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The 2021 Virtual International March of the Living, coinciding with Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, will take place on Thursday, April 8, at 10:00 AM EDT.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19, the event is being dedicated to the Global Medical Community.

The annual march — usually held in person at the site of former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland — will be led online this year by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Isaac Herzog, and Jewish National Fund Chairman Avraham Duvdevani, and numerous Holocaust survivors, including Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.

March participants from around the world have been filmed using 3D technology so they will appear to be walking the traditional route at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“We all have a duty to pass on the memory of the Holocaust to future generations, not to forget, not to let it be forgotten,” Rivlin said in a statement. “During this pandemic, we are prevented from stepping on the accursed earth, saturated with the blood of six million of our people. Yet, we have vowed never to forget or let go.”

March of the Living World Chair Dr. Shmuel Rosenman and March of the Living President Phyllis Greenberg Heideman said, “The fact that this is the second year that we will not march in the March of the Living on Holocaust Remembrance Day at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camps is difficult. However, will never stop the work of remembrance. This year we found a unique way to hold a virtual march in a way that brings us as close as possible to a feeling that cannot be explained in words. We will be in Auschwitz-Birkenau in spirit and soul, and we will be joined by millions of people around the world.”

Combat Anti-Semitism Movement Executive Director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa stated, “I lost two great-grandfathers in Auschwitz-Birkenau, All my life I’ll make sure their memory will never be forgotten. Fighting anti-Semitism means understanding where it can lead. We must never stop educating about the horrors of the Holocaust and preserving the memory of those who perished. As anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial continue to grow, now more than ever, ‘Never Means Never.'”

Those who wish to have a personal message placed on the railroad tracks at the site can do so via this website: nevermeansnever.com

For more information on the International March of the Living, visit its website: motl.org

Watch a video promo for the event below:

This year, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, we will reiterate to the world that #NeverMeansNever.

Join us, @MOTLorg, and hundreds of Holocaust survivors at the virtual March of The Living on April 8.

Write your personal message here: https://t.co/KFHheoExaT. pic.twitter.com/uy89NnrVbh

— Combat Anti-Semitism (@CombatASemitism) March 31, 2021