The March of the Living (MOL)- Southern Region has begun accepting applications from 11th and 12th grade students throughout Palm Beach County. This extraordinary annual Holocaust education program will culminate in the renowned two week trip to Poland and Israel, from April 15-29, 2012. The application deadline is November 15, 2011, and students are urged to apply quickly for available spots and financial assistance.

Families are invited to learn more in a parlor meeting at the home of Wendy Pressner in Boca Raton on Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 7:00 pm.They’ll talk with Jack Rosenbaum, MOL Southern Region Director, as well as a student and Holocaust survivor who are MOL alumni. Those interested may RSVP or learn more about this event at 561-852-6045, mol@bocafed.org. More information about the March of the Living local contingent is available at www.molsouth.org. 

“Since 1988, the March of the Living has been guiding tens thousands of teens each year. From around the globe and from the varied streams of Judaism, they go from the depths of the Holocaust, marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah/ Holocaust Remembrance Day, to celebrating the glory of the modern State of Israel in our homeland on Yom HaAtzmaut/ Israel Independence Day," said Rosenbaum, who is based at the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

"Absolutely no student should be held back from applying by the trip cost of over $5,225,” added Rosenbaum. “The March is so important that generous financial assistance is made available by benefactors concerned with keeping the memories alive, and with Jewish continuity." 

“It is so important for young people to go on the March of the Living,” said Rosette Goldstein, a local Holocaust survivor who has been on two Marches. “I have seen with my own eyes how these young people change. This trip will affect them for the rest of their lives and best of all they will remember and be able to tell what they witnessed. From the death camps that speak for themselves, the students go on to Israel and see what that country has done in so short a time - a country where Jews can live in freedom.” 

“The March is an incredibly positive experience that gives me hope in the young people as I help them,” said Samuel Ron, a survivor who has also accompanied the local contingent on the March. “They are able to understand and cope with the history of the atrocities of the Holocaust, and then see how we rebuilt our lives and the State of Israel. They learn to express their feelings, and become sensitive to the suffering, becoming better Jews and better people. ” 
 
“There is nothing like the March to build Jewish identity, humanitarian responsibility and young leadership," added Rosenbaum. "There is great value to our Jewish communities, as returning marchers share their experience with synagogues, schools, organizations and sponsoring groups, as well as informally with their families and friends." 
 

The impact of the March of the Living on past participants is clear from their personal reflections and desire to share their experience, insights and inspiration.
 
“I’d been learning about the Holocaust for years, but nothing could have prepared me for standing in the footsteps of those who perished and those who made it to our homeland in Israel. I experienced at a very deep and powerful level that I am part of their lineage of survival, and that I can and must keep their memories alive," said local 2009 student March participant Zack Herbert. "After marching between the camps with thousands of Jews from my own generation, my concept of family and responsibility has changed forever."

“The March shaped my life and gave me a pride and a purpose in my Judaism,” said student Martin Volinsky, 2008 March alum from Boca Raton. “Before the March, I did not engage in any sort of volunteering. Now I am very involved in public affairs and president of my Jewish fraternity, making a difference on campus and volunteering for causes that benefit Israel and the Jewish people.”

“Martin’s words mirror the results of long-term surveys, one in each of the past three decades, tracking March of the Living alumni with regard to their Jewish and communal identities,” added Rosenbaum. “The benefits of the March in terms of Jewish identity, raising Jewish families and being committed to Israel are off the charts compared with other Israel experiences. Many of our students assume leadership positions in their communities and point to the March of the Living as the catalyst for their activism.”

For more information about applying or contributing to the March of the Living, please contact Jack Rosenbaum, Southern Region Director, at mol@bocafed.org or 561-852-6045, and visit http://www.molsouth.org.

Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County's Department of Jewish Education is the central address of the Jewish educational community. The Department develops strategies and provides educational enrichment opportunities for all segments of the Jewish community and its institutions, creates a vibrant spirit to strengthen Jewish life in the community, and promotes and supports the future of a learning community.