A delegation of 46 staff members from Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa—including Jews, Christians, and Muslims—departed this morning for Poland to participate in the March of the Living, marking 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by Allied forces in 1945.
Among the Guests: Eisenhower’s Great-Granddaughter
This year’s march, which will take place on April 24, will include 80 Holocaust survivors from around the world, including about 40 from Israel.
The march will be led by Israeli President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog, alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mary Jean Eisenhower, great-granddaughter of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who oversaw the camp’s liberation in World War II.
Interfaith Delegation Embarks on Memorial Journey
The Rambam delegation includes doctors, nurses, logistics and finance staff from different faiths. Led by Dr. Michal Makel, deputy director of Rambam, the group will tour key Holocaust sites across Poland—including the Warsaw Ghetto, Treblinka, Lodz Ghetto, Chelmno, Majdanek, and Zbylitowska Góra, also known as the Children’s Forest.
Holocaust Survivors, October 7 Survivors, and 15,000 Global Participants
The March of the Living traditionally concludes with a symbolic walk between Auschwitz and Birkenau. Joining Rambam’s leadership for this final leg will be Prof. Miki Halberthal, Rambam’s CEO. They will march alongside Holocaust survivors, survivors of the October 7 massacre, bereaved families, and over 15,000 participants from around the globe.
During the central closing ceremony, Daniel Weiss—a resident of Be’eri whose parents were murdered on October 7—and Agam Berger, a hostage survivor, will take the stage. Agam will play a 130-year-old violin that survived the Holocaust and was later brought to Israel.
“Every Person Has a Story and a Reason for Joining”
Dr. Makel shared her reflections before the journey: “There are mixed emotions in sending a delegation like this. The past year and a half—especially for us at Rambam—has been shaped by war, rocket fire, and the evacuation of our hospital into underground fortified units. It reminded us that as Israelis, we always have to be ready for existential threats.”
“Now we’re returning—through the March of the Living—to our grandparents’ past, to those who survived unthinkable horrors without a Jewish state to stand by them. It’s deeply moving. Each participant in our group has a personal story and a reason for making this journey. I know this experience will stay with us for many years.”
