Join fellow teens from Chicagoland and other Midwest communities this coming April 16 - April 30, 2012. The March of the Living is a two-week, life-altering journey where teens bear witness to the destruction of the Holocaust in Poland followed by a celebration of the State of Israel in the Jewish Homeland. Our experience in Poland coincides with a commemoration of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) where we march in silence from Auschwitz to Birkenau. In Israel we celebrate the Jewish future on Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day) in Jerusalem.

Signing-Up for the Chicagoland Delegation

The Chicagoland Delegation is open to Jewish teens of all backgrounds from Chicago as well as other Midwest communities, and will be led by informal Jewish educators from a variety of Jewish youth groups, including BBYO, NCSY, and others. Registration is only open for a short period through the end of December 2011. Teens on the Chicagoland Delegation will travel together throughout the March and will fly as a group from Chicago.

NOTE: Non-Chicagoland students may participate in the March of the Living as part of BBYO's National Teen Delegation and will have the chance to interact with Chicago Delegation teens at our accommodations and during BBYO delegation-wide programming.

Itinerary Overview

The March of the Living encompasses two weeks of travel in Poland and Israel with fellow Jewish teens from across North America and around the world. Learn More: Program Itinerary

Week #1: Poland
Travel to Poland to honor the Jewish community of the past and connect with Poland's Jewish community of today. To mark Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), teens from over 60 countries take part in an emotional two-mile march between the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Week #2: Israel
Fly from Poland to Israel to join millions of Israelis in celebrating Yom Ha'Atzmaut - Israel's 64th Independence Day festivities. Travel to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea. Walk in the footsteps of 3,000 years of Jewish history and experience the modern day miracle of Israel's creation with all your senses.

Confronting The Destruction in Poland

We begin our journey in Poland learning about the rich history of the Jewish People in Europe prior to the Holocaust. Explore the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow, the restored Nozyck Synagogue in Warsaw, and the famous Yeshiva of Lublin where Jewish life in Galicia thrived dating back to medieval times.

With this deeper appreciation of our proud past, we confront the destruction of the Holocaust bearing witness at the concentration camps and the death camps of Treblinka, Majdanek, and ultimately, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Along the way, we will stop at the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising memorial, Mila 18, and Oscar Schindler's factory. The BBYO delegation is accompanied by a survivor in Poland, which creates a link between generations and fosters a personal connection to our history.

The March of the Living experience in Poland culminates with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Rememberance Day), with a three kilometer march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest extermination camp complex built by the Nazis during World War II. Retrace the steps of the “March of Death,” the actual route which countless numbers of our People walked on their way to the gas chambers at Birkenau. However, our march will be a “March of the Living” concluding with the singing of Hatikvah which reaffirms “Am Yisrael Chai – The Jewish People Live.”

Our emotional journey in Poland concludes in Warsaw where our focus shifts to the resurgence of Jewish life in Warsaw today -- with newly re-dedicated synagogues, schools, organizations and youth groups. Stand hand-in-hand with the modern day Jewish community which continues to keep the flame of our People alive in Poland.

Celebrating Renewal in Israel

Departing Poland, we fly overnight to Israel where we land in the vibrant, sun-soaked Jewish State. Our travels in Israel begin in Tel Aviv where we will eat a celebratory welcome breakfast on the beach, retrace the founding of modern Israel in 1948 and experience the contemporary heart of Israeli culture.

From Tel Aviv, we travel to Jerusalem. Here, we experience the ancient and the modern together. Our Jerusalem journey starts in the Jewish Quarter at the Western Wall – our most cherished link to the past. Relive the glory of ancient Jerusalem history; recount its 2000 year-old destruction; celebrate the reunification in 1967; and imagine a Jerusalem of the future.

On Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day), we join together with all of Israel to mourn fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The following day is Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day), and all of the March of the Living delegations from around the world reunite in Jerusalem for a second march followed by an international celebration event that evening. Having witnessed the darkness of the Holocaust firsthand, these life-affirming experiences in Israel are especially moving and meaningful.

Our journeying in Israel concludes with the unforgettable experience of hiking up to Masada at sunrise followed by floating on the waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.

Although our time in Israel is short, it will certainly lay a significant foundation that will encourage you to seek further Jewish experiences for the rest of your life.

The goal of the "March of the Living" is to educate Jewish teens about the richness of our past, to keep that past alive and to perpetuate our Jewish future. Past participants have maintained their level of Jewish commitment by returning to Israel, seeking a Jewish lifestyle in college, acting to protect human rights, and developing a sense of leadership and responsibility for the Jewish World around us.

Program Package

• Round-trip flights from Chicago
• Accommodations (hotels and guest houses)
• All meals (kosher)
• Activities & entrance fees
• Deluxe motorcoach
• Dynamic staff team
• Security escort & monitoring (Israel)
• Medical insurance (excludes pre-existing conditions)

Trip Links

• Program Itinerary
• Pre-Trip Prep 2011
• AP Test Deferral Letter
• Registration Instructions
• Why Israel, Why Now?
• Safety & Security
• Register Now for March of the Living

Program Cost: $4,850

Tuition includes round trip flights from Chicago, all accommodations, all meals and programming in Poland and Israel. Participants are responsible for getting to/from Chicago O'Hare Airport, suggested gratuities of $100 for our guide and driver, as well as any personal spending money.

NOTE: Each sponsoring agency of the Chicagoland Delegation offers need-based scholarship funding for its respective teens. Contact your local program director for additional details.

How to Register

Teens wishing to join the Chicagoland Teen Delegation to the March of the Living can register online. Please take a moment and review the full March of the Living registration instructions for additional terms and details. There are also only a limited number of spaces available for the 2012 March of the Living program, so we encourage you to register early and no later than February 1, 2012.

Eligibility & Preparation

This program is appropriate for Jewish high school students who exhibit maturity, leadership potential, and the ability to share their experiences with others.

Questions about the Chicagoland Delegation?

• Program-related questions:
  BBYO - Stacy Heller
  NCSY - Moshe Isenberg
  JSU - Andi Gutnik
• Registration-related questions:
  Aaron Robbin