US to send official delegation to March of the Living for first time

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — The United States for the first time will send an official delegation to the annual March of the Living at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi camp.

The delegation will be headed by the ambassador to Israel, David Friedman; the ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell; the ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher; and the special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, Elan Carr.

Along with participating in Thursday’s march in Poland, the delegation will visit Israel.

Carr will travel from there to Ukraine to address the Kyiv Jewish Forum on May 6, and will meet with Ukrainian government officials and Jewish community representatives. He also will go on to Warsaw and Budapest for meetings with government officials, nongovernmental organizations and Jewish community leaders.

The following week Carr will travel to Belgium for meetings in Brussels with government officials, NGOs and Jewish community leaders. In Antwerp, he will address the Conference of European Rabbis on May 14.

Also, a delegation of United Nations ambassadors will participate in the March of the Living before going to Israel, remaining for next week’s Independence Day there. The diplomats are participating at the invitation of the American Zionist Movement and the International March of the Living.

In Israel, they will tour of the country to learn about the land, Jewish history and Zionism, receive briefings on security challenges, and participate in high-level discussions and meetings.