"The eternity of Israel will not falter. The people of Israel live."

On October 7, we remember.

We remember the lives taken, the hostages torn from their families, the communities devastated, and the wound carried by the Jewish people everywhere.

The attack was meant to leave us frightened, powerless and alone. Instead, amid unbearable grief, Jews around the world came together. We felt the same pain and shared the same responsibility.

We were reminded that we are one people.

For survivors of Hamas captivity and bereaved families, Holocaust survivors offer living proof that it is possible to rebuild a life after unimaginable horror. In their embrace, they find understanding that needs no words. Seeing the lives the Holocaust survivors have built gives them strength and hope that they, too, can find a way forward.

Holocaust survivor Naftali Fürst described embracing freed Oct. 7 hostage Eli Sharabi during the March of the Living. Eli survived 491 days in Hamas captivity and returned to learn that his wife and daughters had been murdered. Naftali wanted him to know that, despite everything, there is hope and that it is possible to rebuild. Eli’s response captured the spirit that connects them: "Resilience is part of the DNA of the Jewish people."

That resilience can be seen at every step of the March of the Living. Holocaust survivors who once arrived at Auschwitz as prisoners return as free Jews and march with freed hostages.

Holocaust survivors Irene Shashar and Gita Kaufman expressed that bond as they embraced freed hostages Agam Berger and Ori Megidish at Auschwitz:

Near the ruins of the Birkenau crematoria, Agam, who survived 482 days in captivity, played a violin that had itself survived the Holocaust. Its music rose from a place built to silence the Jewish people.

Then she declared:

Haim Taib, President and Founder of the Taib Foundation stated, “The sight of returned hostages and families who endured the atrocities of October 7 marching alongside Holocaust survivors through the gates of Auschwitz is a powerful symbol of the strength and resilience of the Jewish people and the people of Israel. As a foundation dedicated to strengthening social resilience and building a brighter future for generations to come, we are proud to partner with the March of the Living, whose mission remains as vital today as ever: to preserve the memory of the past, confront hatred and antisemitism in the present, and help ensure that such horrors are never repeated.”

On this October 7, we remember not only the horror of that day, but also the unity that followed it: the determination to bring every hostage home, to support those who survived, and to help shattered communities rebuild.

That responsibility is not over.

At the March of the Living, remembrance is not passive. We carry it forward, together. We bring Holocaust survivors, survivors of October 7, and students from around the world together so that memory inspires responsibility, solidarity, unity, and action.