PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — “Six million is a huge number,” said Karen Bar-Or.
“(It) consists of 6 million individuals, 6 million stories — I don’t know 6 million people.”
On Thursday, for Holocaust Remembrance Day, Bar-Or and the Israeli American Council (IAC) are encouraging people to walk in memory of the 6 million Jews killed between 1941 and ’45.
The 6 Million Steps initiative, led by IAC, mobilizes people to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and condemn recent acts of anti-Semitism by collectively walking 6 million steps — and counting.
“The idea is to have people go out collectively and gather steps, either from walking or running, really just to raise the memory of the 6 million lives that were lost in the Holocaust,” added Bar-Or, IAC national activism director.
They hit their goal in the first week of the international effort, which started on March 21. (International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place on Jan. 27, while the Israeli commemoration is honored in April.)
“We decided that we would do 6 million steps a week for a total of 18 million steps, which is chai-million, which symbolizes life in Judaism,” she explained.
Participants can walk or run by themselves or with others.
“We have organized community walks in different places, including a walk that’s going to happen in central Philly,” she said, which takes place on Sunday, the final day of the event.
People can connect their Fitbit or similar devices and upload their steps online.
The walk kicks off at 11 a.m. at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.