According to March of the Living International Vice Chairman Shlomo Grofman, this year's annual Holocaust memorial trip to Poland included more non-Jewish and international participants than ever before. "We dedicate a great deal of effort to this," Grofman said in an interview with Israel Hayom. "We have a special program in schools, including non-Jewish schools, so that students will arrive prepared. And this is the result: Dozens of international delegations. A huge 400-person delegation from Mexico, large delegations from France, Belgium, Canada, Britain -- there are even representatives here from Hawaii." The March of the Living opening ceremony was held at the Krakow Philharmonic concert hall on Wednesday evening, where Austrian Education Minister Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, who arrived in Poland with a large delegation, was a guest of honor. "I promise that there will be an Austrian delegation at the March of the Living every year, a delegation including Jews and non-Jews alike," Heinisch-Hosek said in an interview with Israel Hayom. "Austria's flag, along with flags from other countries, will wave beside the Israeli flag in the March of the Living." "As the living witnesses become fewer in number, it becomes our challenge and our responsibility to preserve the memory of the Holocaust -- and the march gives us the best opportunity to do so." Heinisch-Hosek, who also serves as the federal minister for women and civil service, said that this year marks the 15th year since Austria implemented a unit in its school curriculum dealing with the "culture of memory." The lesson plan provides teachers and students with progressive methods of studying the past and includes seminars with Holocaust survivors and Yad Vashem programming. "After the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, we created 60 workshops that served as an example for all of Europe on how to deal with memory," she said. "People come from all over Europe to learn from us." When asked if there is a difference in the level of anti-Semitism in Austria as compared with other European countries, she said no, but added that "we are working very hard to change the situation and we start at a young age."
Annual march to Auschwitz sees more non-Jews, international delegations
"I promise that there will be an Austrian delegation at the March of the Living every year, including Jews and non-Jews alike," says Austrian Education Minister Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, adding that as survivors perish, preserving their memory is our duty.
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