In a historic and deeply emotional convergence of past and present suffering, freed hostage Eli Sharabi, who survived captivity in Gaza only to return home and discover that his entire family had been slaughtered on October 7, marched through the gates of Auschwitz alongside Holocaust survivors, bereaved Israeli families, and global dignitaries during this year’s March of the Living.
The event, which marks 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camps, carried a message louder and more defiant than ever: the Jewish people will not be erased.
Sharabi, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Polish President Andrzej Duda, declared before the international gathering:
> “We will never forget or forgive the horrors of the Holocaust. But today, we also walk for the victims of a new chapter of barbarism. Those of us from the October 7 delegation are proof of our people’s light — a light that will never be extinguished.”
Eli Sharabi, survivor of Hamas captivity, spoke in front of the crematorium of Auschwitz. Eli’s brother, Yossi Sharabi, was murdered and his body is being held hostage in Gaza:
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) April 24, 2025
“We will never forget or forgive the horrors of the Holocaust. Yet every representative who has come… pic.twitter.com/SXjOM0EELB
His speech, heavy with sorrow and steeled by conviction, transformed the Auschwitz grounds into a global megaphone of remembrance and resilience.
> “We sanctify life, not death,” he continued. “And we demand the return of every hostage — the living to their families, the fallen to proper burial. This is the sacred covenant between the state and its citizens.”
His brother Sharon Sharabi, a relentless advocate for the return of all abductees, added thunder to Eli’s solemnity:
> “This human wall — made of flesh, spirit, and unbreakable resolve — is stronger than any ghetto wall that once sought to contain us. We are the descendants of those who suffered here, and we will not be bowed again. The blood spilled on October 7 will be accounted for — with unity, with strength, with truth.”
One of the most important lessons of World War II is the imperative for the allied powers of the free world to stand firm against any forces that encourage and promote dark ideologies of terror and hatred.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) April 24, 2025
Today, we mark Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day on the soil of… pic.twitter.com/4VkquS0QIm
Their message resonated across generations. Michael Kupershtein, grandfather of hostage Bar Kupershtein, stood among the marchers and drew a painful parallel:
> “They killed six million Jews then. And today, they kill our children, our women, our elderly — again. The war brought only vengeance.”
Beside him, Faina Kupershtein, Bar’s grandmother, broke down as she cried out:
> “My grandson is still in captivity. He is suffering like our ancestors did. He is living the Holocaust anew. Bring them home.”
Shelly Shem Tov, mother of freed hostage Omer Shem Tov, echoed this plea with haunting clarity:
> “It is 2025, and still, from the depths of captivity, voices scream: ‘Save us.’ Back then, we had no home. Today we do. So we must act. We must bring them home. Only then can healing begin.”
Before the March of the Living today, President of Poland Andrzej Duda and President of Israel Isaac Herzog laid wreaths at the Wall of Death at the site of Auschwitz I to honor all victims of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) April 24, 2025
The presidents also met with… pic.twitter.com/Xh7o2W4NIF
The Israeli delegation was led by Olympic judoka Peter Paltchik, proudly waving the Israeli flag — the same flag he carried at the Olympic Games. His presence was symbolic of defiance and continuity. A descendant of Red Army fighters who resisted the Nazis, Paltchik represented the warrior spirit of a people that refuses to vanish.
This year’s March of the Living was not just a remembrance of what was lost — it was a roaring affirmation of what remains: identity, purpose, and the will to survive. It was a march for the dead, the wounded, the captive — and for a people who, against every effort to destroy them, still walk forward.
