On May 14, 2026, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum hosted the annual international March of the Living event.
The March of the Living is an international educational event held at the Auschwitz Museum in Poland. It is organized for young people – schoolchildren and students—accompanied by teachers and education specialists from various countries. The goal is to commemorate the mass extermination of people during the Holocaust. The event takes place at the former Auschwitz concentration camp, established by the Nazis. More than 1.1 million people were murdered there, approximately 1 million of whom were Jewish. The March of the Living is held on Yom HaShoah, which commemorates the victims of the Holocaust according to the Jewish calendar. During the event, participants walk a symbolic route of several kilometers from the Auschwitz Museum to Birkenau.
Holocaust survivors participate in the event every year. This year’s event was attended by 50 survivors, aged 80 to 98. As time passes, the number of Holocaust witnesses participating each year is decreasing. The 2026 March of the Living event had 7,000 participants from around the world. Lithuania was represented by 135 participants, including 100 schoolchildren and 35 teachers and education staff, from various educational and cultural institutions that house Tolerance Education Centers.
The Lithuanian representatives participated in the March of the Living and visited the former Treblinka extermination camp. During an informative tour of the Auschwitz Museum, they learned about the history of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the fates of its prisoners. They also learned about the museum’s mission to educate visitors.
Representatives from the following Tolerance Education Centers active in Lithuania participated in the international March of the Living event: the Tomo Noraus-Naruševičiaus Gymnasium in Krokialaukis, Alytus District, Kaunas Juozo Grušo Art Gymnasium, Kaunas Jono and Petro Vileišių School, Kelmė Jono Graičiūno Gymnasium, Kėdainiai District Josvainių Gymnasium, Marijampolė “Sūduva” Gymnasium, Plungė District Žemaitijos Cadet Gymnasium, Radviliškis Kindergarten-School, Šalčininkai District Turgelių Aistuvos Gymnasium, Vilnius Grigiškės “Šviesa” Gymnasium, Vilnius “Žara” Gymnasium, and Vilnius Sholom Aleichem ORT Gymnasium. The event was also attended by education specialists and cultural workers from the following institutions, which also house Tolerance Education Centers: the Marijampolė Meilė Lukšienė Education Center, the Kuliai Museum, the Prienai Regional Museum, and the Baisogala Cultural Center in Radviliškis District.
Israeli politicians and Holocaust survivors initiated the idea for the March of the Living in 1988, aiming to convey the events of the Holocaust to young people while honoring the victims and preserving their memory.
The Secretariat of the International Commission invited representatives of the Tolerance Education Centers to participate in the international March of the Living event in Poland. The Secretariat has been cooperating with the international March of the Living organization (EMOTL) since 2018.
