Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) “From Holocaust to Independence” mission to Poland and Israel, April 19-27.
(Courtesy of FIDF) On the heels of the unfathomable horror that was the Holocaust came the birth of the State of Israel in May 1948 — a beacon of light for Jews everywhere, providing hope after perhaps the darkest time in our world’s history. Seventy-five years later, we will never forget those who were lost and we will continue to celebrate the incredible miracle that is Israel, a safe haven for the entire Jewish people.
In honor of Israel’s 75th Independence Day, more than 80 Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters from across the country, alongside a delegation of 20 IDF soldiers, will be joined by two of the world’s remaining Holocaust survivors as they embark on an incredible journey of remembrance and renewal, from April 19 – April 27 in Poland and Israel. The nine-day “From Holocaust to Independence” mission will span Jewish history, bringing 800 years of Jewish history to life, from its darkest moments to the most triumphant, culminating in Israel’s 75th Independence Day.
The Mission is part of FIDF’s Witnesses in Uniform Program, which offers soldiers a first-hand look at the unfathomable horrors of the Holocaust, leading to a new, profound understanding of their Jewish identity and heritage.
The trip will begin in Krakow, Poland, and participants will visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, where more than one million inmates were systematically starved, tortured and murdered between 1941-1945. They will visit the Zbylitowaska Gora Village and Buczyna Forest to retrace the steps where more than 800 children were executed by the Nazis, and continue to the Kupa synagogue, the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Krakow and on to the Krakow Jewish Ghetto.
The group will then fly to Israel where they will have the opportunity to attend the National Memorial Ceremony dedicated to fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism at the Kotel with state officials, including Israel’s President and Chief of Staff. They will visit IDF bases, meet soldiers serving on Israel’s front lines and commanders in elite units, commemorate Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, and celebrate Israel’s 75th Independence Day with those who ensure Israel’s safety and its future existence.
Joining the mission will be Holocaust survivors 95 year-old Ben Midler and 94 year-old David Schaecter. Midler was born in Bialystok, Poland in 1928 and was the only surviving family member of his family who remained in Poland during the war. After living in a ghetto for two years, he was taken to six concentration camps between the ages of 15 to 17 and survived because he was able to work at these camps. Midler later came to Israel (then Palestine) and fought in the Palmach’s “Harel” Unit in the battle to free Jerusalem in 1948 during the War of Independence. He is the author of “The Life of A Child Survivor from Bialystok, Poland,” a biography of a 13-year-old boy which tells from a child survivor’s perspective how he escaped concentration camps, execution squads and the gas chambers. He wrote the book in his 80s to provide a living history. A resident of San Diego since 1984, Ben and his wife, Esther have three daughters, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
David Schaecter is one of the founders of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach and of The March of the Living. He was born in Czechoslovakia in 1929 in the Tokai Mountains area close to the Czech-Hungarian border. In April 1940, his father was taken to Auschwitz and a year later, when Schaecter was eleven years old, he and the rest of his family were also sent to Auschwitz. All 105 members of his family perished. He arrived in the United States in January 1950 at the age of 20 and registered at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He later transferred to UCLA and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. A British-American family hired him to develop and grow two different branches of their business. They eventually transferred him to Miami in 1956. After two years in Miami, Schaecter started his own company and found great success. He has been married to his second wife, Sydney, since 2005 and has two adult children, five adult grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
“During this historic mission on Israel’s 75th anniversary, we’ll celebrate the story of Jewish courage – from near annihilation to the triumph of establishing the state of Israel,” said Steve Weil, CEO of FIDF. “When we march tall and proud through the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps, together with Holocaust survivors, FIDF supporters and Israeli officers in uniform gratefully flying the Israeli flag, we will send a clear message: We are here, we will never forget, and we will do whatever we must do to protect our country and our people to guarantee “Never Again.”
