Ever since I read Anne Frank's diary at the age of 13, I have felt a haunting obligation to pay tribute to her and the six million others. My husband feels this way about the Shoah, as well, therefore with much soul searching, we joined the Panama Mission for Israel Bonds. We knew it would be a heart wrenching experience, and therefore felt it was easier to share the experience with family members and good friends. This mission encompassed two days in Poland and six days throughout Israel.

March of the Living is the march in silence measuring three kilometers from Auschwitz to Birkenau. It commemorates the death marches of hundreds of thousands of Jews forced by the Nazis to march throughout Europe under intolerable conditions during the end of the war. As we, the participants, took our places, Gabi Ashkenazi, Chief of Staff of the IDF and the son of a Bulgarian Holocaust survivor, told us to walk with one step of sorrow and one step of pride. Among the marchers were young and old Jews from every continent—Polish students, disabled people in wheel chairs and high-ranking diplomats. The march began with the sound of the shofar. The day was cool, cloudy and dismal. It began to rain as my husband and I held hands tightly. As we marched toward Birkenau, millions of thoughts raced through our minds. We felt the suffering of the fallen, remorse about the crushed dreams, and pity for the children that never grew. But as I looked to my right and my left, I felt the pride to be part of the living, breathing Jewish Nation.

Chaim Topol, the Israeli actor who played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, narrated the ceremony. He introduced all six groups of torchlighters. The first torchlighters were in honor of survivors who began new lives after the Shoah. The second torchlighters were in honor of the Righteous Among the Nations (those who risked their lives to save Jews). The third torchlighters were in memory of the six million innocent Jews who perished in the Shoah. Fourth, in memory of 1.5 million children who perished. Fifth, in honor of the second generation of the Jewish people who would never know their grandparents, and finally, in honor of The Israel Defense Force, which is the pride of every Israeli and hope for the Jewish people. These soldiers who lit the torch were permanently wounded young boys and girls. One stated the IDF will forever guard and protect innocent Jews throughout the world as they demonstrated in Entebbe, Uganda and Ethiopia.

We were speechless, mentally exhausted, cold and wet when the ceremony ended. Walking back to our buses on wet, muddy grass, rail road tracks and barbed wire on one side of the path and the camp on the other, we knew we had completed our mission. Our mission was to be counted as a part of those who bore witness to the testimony of the fate of European Jews. We had come to Poland to affirm that Hitler did not end the Jewish people. We were empowered to tell our children and grandchildren that the Shoah was the worst destruction that ever occurred to the Jewish people and mankind. It is now in their hands to tell their future generations what happened to the Jews in this tragic time.

What I learned from the mission to Poland was that the vast majority of Jews could not escape Hitler's war machine. Nazi anti-Semitic acts were done in plain view—in front of the local population. The camps in Poland were not a secret. They were on wide open fields expanding over 400 acres each. Walking away from this mission, we as Jews must declare, “Never again.” Those words should be engraved upon our hearts. We must educate our children on all that happened. We cannot let these camps disappear or be altered in any way. We must be a witness to what was left.

The following morning upon arriving in Israel, we went straight to the Kotel to pray for the living and say Kaddish for the dead. Our Israeli mission began. We had the opportunity to meet and listen to the members of the Israeli government, visit the Negev Desert where we saw new technological inventions used for energy and cutting-edge agricultural technology. There we saw new towns flourishing in Beer Sheba with the youngsters going to after-school programs for extra learning. As Jews, taking care of our children is crucial, as they are our most precious asset.

Hearing members of the government telling us about the progress and the future outlook for Israel was new to me. They told us about the danger of Iran supplying arms, ammunition and technology to the enemy. I never had such firsthand information.

After a long week of celebrations, being in Israel during Yom Hazikaron, we came to understand the sacrifices that went into building the country. It saddened me to learn that the youngest soldier to die in Israel was only 10 years old. He died in 1948 running messages to the few soldiers near Jerusalem. Who knows what this young boy might have become had he lived? We only know that he died fighting for Jews to have a land of their own.

I learned from the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, that we need to remember the past while living in the present. The same countries that shut their doors to Jews during World War II now want to dictate policy to Israel. He said Israel will not negotiate with anti-Semites. What I learned from Prime Minister Olmert was that Israel, in spite of a hostile neighborhood, continues to grow in science, math, medicine, agriculture and technology. Ronnie Bar-On, Finance Minister, said that the economy is thriving and there is massive expansion in Israel.

What I learned from Dalia Itzik, Speaker of the Knesset, is that Israel needs to remember the past when it was a young country, a time when all its leaders had the same agenda to work for a common goal. In returning from the march, I have seen the valley of Jewish death and the pinnacle of Jewish life. And in seeing how far we have come as a nation, I can now confidently say, Am Yirael Chai.
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Raquel Dabah was born in Panama. She went to school in Panama and Switzerland. She is married to Victor Dabah and is a proud mother and grandmother.