“Separated, but not divided” – under this motto, an online meeting of the March of Life movement with participants from Israel, Poland and Germany took place on November 14.
Since 2012, when the first March of Life was held in Poland, we have been accompanied by the thought “Germans and Poles, reconciled, together for Israel”. In recent years, numerous joint initiatives have taken place, such as the Polish-German Friendship Conference and March of Life in Gdańsk – which was organized exactly on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
The pandemic made personal encounter impossible. Thanks to modern means of communication we were able to meet online with participants from Poland, Israel and Germany. After the opening words of Heinz Reuss, the International March of Life Director, and Jobst Bittner, the Founder of the March of Life movement, we heard inspiring reports from the Polish organizers of the March of Life. Afterwards, the Israeli guests, descendants of Holocaust survivors, told the moving stories of their parents or grandparents.
It was an important step in building relationships between our nations, a practical example of how to break the veil of silence and an inspiration for further Marches of Life, so that together we can bring comfort to the Jewish people.
In the face of the current situation, we are separated but not divided, because the power of forgiveness and love is stronger than hostility, hatred and division.
