 and relations in the International Affairs and Communications Division at Yad Vashem. I'm also joined by Dr Aaron Moore, member of the advisory board at the European Legacy Institute in Prague. Thank you both for joining us. But before we turn to studio, we want to go live or we want to go directly there to Poland or India. Naftali is at the march and filed this report. Right now we are in Poland here in Auschwitz, a former German-Nazi concentration and extermination camp. I'm here with March of the Living, which is an international annual educational Holocaust program that brings delegations from all across the world to have an on-site experience, but also to march in remembrance of the six million who were lost in the Holocaust. Now today, like I said, there are thousands of people here from all around the world. We've seen Arab delegations, we've seen so many Jewish youth movements, and it's incredible to see how many people of so many ages are here and standing up against prejudice and hate and saying never again. We've seen delegations from Japan and Australia. It's an incredible, there's an incredible sense of unity here today, marching for something that we all believe in, something that we all know we want to continue in the future, and that is saying never again and that we remember the six million who were lost. Yes, coming back to studio now with our guest, Ruchel Bod Kaplan and Dr. Aaron Moore. Ruchel, I want to start with you. This annual march of the Living, three kilometers of walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau, and it is held on Israel's Remembrance Day, but this is obviously a large international event. Talk to us about the larger meaning of all these people coming together there today. Well, I think that today is particularly significant in the fact that it's an event that brings now more and more non-Jews who are participating in this, I would say, gathering, which is a educational, I think, congress in what you would like to think of it that way. It brings people together from so many different nations. It provides them, I think, with a very meaningful experience, and I would like to hope that for many years this will have a lot of impact on young leaders of tomorrow. Yes, we're seeing some very important people there, US Ambassador to Israel, former US Ambassador in this year, also honored by the presence of the Italian President, Dr. Aaron Moore. Talk to us about the meaning of this march for you as someone who deals with the Shoah, all his life, basically the importance of this walk and what it symbolizes for you. I would like to add to my colleague's answer before. Basically, if you look at it from the Jewish point of view, it's the biggest annual gathering in the diaspora outside of Israel. In Israel, of course, we have bigger gatherings, but in the diaspora there aren't such big gatherings of Jews. So this is a unique event which is ongoing every year and it brings a very good feeling to the Jewish people who attended and to the Jewish diaspora knowing that there is such an annual event. So this is important for itself, for the framework of Jewish and Jews. For me, this event is emotional. I did it myself without the march on my own and it is meaningful and it is bringing me to new areas because it's being held in Poland and we know that in Poland now we have issues with Poland and one of the major issues is the Jewish property that is held in Poland, which is not dealt with by the Israeli government, which is a big shame. So I have, on one hand, positive feelings. On the other hand, I have mixed feelings and negative feelings about the dealing of the Israeli government with the issue of Jewish property left behind in Poland. Yes, the relations between Israel and Poland are obviously a big issue keeping in mind that obviously most of these death camps are there in Poland and that the march of the living is taking place in Poland at a time when the relations between these two countries are complex. They've always been complex. They've been just as complex in recent years. Richelle, how do you see the handling of the Israeli government with this government of Poland when it comes to the historic memory and the role that the Polish people played in the Holocaust? Well, I want to focus on what you just said about death camps and I think that that's a good starting point because that is a point of contention and I think that the Polish government is correct to make sure that we understand that those camps were not built by the Polish people and that they were created by the German government at the time and it's very important to make sure that it's always clear when we talk about that and not to say Polish death camps. What is important is that Israel as well as another 34 governments, including the government of Poland, are members of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is committed to safeguarding the historical record and that means that we all are signed on to protecting and combating Holocaust distortion and that is very important as the Irem mission and I believe that we need as governments to make very clear pledges to ensure education, remembrance and research to make sure that when we are working on Holocaust education that we make sure that it is accurate and that it is meaningful. Yes, you mentioned the Holocaust distortion and there was quite a debate just this week in Israel about where these delegations are being sent to. We will go much deeper into that later. We just have a minute until the break. I want to hear from you doctor about what is most significant for you about the new changes perhaps that are being proposed for the delegations. Well I see in this agreement which was hopefully will not be signed or not be approved by the Israeli government and the Knesset a very big problem because it makes symmetry between the suffering of Poles during World War II and the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust and that ignores the murders of Jews by the Poles during the Holocaust and basically it causes a long-term damage to the memory of the Holocaust as the moral imperative of the Holocaust is lost. Now Poland, the Polish nation is a great nation and it was proven a long history and therefore the attempt of the Polish government to create such an agreement is simply disgraceful. We will dig deeper into all these very contentious topics we are taking a very short break now we'll come back to hear more from the March of the Living and from those speakers there. Hey it's you again ready let's go one show a whole lot of perspective he is part of the problem you want to talk about deep platforming people are losing their lives not just what happened but why does it matter I'd like to finish my point you're the one switching terms if you could be a fantastic CNN reporter join us every night 8 p.m. Eastern on global life the global conversation starts here imagine being able to see into the future what innovations will change the world as we know it join us as we meet the people changing our planet and discover the inventions shaping tomorrow Israel business beats Sundays and Wednesdays 9 30 p.m. GMT the Middle East is changing old alliances make way for new partnerships bigger threats lead to new relationships and shared goals mean new opportunities we speak to those who know the inside story and are at the heart of the changes don't get caught up with the same old story find out what's happening in Middle East now Middle East now on actually for you thanks for staying with us on this special edition covering the annual march of the living we do want to take you live right there right now we're joined by Ravan Osman a Syrian Lebanese peace activist visiting the march of the living at the initiative of the Sharaka NGO or one it's good to have you with us thank you I'm happy to speak to you on this day I hope we can hear you Ravan the memory of the Holocaust is not often honored in the region in the Middle East first tell us how did you come about to attend the march today and talk to us about your feelings being there on this very special occasion yeah first of all as you mentioned I'm half Lebanese half Syrian I grew up learning that the Holocaust did not happen and unfortunately even in the curriculum at school we learned that this is a fabrication and as I grew older and moved to Europe I lived among Jews and I ended up working for an American organization at the Center for Peace Communications and we combat anti-normalization laws in Arab countries last year with Sharaka we organized the first Arab delegation to Auschwitz Emirati Syrian Lebanese Bahrainese Moroccans this year we're doing it again as it was a success and last year a lot of people are thirsty to know more about this tragedy they are shaken personally I'm privileged because I got out of the box and in Europe my eyes open to a bit of reality that is still unfortunately denied in the Arab world yes Ravan as you mentioned Holocaust denial even pure antisemitism of course are common phenomena in the Middle East today at least when it comes to the knowledge of history but do you see a change in recent years we've certainly seen some change in the Abraham Accord countries in the UAE and some other places we've seen Holocaust memorials in the UAE is this the start of a new era in this respect absolutely thanks to the Abraham Accords this is possible without it this would have been inconceivable 10 years ago imagine Arabs praying Muslims praying in Auschwitz in memory of those victims so the Abraham Accords were a historic achievement and more and more countries will join the region is changing but another event happened and will affect the future and that would be the Syrian war today we are at the crossroad the people in the Middle East have two choices either join the Abraham Accords and try to create a win-win situation for Arabs and Jews or the other alternative the dark possibility of or the vision of the access of resistance the choice of Iran and its allies we can see what's happening in Lebanon in Syria in Iraq they're trying to destroy the region and thanks to the internet people know what they want and they definitely choose peace for their children it's our moral duty and the youth do not want war definitely definitely not it is certainly extremely moving and important to see you there as you pave the way for for others hopefully in the knowledge and the importance of the Holocaust Rawan Osman Syrian Lebanese peace activist we thank you so much for being with us we will see the podium very soon where the Italian president is taking to the stage maybe let's try to listen to what he has to say okay well he is speaking in Italian so we will go back into the studio we're joined by Richelle but Kaplan and Dr. Aaron Moore an incredible change in the fact that following the Abraham Accords we have seen these ceremonies this was unthinkable like many other realities that have changed in the region until two and a half years ago before the signing of these accords talk to us about the importance of studies of knowledge of the Holocaust in general just the exist mere existence of the Holocaust in Middle Eastern countries and how do people here and abroad are able to contribute to those teachings so I'm proud to say that we've had three groups from Sharaka in Yad Vashem the first few visits were only I would say for a few hours now we're building together with Sharaka actual seminars for groups which give the participants a I would say fuller experience both on our campus and in preparation it's apparent to us that they are as Rowan said thirsty for knowledge we believe that a lot of material needs to be put into Arabic Yad Vashem has has a Arabic portal but we understand from our colleagues in the UAE that they would like to be able to have more books in print that they can give to visitors to who come to see exhibitions on the Holocaust Dr. Moore well we can see here an interesting new event the Emirates and this adds basically to the importance of the March of the Living because here we have an annual platform that enables people like the lady who just heard and others to join and express what they want to express about the Holocaust and whatever so here is a joint interest and a joint a possibility to do more on those issues I want to go back to Israel now with your permission President Herzog spoke yesterday I want to read something that he said he says that Nazi abomination was an unprecedented evil with no Paul by any metric it was no mere malice it was an infinity of horror we must remember repeat and internalize time and again they and they alone were Nazis that and that alone was the Holocaust how do you see some growing trend of comparisons even within Israeli society today to Nazis well guy I think that the president raised a very important point last night at Yad Vashem at the ceremony because I think he was focusing on not comparisons but trivialization and this is not new this is a worldwide phenomenon and also here in Israel I would it's throughout also on the street also in the Knesset we hear how the Holocaust is trivialized often in a very inappropriate way I think that this is why education is so important and I'm very pleased that the president focused on this because if everyone is what he's claiming to make the point if everyone's a Nazi then no one is a Nazi and it's so important for us to understand the historical context and to be able to educate students of today to understand what this means and why it's so dangerous to use this in common parlance as a way to talk about everything in anybody just we'll dig deeper into that with you doctor we do want to go back to Israel now as here in Israel commemoration events are being held across the country a state ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum has wrapped up with this year's theme Jewish resistance survivors stood alongside prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu the president Isaac Herzog and other top Israeli officials well our senior correspondent Owen Alterman was there and filed this report as you can imagine a moving day here at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem it was last night Monday night that in some sense the main event was held that grandiose ceremony with lights and music and speeches today's events were simpler more intimate more mooted but no less moving the most prominent of which started at 10 o'clock local time with that siren that blared bringing Israel to a standstill up and down the country and here at Yad Vashem opening the traditional ceremony for the laying of the wreaths where one by one Israeli dignitaries the president the prime minister others came and laid wreaths inside this year inside Yad Vashem's hall of remembrance followed by representatives of survivors organizations but the wreath laying ceremony was not the only one on this crowded day at Yad Vashem other ceremonies were held here over the course of the day that invited members of the general public to come so no invitation needed any tourist any Israeli can come can read the name of a survivor inside the hall of remembrance light a candle at the foot of the Warsaw ghetto fighters memorial and also a ceremony held at one o'clock local time that also was open to the general public allowing them to share in the cause of Holocaust memory with the day closing here at Yad Vashem with a memorial with a ceremony held for youth movements showing the importance of have passing Holocaust memory on we were also able to speak with a number of the survivors who came here on this moment to stay the Yad Vashem the way I survived I was in the partisans it was after the Vilni Ghetto was being liquidated a group of us went through the sewer and into the forest it's a long story but I try to make it as short as possible and as clear as possible now we went into the forest myself my mother and my sister and as we were walking through the swamp all of a sudden we were surrounded by people with a gun pointed at us saying hold they found out a little bit about us and then they told us we cannot keep you here this is not the family gathering only capable men and capable women are able to join it and since we had nothing to lose my mother said we're not going any place or the Germans are going to kill us or you can kill us and we kept on following him we followed them and they saw they cannot get rid of us I was given the job of putting dynamite underneath the tracks I was doing it for a number of years till one day we heard a noise coming from all directions and we were told the Germans were coming we were pleasantly surprised that those were the Russian soldiers so the ceremonies and the memories of the survivors Owen Alterman I-24 news the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem it's a very moving testimony of that Holocaust survivor right there at Yad Vashem earlier today brought to you by our Owen Alterman and we're still here covering the annual march of the living three kilometer march through the camps dozens of dignitaries NVAPs including Italian President Sergio Matarella Israeli Education Minister Yav Kish the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau United States Ambassador to Israel Tom Nights many other dignitaries are there to respect this event we're taking a very short break now we'll come back with live speeches from the march of the living stay tuned