Australian identities to join Poland–Israel tour
With 50 Australians due to participate on MOTL for the first time in four years, three high-profile Australian identities will embark on the program next month.
Three high-profile Australian identities will embark on March of the Living (MOTL) next month, the 2023 program marking 80 years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence.
With 50 Australians due to participate on MOTL for the first time in four years, the delegation will include Olympic champion swimmer and LGBTQI+ activist Ian Thorpe, investigative journalist Nick McKenzie and Pymble Ladies’ College principal Dr Kate Hadwen.
This is the 35th iteration of the fortnight-long journey to Poland and Israel, which brings together about 10,000 participants from around the world.
MOTL president Cedric Geffen will lead the Australian delegation for the eighth time alongside newly-appointed young adult cohort leader Dean Levitan.
Saying he was pleased to welcome Thorpe, McKenzie and Hadwen to MOTL, Geffen said: “Coming at a time when antisemitism is on the rise both globally and locally, the participation of these high-profile identities will have a powerful exponential impact, both in conveying the enormity of the Holocaust and educating the broader Australian community about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination.”
Geffen added, “We have selected Dean Levitan (chair of Stand Up) as a changemaker who will impart his knowledge from his previous MOTL experience, as well as his passion for and commitment to the mantra of ‘Never Again’.”
Adding to the diversity of this year’s contingent will be the participation of an Australian Muslim woman who will feature in a documentary about her experiences on the journey, to be filmed in real time and produced by previous MOTL participant Adam Dostalek and videographer Callum Stewart.
Hala Sbat, 39, will be the central character in Beyond the Divide, which will be focusing on racism, discrimination and bigotry.
Through her lens, viewers will see her confront the reality of the genocide of the Jewish people while grappling with her personal experiences of prejudice and the complexities of interfaith dialogue.
The film will also examine current issues of xenophobia, Islamophobia and antisemitism and how they affect communities worldwide.
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