Millennials have rare opportunity to join March of the Living

The March of the Living has been so popular with teens that many adults have sought to attend an adult version of the program, which travels through Poland one week and in Israel the next.

In response, the March of the Living is excited to announce a new initiative to bring millennials on this life-changing journey to study the history of the Holocaust, examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hatred, and learn about Jewish heritage and the history of Israel.

Participants will spend Yom ha-Shoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) in Poland and Yom ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) in Israel. This one-time opportunity for first-time March of the Living participants ages 22-35 costs $2,500. This price is highly subsidized by the International March of the Living and there are limited spots, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The March of the Living is an annual educational program that brings people from 52 countries around the world to Poland and Israel to learn about the Jewish community that once thrived in Poland, as well as its present-day resurgence of Jewish culture and life, and about ancient and modern sites of note in Israel.

The March of the Living allows participants to encounter the richness and anguish of our past, the vitality of the present and the hope for our future.

Participants in the International Adult Program of the March of the Living will meet at an airport in New York/New Jersey to fly to Poland on Monday, April 29. The return flight from Israel is expected to arrive in the New York City area on Friday, May 10.

The adult trip is open to individuals ages 22-35 who are interested in learning more about their Jewish heritage and have not previously participated in a March of the Living.

The subsidized price of $2,500, based on double occupancy, includes round-trip flights from New York/New Jersey (domestic flights are the responsibility of each participant). The price includes all land fees in Poland and Israel – hotels, meals, museum and site entrance fees, guides and ground transportation. There is an additional $100 processing fee if participants pay by credit card.

More information can be found on the International March of the Living website, www.motl.org. Potential participants may also contact Monise Neumann at 818-621-0278 or monise@motlmail.org. Residents of greater Rhode Island through the age of 26 may apply to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island for a small subsidy. Gift of Israel funds may also be used toward the cost of the trip.

For more information, contact Larry Katz, director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Jewish Alliance, at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111.

Rhode Island area teens who are interested in the teen program can contact Aaron Guttin at aguttin@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111.

LARRY KATZ is director of Jewish life and learning at The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.