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.
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!"
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,
admin@hra18.org, https://holocaustremembranceassociation.org/
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SOURCE Holocaust Remembrance Association