In April 2025, the Menomadin Foundation led, for the second consecutive year, a special delegation of October 7 survivors and bereaved families to the March of the Living — one of the central events marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. Held on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of World War II, the March carried a renewed and urgent message: “Never Again is Now.”
The Menomadin-led October 7 delegation included freed hostages who had endured captivity in Gaza, bereaved families, and residents of the Gaza Envelope communities, standing shoulder to shoulder with Holocaust survivors and their descendants, in a shared act of memory, testimony, and hope.
Haim Taib, Founder and President of the Menomadin Foundation: “I was proud to lead, for the second year in a row, the delegation of October 7 survivors and heroes to the March of the Living. This year, we marched alongside people who were abducted to Gaza and endured atrocities unseen for 80 years. ‘NEVER AGAIN IS NOW’ — this is a message that must echo in every home around the globe. We cannot remain indifferent when we recognize the parallel lines between the horrors the Jewish people suffered in the Holocaust, the October 7 pogrom, and the terrible days of captivity.”
Background
The March of the Living is an annual international Holocaust remembrance event held at the sites of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camps in Poland. Since its inception, more than 300,000 participants — Jewish and non-Jewish youth, Holocaust survivors, heads of state, cultural leaders, and global influencers — have marched the railway tracks from Auschwitz to Birkenau. This symbolic journey serves as both a tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and a powerful educational experience fostering remembrance, moral responsibility, and the fight against hatred and antisemitism.
In April 2025, against the backdrop of the atrocities of October 7 — the Hamas-led massacre, kidnappings, and brutal attacks on civilians — the March carried an added layer of meaning. The participation of freed hostages, bereaved families, and the survivors of the October 7 attacks transformed the March into a living bridge between past and present traumas, between remembrance and the call for justice today.
The Challenge
Eighty years after the end of the Holocaust, the October 7 attacks tragically demonstrated that antisemitism, hatred, and violence against the Jewish people persist. The massacre and the ongoing captivity of innocent civilians brought the chilling echoes of history into the present.
The central challenge of this year’s March was not only to honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust but also to amplify the voices of today’s victims and survivors — to stand against global indifference and inaction, and to demand that the promise of “Never Again” remains more than words.
Conclusion
The October 7 Delegation symbolized the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people and the enduring power of solidarity across generations. This unique group of freed hostages, bereaved families, and survivors of Hamas captivity walked alongside Holocaust survivors as living witnesses to history and as bearers of the shared mission to fight hatred and defend life.
One of the most moving moments of the March was the joint performance at the central ceremony in Birkenau by Daniel Weiss, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who lost his parents on October 7, and freed hostage Agam Berger, who played a 130-year-old violin that had survived the Holocaust. This poignant act of remembrance underscored the healing power of music and its ability to connect generations and preserve the stories that must never be forgotten.
The delegation’s participation was part of the Menomadin Foundation’s broader mission: to strengthen Israel’s social and economic resilience, support community recovery in the aftermath of the Iron Swords War, and foster a future built on the pillars of memory, identity, and shared responsibility.
As Taib emphasized: “This is not only a commitment to honor the memory of the victims. It is a commitment to life itself — to the belief in hope, healing, and the right of every person to live in dignity, safety, and peace.”
