About a thousand people, most of them descendants of Nazis who took part in the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust, will participate Wednesday in a march supporting Israel through central Berlin streets under the messages "We will not stay silent again" and "The people of Israel live." The march will take place marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and against the backdrop of rising antisemitism since October 7. The marchers will pass through historical sites connected to the Nazi regime, including Hitler's bunker, symbolizing their commitment to learn from the past and prevent its recurrence.
The event is organized by March of Life, a German Christian movement founded in 2007 by Jobst Bittner – a descendant of a Nazi family – and additional partners who chose to face historical truth, take moral responsibility, work toward reconciliation with the Jewish people, and fight antisemitism.
"October 7 was a turning point. We witnessed that antisemitism doesn't belong to the past – it is the present," Bittner said. "When Jewish suffering is met with silence – it's not a coincidence, it's a failure. Antisemitism thrives on ignorance, denial, and the silence of the majority. That's why we cry out: We will not be silent! The time to take a stand is now. Not later. Not quietly." Senior German government officials, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, head of the Wiesenthal Institute, Jewish community representatives, Holocaust survivors, and a representative from the Israeli embassy in Germany are expected to attend the march. They will be joined by hundreds of Germans who are direct descendants of SS members, Wehrmacht soldiers, and Nazi policemen who actively participated in the Holocaust.
Marcus Diemer (62), who will participate in the march, recounts: "My grandfather was a devoted Nazi. He joined the Nazi party as early as 1928, and in 1939 he served as a police officer under the SS in Poland. He was involved in property confiscation, torture, and murder of Jews and Poles, and took part in Kristallnacht." Diemer discovered his family's dark past through archive searches and decided to make "another voice" heard.
"The first time I came to Israel in 2007, when the plane landed, I felt like I was coming home," Diemer said. "I've never met people like Israelis, open, ready for forgiveness. Unfortunately, most media in Germany is biased against Israel and doesn't show that rockets are constantly being fired at you. We want our voice to be heard, that not only Jews raise their voices, but also we as Germans."
Kim Kascha (25), a student from Tübingen, will also march on Wednesday. "My great-grandfathers served in the Nazi German army. When we asked them about the war, they avoided elaborating on the subject," she said. "One of my grandfathers, Reinhold Kascha, even mentioned that he learned to ride horses and referred to his military service as unimportant and even with humor, but after his death we discovered that he was involved in the invasion of Poland, the establishment of the Kovno ghetto, and the cruel treatment of Jews there."
"It wasn't easy for me to speak up for Israel at the university," she continued. "I have quite a few friends, many of them Muslims, who were very angry with me because of the way I sided with Israel. But I continue on my path. We learned from the past that the Holocaust happened because the majority remained silent. If we stay quiet now, we are no better than our family. We have a responsibility to support Israel and not stand by when Jews are attacked."
Felix Kunsa (31), a volunteer with the organization, testifies about the personal change he experienced: "My grandfather was a Nazi until the day he died. My life changed when I met Holocaust survivors in Israel and told them about my family. When I looked into their eyes, the historical knowledge moved from my mind to my heart."
"We are in a reality where we see Holocaust survivors sitting next to Nova survivors, and there is a connection between them because people tried to kill them because they are Jews – because of antisemitism," Kunsa added. "For us, it wasn't the Nazis who murdered Jews, it was our family. We don't come from guilt, but to raise our voice so that history doesn't repeat itself."
Members of the organization will come to Israel and, on May 11, will inaugurate an exhibition in Jerusalem dealing with the history of antisemitism. They will later hold marches in Beersheba, Netanya, Ashkelon, and Zichron Yaakov. Throughout May, more than 60 reconciliation and remembrance marches are expected to take place around the world.
