ministers, community leaders and religious figures, adults, teens and most importantly, Survivors, have participated in this life-changing experience.

 

The uniqueness of the BBYO delegation is that our group is comprised of teens and adults from all over North America and Alaska. Some of you will have opportunities to learn about the Holocaust in your community through training classes and meeting with your local Survivors. To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, I will be sending you weekly Shabbat messages with interesting facts, educational materials and suggested books, films and websites to utilize. Your experience on the March will be greatly enhanced by the amount of time you spend reading the materials and learning as much as you can. 

 

The resolution encourages member states of the UN to  actively preserve sites that the Nazis  used for killing centers, concentration camps, and prisons and rejects all forms of Holocaust denial. Drawing from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the resolution condemns all forms of "religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief" throughout the world.

The Germans forbade religious services in most ghettos, but, many Jews prayed and held secret ceremonies in cellars, attics, and back rooms, while others stood guard. In 1940, in Warsaw alone, 600 Jewish prayer groups existed. Prayer helped sustain morale, reaffirmed a cultural and religious identity, and supplied spiritual comfort. Many Orthodox Jews who opposed the use of physical force during that time viewed prayer and religious observance as the truest form of resistance.

"And what I remember distinctly was a certain spirit there, a spirit very Jewish, deeply Jewish, religious, but, custom, traditional.  The Sabbath was the centerpiece of the week . . . an expression, it was a deep expression, made a deep, deep impression on children.  The evening at the end of the Sabbath, was also a feeling that you're losing something, something very precious is passed.  The Jewish life was essential."

  

- Survivor Testimony, Joseph W., born in Poland, 1922

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - www.ushmm.org is a living memorial to the Holocaust, inspiring citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.

 

Yad Vashem - www.yadvashem.org  is the Jewish people's living memorial to the Holocaust. It was established in 1953 as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust.

 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center - www.wiesenthal.com is a global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.