FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 1, 2025

Media Advisory: Governor Murphy to Visit Poland to Participate in the International March of the Living on Yom HaShoah

Amid a Dramatic Rise in Antisemitism Across the Globe, Governor Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan to Take Part in Three-Kilometer Walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and New Jersey State Police Colonel Pat Callahan will travel to Poland to participate in the International March of the Living on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in commemoration of Yom HaShoah, known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. The three-kilometer march will begin at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oświęcim and end in Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp built by the Nazis during World War II.

Today's announcement follows Governor Murphy's visit to Kittatinny Regional High School's Holocaust and Genocide Research Center on March 31. Joined by Holocaust survivor Maud Dahme and Sussex County Teacher of the Year Mary Houghtaling, the Governor spent the visit learning about student-driven projects within the Center.

“We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust,” said Governor Murphy. “And with antisemitism on the rise, we must always stand alongside our Jewish friends and neighbors to reject hate. I am proud to participate in the International March of the Living to honor the over six million innocent people killed during the Holocaust and reaffirm our commitment to combatting hate and ignorance around the world.”

“I am honored to walk in the International March of the Living,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “This annual march on Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as an important reminder of the horrific suffering and loss that Jewish people endured in World War II. We proudly support our Jewish community in New Jersey and around the world and look forward to a meaningful and memorable trip to Poland.”

“It is a profound honor to participate in the March of the Living and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in remembrance of the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “As we walk the same path that so many innocent victims once took, we reaffirm our commitment to remembering history and eliminating hatred and intolerance from our world. The lessons of the past must guide us in building a future rooted in understanding, respect, and unity.”

The International March of the Living is an annual educational program and memorial march bringing individuals from across the world to Poland to study the history of the Holocaust and examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance, and hatred. In memory of the over six million Jews and other innocent victims killed during the Holocaust, over 10,000 participants join the ceremony annually, marching silently shoulder to shoulder for three kilometers from Auschwitz to the nearby Birkenau camp. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of the Nazi concentration camp networks, responsible for over 1.5 million deaths.

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