Addressing a gathering of 2,000 students and international business executives in Krakow, Poland, on Monday evening at a March of the Living event ahead of Tuesday’s march, Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress – Israel Region, said that the goal of the March of the Living is not only to mark the death of six million Jews, but to illustrate the continuity and resilience of the Jewish people.
“You are not here only to remember how Jews died,” said Adams. “You are here to show how Jews live. We are walking this path not as victims, but as the next chapter of our glorious history. We remember the dead, but we also commemorate how they lived and regret their unfulfilled contributions that the world never got to see.”
This year’s March will take place under the theme of combating antisemitism, which has surged to unprecedented levels since October 7, echoing the scale seen in the years preceding the Holocaust.
Adams says 'silent majority' is with Jews
Adams said that Jews should not lose perspective, despite the fact that antisemitism has risen to record levels in recent years.
“I know from my travels around the world that not everyone hates us. Not even close. But the loudest voices are not the majority. Most people, the silent majority, are with us. Do not let organized hatred convince you that they speak for the entire world. Because they do not. The answer to the haters is not to shrink. Our answer is to stand taller.
Be proudly Jewish. Be visible. Be informed. Be unafraid.”
Adams, a second-generation Holocaust survivor, will lead the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day, together with 50 Holocaust survivors from around the world, joined by a delegation of 10 survivors from Israel, aged 90–100. Altogether, 7,000 people are expected to participate in the March, including students, young professionals, and adults from dozens of countries.