‘March of the Living’ Launches Teen Recruitment and Scholarship Fundraising for 2018 Journey

The ancient symbol that signals the start of the Jewish New Year is the sounding of the shofar, a hollow ram’s horn, that for millennia has alerted the Jewish people of the arrival of festivals and other significant days in the calendar.

As the year 5778 begins, Irv Kempner of Sharon (Mass.), son of Holocaust survivors, is asking those who heard its piercing sounds to reflect on his people’s rich history, and to never forget lessons of the past.

Kempner, a retired Vice President of Gillette, is chair of the Massachusetts Chapter of March of the Living (www.MOTLnewengland.org), the annual educational program which brings individuals from all over the world to Poland and Israel to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate. Since 1988, MOTL has brought some 250,000 Jewish teens from scores of countries to Poland and Israel to experience the unique life-changing MOTL trip.

Teen recruitment and fundraising are underway for the 2018 journey set for April 8-22, 2018. “This trip is timed so teens will be in Israel for this especially memorable Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut), celebrating in Jerusalem the 70th birthday of the Jewish state,” he says. His Kempner Family Foundation is a key supporter of MOTL through teen scholarships. Kempner also serves on many nonprofit boards including World Boston and the American Jewish Committee of New England.

Three Greater Bostonians have participated in the adult portion of past MOTL trips and/or are generous supporters. They shared reasons for their involvement:

Sid Handler, an 84 year-old Holocaust survivor, was a child when the Germans overran Vilna, Poland, in 1941, Today he is a staunch MOTL supporter who has been on four MOTL adult marches and has served as a guide and mentor for adult groups. He never misses an opportunity to speak to groups of all ages and types about his life and his MOTL involvement. He serves on the organizing committee of the Mass. MOTL chapter. Irv Kempner notes, “Hearing the personal account from a survivor such as Sid, in person, and visiting the places where history happened brings the story to a whole new level and to new generations.”

Handler lost most of his family during the war years. “I remember a thriving city with 65,000 Jews and my hard-working father with his small trucking company,” says Handler. “Then the Germans came and each day. people disappeared, and by 1943 our ghetto was cut to maybe 10,000. They weren’t taken to concentration camps. People either died from malnutrition or disease or were simply shot in a nearby field.” It’s estimated that 75,000 Jews were killed in the killing field of Ponary.

Speaking of his strong belief in the mission of MOTL, Handler says, “I long ago vowed to ‘Never forget,’ and to do whatever I can to not let the world forget what happened to my family along with 65% of Europe’s pre-World War II Jewish population of six million.”

Another MOTL supporter is Dr. Jeffrey Kraines of Arlington. He says, “I support MOTL because it allows the next generation to both remember the horrors of the Holocaust and understand the miracle of Israel. Combining the visits to Auschwitz and then Jerusalem takes students on the Jewish journey of the 20th century, witnessing both its atrocity and then glory. MOTL engraves the hearts and minds of our progeny with Jewish identity that no classroom lecture or book could possibly accomplish. Zachor (Hebrew for ‘Remember’)Never Again, and Klal Israel (‘the whole Jewish community’) are branded in their souls for a lifetime.”

Motti Pupkin of Norton, a staunch supporter, is an electrical contractor who was born in Israel to parent refugees from war-torn Europe, says, “Stories are nothing like seeing the actual places, retracing the steps. Every Jew should see and learn where European Jews lived, how they stayed alive, where they died. It transports you back. It’s unforgettable and unimaginable.” Pupkin was on the 2015 MOTL trip and encourages families to send their teens so they’ll better understand what it means to be a Jew. When I participated, I was especially moved and amazed at the ruach (spirit), unity and camaraderie everyone felt at the last day celebration involving 10,000 teens from around the world.”

Donations of $1,000 for MOTL 2018 will be matched dollar for dollar by the Kempner Foundation. Tax-deductible donations may be made online: https://motlnewengland.org/. To donate to the Friends of the MOTL Endowment Fund, tax-deductible donations may be sent to: CJP – Kempner Family Foundation, c/o Combined Jewish Philanthropies,126 High Street, Boston, Mass. 02110. To ensure proper credit, on the memo line write ‘March of the Living.’ For more information about donations and/or participation in Friends of MOTL and teen MOTL trips, contact IrvKempner@gmail.com / (617) 285-8620, or visit https://motlnewengland.org/

- By Stanley Hurwitz / stanhurwitz@gmail.com