Gov. Phil Murphy isn't in NJ as he marks Holocaust Remembrance Day in Poland

People may have noted the absence of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy during the response to the massive Ocean County wildfire this week.

It was acting Gov. Tahesha Way – the state’s lieutenant governor — not Murphy who signed Wednesday’s state of emergency in response to the Jones Road Wildfire.

However, Murphy continued to post on social media about the fire — from Poland.

That’s because the second-term Democrat and his wife, first lady Tammy Murphy, are in Poland to walk in the annual International March of the Living on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The March of the Living brings people together to make the 3-kilometer march from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a.k.a. Yom Hashoah, and remember the millions of Jews and others killed by Adolf Hitler’s German Nazi regime.

This year marks 80 years since the liberation of Nazi death and concentration camps and the end of World War II in Europe.

“We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust,” Murphy said while announcing his trip earlier this month. “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.”

Murphy turned over gubernatorial duties to Way when he left the country, as it required in New Jersey.

Expect Murphy back on the official job soon.