Following successful 2024 events in Dallas and Houston, a small group of March of Remembrance Texas leaders, family and friends traveled to Israel on a Texas Solidarity Mission to bear witness to the horrors of October 7th, the deadliest pogrom since the Holocaust, to volunteer and to participate in the annual March of the Nations.
HOUSTON and DALLAS, July 5, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shortly after successful 2024 events in Dallas and Houston, a small group of March of Remembrance Texas leaders, family and friends traveled to Israel on a Texas Solidarity Mission to bear witness to the horrors of October 7th, to volunteer and to participate in the March of the Nations. People from all over the world participate in the March of the Nations to show friendship with Israel, the world's only Jewish state.
In weeks prior to the March of the Nations, the March of Life movement in Germany which oversees March of Remembrance Texas, organized marches in 100 cities in 24 nations under the motto "Am Yisrael Chai - The People of Israel Live!" March of Life aims to give Holocaust survivors a voice, facilitate reconciliation between the descendants of perpetrators and victims, and send a clear signal against modern antisemitism.
Following moving visits to the Nova Music Festival massacre site in Re'im and Kibbutz Kissufim near the Gaza Strip border, the Texas Solidarity Mission met with Mayor Alon Davidi of Sderot, the largest city in Israel attacked by Hamas. Sderot's Police Commander walked the group through police station wreckage where approximately 30 police officers and civilians were martyred. Afterwards the Texas Solidarity Mission painted a donated bomb shelter. Local residents saluted the group's presence. Many stopped their cars to smile; some with tears in their eyes, to say shalom and take photos.
In Jerusalem, the Texas Solidarity Mission presented gifts to injured IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers at The Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah Hospital. The group then celebrated with IDF paratrooper brigade recruits prior to a swearing-in ceremony at the Kotel.
In Tel Aviv, the Texas Solidarity Mission visited Hostages Square and met with Hostages and Missing Families Forum leaders. Daniel Lifshitz (grandson of Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz who were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz) asked the group to continue raising awareness among elected officials for U.S. citizen hostages: Keith Samuel Siegel (64), Sagui Dekel-Chen (35), Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), Omer Neutra (22) and Edan Alexander (20).
Back in Jerusalem, an evening gala following the March of Nations conference was opened by Calev Myers, Founder and Chairman of ARISE – Alliance to Reinforce Israel's Security and Economy, who boldly emphasized that "Never Again Is Now". Following the welcome, an original musical entitled "Exodus 1947" was performed by repentant descendants of Nazi-perpetrators. The production somberly expressed the difficult journey European Holocaust survivors made by ship to Eretz Yisrael following World War II. The gala took place in Jerusalem's Beit Ha'am theater where Adolph Eichmann stood trial in 1961 and was sentenced to death.
The Texas Solidarity Mission next participated in one of five March of Nations events in the city of Zichron Yaakov where they were recognized by Mayor Ziv Deshe and where testimonies from Kibbutzim and Nova Music Festival survivors were shared. Thousands of Israelis heard the loud call on the streets: "Israel, you are not alone! You have friends in the nations; you are loved by God!". Prior to their arrival, David Nekrutman, the first Orthodox Jewish person to graduate from a Spirit-filled theology program and Executive Director of The Isaiah Projects sent participants off from Caesarea with a special teaching on Esther 4:14 and its often quoted English-excerpt, "for such a time as this".
At the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast (JPB); the Texas Solidarity Mission heard powerful testimonies by government leaders and influential Christian leaders from all walks of society. The group attended various learning sessions, including one led by Texas Solidarity Mission travelers Dr. Victoria Sarvadi, Founder of The Nathaniel Foundation and Dr. Brad Young, an emeritus professor at Oral Roberts University (ORU). 'Why Stand with Israel', a documentary film series that seeks to educate Christians about God's eternal love for His people Israel, premiered with great enthusiasm.
Upon returning to the U.S., March of Remembrance Texas leaders, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest, hosted a private closed-door screening of the IDF-collected footage from the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel for Greater Houston Area community leaders. Participants became witnesses. From point blank killings to beheadings and many of all ages being burned alive, these ISIS-style atrocities were also reminiscent of the Einsatzgruppen "Holocaust by bullets" death squads in World War II.
Rozalie Jerome, Founder of the Holocaust Remembrance Association (HRA18) and descendant of Holocaust Survivors shared, "My daughter, my two grandchildren and I were visiting Jerusalem on October 7th for Simchat Torah. We were running for shelter from rockets on a day set apart for joy. As a Jewish-American, I wept deeply after seeing the resilience of Israelis as they continue to live their lives amidst war and hate."
Jeffrey Craig, HRA18 Chairman, further remarked, "Over 80 percent of Americans in a July 2024 Gallup Poll now see antisemitism as a very or somewhat serious problem. We pray for the swift and safe return of all hostages and for the success of the IDF. Our mission to fight antisemitism has been further strengthened."
The March of Remembrance Texas is a project of the Holocaust Remembrance Association (HRA18) which also oversees the Holocaust Garden of Hope, Upstander Stone Project and Scholarship opportunities. For more information visit http://www.HRA18.org.
Media Contact
Rozalie, Holocaust Remembrance Association, 1 888-546-8111, [email protected], https://holocaustremembranceassociation.org/
SOURCE Holocaust Remembrance Association
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