On May 2, members of the New England Revolution and Chelsea Football Club participated in “March of the Living,” an annual event held in remembrance of the Holocaust. The March of the Living brings people from around the world together in Poland to explore the history of the Holocaust, with 10,000 people marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex built during World War II. It is part of a continuing series of commitments both organizations have made as part of a joint effort between Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich and Revolution owner Robert Kraft to harness the power of sport to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination.
Last year, Chelsea FC was the first Premier League club to ever send a delegation to the March of the Living. This year, Chelsea FC was joined by the Revolution, whose participation represented the first appearance by a U.S. team. Participating from Chelsea was director Eugene Tenenbaum, CEO Guy Laurence, former manager Avram Grant and club ambassador Steve Redgrave. Participants from the Revolution included president Brian Bilello and club ambassador Charlie Davies.
“Chelsea was honored to participate in the March of the Living for the second year in a row,” said Chelsea director Eugene Tenenbaum. “We started this initiative to raise awareness of and tackle anti-Semitism in all its forms more than a year ago, and sharing this experience of paying our respects to the millions of Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust with members of the New England Revolution goes a long way in spreading the message of unity and tolerance.”
“The New England Revolution was honored to join the March of the Living this year to recognize the legacy of those who lost their lives in the Holocaust,” said Revolution president Brian Bilello. “With prejudice and hate crimes on the rise, we feel it’s important to use our voice to help combat discrimination of any kind, and we are proud to partner with Chelsea to help promote equality and tolerance.” The march is designed to contrast starkly with the death marches that occurred toward the end of the war. Since its inception in 1988, more than 260,000 individuals from 52 countries have marched down the same three-kilometer path leading from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). Just days after the march, Chelsea and the Revolution will meet again in Foxborough to compete in a charity match, “Final Whistle on Hate,” which will be played on Wednesday, May 15. All proceeds will go toward raising funds for projects promoting equality and tolerance. The match’s primary beneficiaries will include the World Jewish Congress, the Tree of Life synagogue, the Anti-Defamation League and the Holocaust Educational Trust. Representatives from these and other anti-discrimination organizations will be invited to attend the game, while ownership of each team will also donate $1 million in support of the cause.
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