International March of the Living announces participation of official UAE Delegation and launches first Holocaust Education and Remembrance Chapter in the Gulf

USA - English

• Israel - English

Torch of Remembrance to be lit at Auschwitz-Birkenau by Eitan Neishlos, Founder of International March of the Living UAE Chapter, together with H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, Founder of the Arabic & Islamic World's first Holocaust Memorial Gallery.

JERUSALEM, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in its three-decade history, the Holocaust remembrance and education organization, the International March of the Living, will include the participation an official delegation of the United Arab Emirates. The historic delegation will be led by H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, together with entrepreneur and philanthropist Eitan Neishlos, the newly appointed Founder and Ambassador of International March of the Living in the Gulf states.

They will light a memorial torch together at the official ceremony in Auschwitz-Birkenau as they join Holocaust survivors and all delegations on Thursday, April 28, 2022.

H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori is Founder of the first Holocaust Memorial Gallery in the Arabic and Islamic world as well as Founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum. In addition, he is a former Member of the Federal National Council.

Eitan Neishlos, a third-generation descendant of a Holocaust survivor, the late Tamar Zisserman, has joined March of the Living as a strategic partner to lead a journey of remembrance and responsibility among members of the third generation. His commitment to this organization led to the creation of this important new relationship with the UAE.

The participation of H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori at the March of the Living, and the appointment of Mr. Neishlos as the Founder and Ambassador of March of the Living in the Gulf states, comes after the significant progress in ties between Israel and the UAE and with respect for the development of the Jewish Community in the Gulf.

The International March of the Living annual event is held on Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and the Nazi's systematic annihilation of more than six million Jewish men, women, and children. The 32km March from Auschwitz 1 to Auschwitz-Birkenau will conclude with the traditional ceremony held on the remains of the Auschwitz-Birkenau crematoria and will feature former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion and Holocaust survivors and delegates from 25 countries. Torches of Remembrance will be lit in memory of the six million Jewish women, children and men who needlessly perished.

Speaking ahead of the March, H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori noted: "The lessons of the past and the dangers of hatred and prejudice must be learned across the world for the sake of humanity. The new realities in the Middle East which have greatly contributed to the warm friendships between Jews and Muslims, offers a historic opportunity for the children of Abraham to stand together in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and serve as a sign of cooperation and partnership for the future in our region, and further."

Eitan Neishlos commented, "The opportunity to establish the March of the Living's presence in the UAE and the Gulf, is not only a privilege, it is also an opportunity to reach ensure more people in our region learn about and understand the horrors of the Holocaust and take forward a message of reconciliation and peace for the future."

Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President of March of the Living added, "After the Abraham Accords, we have the opportunity and the obligation to educate more people about the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from that time in history. I congratulate Eitan Neishlos for undertaking the initiative to bring our mission of engagement and education to the Arab world. The participation of an official delegation from the UAE, and the establishment of our presence in the region is an important first steps to further the future of Holocaust memory and education."

Media contact: Jason Pearlman, [email protected]

SOURCE International March of the Living