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Powerful Imprint
Auschwitz trip builds Jewish identity among teens.
CHANAN TIGAY
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
A
decade after taking part in the
March of the Living, Bradley
Laye still credits his experience
with launching him on a career in
Jewish communal service.
"The march was the thing that start-
ed it," said Laye, now the CEO of
Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, Fla.
"It was the seed for my Jewish involve-
ment and love of Israel."
The program's long-lasting effect on
Laye is not unique, according to
William Helmreich, the author of a
newly released study on the annual
program, which brings Jewish
teenagers from across the globe to
Auschwitz and then on to Israel.
March of the Living participants walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust
Indeed, said Helmreich, a sociology
professor at the Graduate Center at the Remembrance Day in April 2004.
City University of New York, "people
belief, identification and behavior that
The March of the Living, which has
who went to the march long ago report
resulted from their experience.
been running its trips since 1988,
that, even 12 years later, the march had
Eighty-four percent of march partici-
brings
Jewish
teenagers
to
Poland
on
a very, very powerful impact on them.
pants,
for example, said the program
Holocaust
Remembrance
Day
to
march
"The point of the program is to
influenced
their "thinking as a Jew'
from
Auschwitz
to
nearby
Birkenau,
affect people's lives, but many programs
Some 58 percent said it has affected
where the prisoners were gassed, fol-
succeed and many fail," he said.
their "behavior as a Jew"
lowed quickly by a trip to Israel to
"What's most impressive is the length
The study also found that 45 per-
mark the Jewish state's Memorial Day
of time of the effect."
cent of those who have taken part in
and Independence Day.
The new study, Long-Range Effects
the program have visited Israel since
Samra Vogel, who met her husband
of the March of the Living on
the trip. Thirty-two percent of those
on
the
March
of
the
Living
trip
in
Participants, found that 94 percent of
who've
returned have done so three
1994,
grew
up
going
to
public
schools
those who've gone on the program
or more times, while 19 percent did
but, after the program, decided she
believe it is important that they marry
so twice.
wanted her children to go to Jewish
a Jew.
"When you're coupling the tremen-
day school.
This is significant, the study notes,
dous tragedy with the rebirth of Israel
"It was a very intense and emotional
at a time when intermarriage is preva-
back to back, the impact becomes long
experience," said Vogel, who has a 4-
lent. One-third of all Jews currently
lasting," Machlis said. "It's very, very
month-old
daughter.
"It
created
such
a
wed are intermarried, according to the
powerful.
You're going from death and
strong
conviction
for
me
to
lead
an
2000-01 National Jewish Population
destruction
to renaissance and rebirth."
identifiable
Jewish
life."
Survey, which also found that inter-
The study was based on telephone
David Machlis, March of the Living's
marriage is rising at a steady pace and
interviews with 300 randomly select-
vice chairman, was pleased "but not
stands at 47 percent.
ed past participants during the spring
The new march study also found that surprised" at the study's findings.
of 2004. Participants from 1992,
"For a short-term program to have
94 percent of respondents plan to pro-
1999 and 2003 answered the 49-
such
a
dramatic
impact
on
people's
way
vide their children with Jewish educa-
question
survey.
of
thinking
and
being,
we're
very
proud
tion; nearly 25 percent said that, like
In
1993,
the program undertook a
of
that,"
he
said.
Laye, the march had affected their
similar
study,
interviewing 300 people
Helmreich
acknowledged
that
those
career choice; nearly two-thirds said the
who took part in 1988, 1990 and
who choose to take part in such a pro-
march had made them more tolerant
1992. The findings of that survey
gram are, to some degree, a self-select-
toward other groups; and 85 percent
were consistent with those in the
than
said the program made them more like- ing group, probably more
more recent one, which offers a
others to be involved in Jewish con-
ly to donate to Jewish causes — with
longer-term
view of participants' reac-
cerns.
Because
of
this,
he
said,
the
66 percent saying they had already
❑
tions
to
the
program.
study
focused
on
the
increase
in
Jewish
done so.
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