Freed Hostages Join March of the Living with Holocaust Survivors

In a powerful and emotional act of remembrance and unity, ten recently freed Israeli hostages will take part in the March of the Living at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp on Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. They will walk side by side with Holocaust survivors, including Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, a child survivor of Buchenwald, in an event that bridges the darkest moments of Jewish history with the pain and resilience of the present.

The hostages freed either through Israeli military operations or negotiated ceasefires will accompany Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the annual march, which draws thousands to retrace the tragic footsteps of victims of the Nazi genocide.

Among them is Eli Sharabi, who lost his wife and two daughters in the October 7 Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, and Almog Meir Jan, Ori Megidish, and Agam Berger, all of whom were held in Gaza for months before their release. Others include Hagar Brodutch, Moran Stella Yanai, Gadi Moses, Keith Siegel, Chen Goldstein Almog, and Raaya Rotem each bringing their own harrowing story of survival.

This year’s march is particularly poignant, following the October 7 massacre, during which Hamas terrorists abducted and murdered Israeli civilians in a barbaric assault. The presence of these survivors at Auschwitz underscores the unbroken spirit of the Jewish people in the face of evil then and now.

Approximately 80 Holocaust survivors, ages 80 to 97, will lead the march, symbolizing a generation that witnessed the Holocaust and has now lived to see the return of Jewish hostages from captivity once again.

Ahead of the event, President Herzog will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss joint efforts to combat antisemitism and rally international support for the return of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

As the Claims Conference warns that half of all Holocaust survivors will be gone within six years, this year's march carries an added urgency to preserve memory, uphold truth, and show the world that Am Yisrael Chai the people of Israel live.

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