained and expanded through our time in Israel, where we try and show the kaleidoscope and melting pot of cultures and civilisations that make up Israel today – Muslim, Christian, Druze, Bedouin, Jew – and the interactions and intersections between them.
Itinerary
Itineraries vary from year to year based on the specific dates of Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom Ha’Atzmaut,
the Sabbath etc. As a general rule, the program usually starts about 2 days after the end Passover and at least one day before Holocaust Memorial Day.
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The below is a general sample itinerary.
Poland - Day 1
(Sunday)
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Kazimierz Jewish District Walking Tour - Remu Synagogue / Galicia Museum / JCC
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Krakow Ghetto
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Schindler’s Factory
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Meet Righteous Among the Nation
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Overnight Krakow
Poland - Day 2
(Monday)
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Oswiecim (the town of Auschwitz) – Synagogue and Museum
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Auschwitz
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Birkenau
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Erev Yom HaShoah Ceremony
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Overnight Krakow
Poland - Day 3
(Tuesday)
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Mass Grave
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The International
March of the Living Commemoration -
Overnight Rzeszow
Poland - Day 4
(Wednesday)
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Lublin – Yeshiva / Museum
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Majdanek
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Overnight Warsaw
Poland - Day 5
(Thursday)
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Lodz Ghetto \
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Jan Karski Centre
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Genscia Cemetery –Warsaw
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Warsaw Zoo
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Overnight Warsaw
Poland - Day 6
(Friday)
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Polin Jewish Museum – 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland
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J.H.I. Ringelblum Archive
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Treblinka
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Erev Shabbat Services – Nozyk Shul
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Overnight Warsaw
Poland - Day 7
(Saturday)
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Walking tour Umshlagplatz
and Mila18 -
Warsaw Ghetto Wall
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Pawiak Prison
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Sikkum / Summary – Poland
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Overnight Warsaw
Israel - Day 1
(Sunday)
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Afternoon arrival in Israel
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Welcome to Israel in Old City of Jaffa
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Overnight Tel Aviv
Israel - Day 2
(Monday)
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Atlit Detention Camp
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Hannah Senesh Museum
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Nirim Youth Village for Rehabilitation of Disadvantaged Children
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Erev Yom HaZikaron Ceremony
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Overnight Tel Aviv
Israel - Day 3
(Tuesday)
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Yitzchak Rabin Center / Israel Museum
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Yom HaZikaron Siren
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Israel Innovation Centre
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Save A Child’s Heart
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Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebrations
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Overnight Tel Aviv
Israel - Day 4
(Wednesday)
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Operation Good Neighbour" - the humanitarian aid provided to Syrian refugees by the IDF / Israel or other speaker
Yom Ha’Atzmaut march from Saffra Square to the Western Wall -
Schindler’s grave
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David’s Citadel sound and light
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Overnight Jerusalem
Israel - Day 5
(Thursday)
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Yad Vashem
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Mount Herzl
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Hand in Hand
(Coexistence) School -
Main Event Celebration – Latrun
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Overnight Jerusalem
Israel - Day 6
(Friday)
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Ammunition Hill
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Machaneh Yehuda
Market -
Erev Shabbat Services
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Overnight Jerusalem
Israel - Day 7
(Saturday)
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Meeting with Bereaved Families – Parents Circle
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Four Faces dramatization
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Walking tour of Jerusalem neighbourhoods
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Sikkum / Summary
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Farewell Dinner
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Overnight Jerusalem
The Difference Between the Young Adult and Adult
Programs
Although the content and itinerary of the Adult and Young Adult programs are similar, the key difference between them is that the Young Adult program is led by a Young Adult: someone who, similar to many of the participants, shares not only a similar interest in Holocaust education, memorialisation and the relevance of a sound understanding of Israel today, but who is of the same generation and can therefore share and relate to similar life experiences, aspirations, general interests and points of reference.
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The program is designed to enable more ’young adult appropriate’ activities, and will cater more to that demographic’s needs and expectations. For example, this may include a bit more flexibility with regard to evening entertainment, as opposed to ‘programmed’ activities.
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Furthermore, this will also relate to the level of accommodation provided – where the Adult program is based on 4.5-5 Star accommodation, the Young Adult program will most likely be aimed at 3.5-4 Star Accommodation, which will also have an impact on the cost.
Lastly, the key and most important difference between the two programs is that, for the first time ever, March of the Living Australia has committed to providing very substantial subsidisation of the program for all Young Adult participants who may not be able to pay full fare. This is in recognition of the financial challenges many Young Adults, who are potentially only starting out in their careers, may be facing.
This decision by March of the Living Australia to actively raise and dedicate funds in order to make this unique program more accessible and affordable for the 18-35 year-old cohort, bears in mind the unique power and impact of this program and the potential it has in shaping the views, opinions, attitudes and proactivity of our future generations and leaders.