Delegation of Victorian politicians join March of the Living

Sue Hampel, co-president of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, led a bipartisan delegation of Victorian politicians to Poland to participate in the annual March of the Living (MOTL) Holocaust remembrance program.

Hampel is the daughter of a Buchenwald Boy who was the only survivor of the Holocaust in his family. The rest were murdered at Auschwitz. She is an Australian delegate to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and has worked extensively on Holocaust education and against Holocaust denial.

Hampel said, “it was really important to learn the lessons of the past, in order to shape the future… every human should visit Auschwitz in their lifetime. I can teach it, but you need to walk around and see it for your yourselves.”

Hampel was pleased that Labor and Liberal politicians wanted to learn. Like most of the Australian Jewish community, she expressed concerns about the Greens.

This particular MOTL program marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of World War 2. The visit included commemorating ANZAC Day with the Australian and New Zealand embassies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.

Over 40 Australians participated on the MOTL trip to Poland and Israel in April, joining 7,000 people from around the world to commemorate Yom Hashoah and to mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.

The group of nine Victorian politicians visited Auschwitz, Krakow, Lodz and Warsaw.  They participated in a Kabbalat Shabbat at the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw, featuring the IDF choir, followed by dinner with MOTL groups from around the world.

David Southwick, Member for Caulfield and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections said, “Organising the first parliamentary delegation to participate in the March of the Living is something I am deeply proud of. The confronting lessons of the past, combined with the ongoing hatred that continues to be displayed by so many today, made the experience both powerful and necessary.

Visiting the Nazi death camps, which were built to systematically annihilate the Jewish people, was harrowing, but the journey concluded with a powerful message of hope and survival in Israel. At the end of our visit, we laid stones brought from Poland at the Tree of the Righteous Among the Nations, dedicated to Oskar Schindler, located in Yad Vashem.

This act symbolised the enduring importance of standing against hatred. Our politicians have a vital role in leading this effort, which is why this delegation was so important — and hopefully the first of many to come.”

Nina Taylor MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education told J-Wire, “The March of the Living 2025 tour in Poland (Krakow and Warsaw) was an incredible experience.  It deepened my understanding of the long and profound history of Polish Jews in Poland, and the significant contribution they have made over centuries – economically, socially and culturally.  It must have been absolutely devastating, when they were brutally suppressed and crowded into ghettos.

The visit to Auschwitz graphically demonstrated the extremely destructive ramifications of hate – genocide.  I was moved to tears as we proceeded through the very disturbing elements of the camp, and were shown how human dignity was ruthlessly taken away from the victims.

The 3km March from Auschwitz to Birkenau, along with so many from across the globe, was very uplifting. A tremendous sense of unity, respect and defiance of hate.  Never again.”

Given the rise in antisemitism across Australia and globally, this program was an inspiring act demonstrating a positive move to educate our political leaders.