Holocaust Memorial Day latest: Survivors, royals and world leaders gather at Auschwitz to mark 80 years since liberation
'If you lost weight, you were sent to the gas chamber'
An Auschwitz survivor who was just 13 when she arrived at the concentration camp says the recent rise in antisemitism is driven by "ignorance".
Separated from her mother as she passed through the gates, Susan Pollack told Nazi guards she was 15 so they would keep her alive.
"Somebody whispered to me, your mother will be gassed. How could I respond? I was just hopeless."
Susan, now 94, shared her story with Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.
Born Zsuzsanna Blau in 1930 in Hungary, Susan became aware of antisemitism around her from a young age. Her uncle was murdered by fascists. His attacker was sentenced to just two years in prison.
After Germany invaded Hungary in 1944, the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators organised the deportation of Hungarian Jews, under the supervision of high-ranking SS officer Adolf Eichmann.
In May that year, Susan and her family were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland by cattle truck. In less than two months, almost all of Hungary's Jewish population, some 825,000, was deported.
"On arrival we scrambled out of the trucks, and men and women were separated immediately," Susan says, recalling her first moments at the concentration camp.
"I was left on my own, surrounded by shouting. I felt pure terror and devastation."
Inside Auschwitz, she says she was "dehumanised" and survived by behaving as a robot.
She described having to stand in front of Dr Josef Mengele, the infamous camp physician, every morning, who would look at their naked bodies. Those who were deemed to be losing weight too quickly were sent to the gas chamber, Susan recalls.
"You don't think that you live in a world which does those things."
Amid the advance of Allied forces in 1944, Susan and others were put on a "death march" from Auschwitz, like tens of thousands of others.
Prisoners were moved out of camps near the front and forced to walk long distances in the bitter cold, with little or no food, water or rest. Those who could not keep up were shot.
Susan was taken to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, where she suffered from tuberculosis and typhoid.
"I wanted to die. I had no energy anymore," she said.
"When I was liberated in Bergen-Belsen I couldn't walk, I could hardly talk and I just crawled out to die," she continued.
"I felt a gentle pair of hands, lifting me up. A gentle pair of hands. And he was a British soldier."
She and others were then taken to Sweden, where she says they were given regular food.
"And we had a Jewish man in his 20s, and he played music every night," she says.
"The lights were turned off and he played classical music every night, and that is what saved my life as well, in terms of thinking and hope and understanding."
Susan Pollack's full interview will be aired on The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee programme on Sky News at 8pm this evening.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Telegraph
Historians mocked Frederick Forsyth's The Odessa File – but it may have helped catch a Nazi
The death of the novelist, bon viveur and (by his own admission) long-standing MI6 informant, Frederick Forsyth has brought sorrow to the millions of readers who knew that his books were page-turners par excellence. He never pretended to be a great literary stylist, and readily admitted that his primary motivation for writing was financial rather than artistic, but his journalistic attention to detail, ability to come up with complex yet entirely comprehensible storylines and brisk, exciting plotting meant that a Frederick Forsyth book would grip from the first page to the last. The novel which he is best known for is his debut, 1971's excellent The Day of the Jackal, and few would minimise the impact that it had upon his career. Yet it is his follow-up, 1972's The Odessa File, which led to its own, more consequential tale. It revolves around the young German freelance journalist Peter Miller who, nearly two decades after the end of WWII, investigates the workings of a mysterious organisation known by the acronym 'ODESSA', which stands for 'Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen' – otherwise 'Organisation of Former Members of the SS'. (Forsyth's writing cannot be described as subtle, but it's undeniably effective.) Over the course of its three hundred-odd pages, Miller finds himself being pursued by hitmen hired by the former SS officers, as he goes in search of its members, and attempts to discover what their nefarious plans are. Just as The Day of the Jackal blended fact – derived from Forsyth's time as a BBC journalist – and fiction to convincing effect, so the success of The Odessa File lies in Forsyth's ability to take an apparently outlandish conceit and make it seem believable. The initial idea for the book came from a Sunday Times article written in July 1967 by the journalist Antony Terry. The piece published a series of unreliable, at times simply false, rumours and stories about escaped Nazis, largely put about by the Holocaust survivor-turned-Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. It was common knowledge that several high-ranking Nazis, most notably Adolf Eichmann, had fled to Argentina after the conclusion of WWII, and that some Germans of dubious loyalty had also remained in their home country; others headed over to the United States in order to work on the then-nascent space programme. Wiesenthal was fed inaccurate information – which he then passed over to Terry – by Wilhelm Höttl, a Nazi turned American counter-intelligence agent. Höttl claimed that 'Odessa' – in reality an informal codeword used by small, semi-independent groups of former SS men to identify themselves to one another – was in fact a carefully organised conspiracy with worldwide reach, which was responsible for the expatriation of leading Nazis to South America. Höttl was a highly unreliable witness whose primary interests were saving his own skin and appropriating wealth in the process – he had ensured that he had access to many of the Swiss bank accounts that the desperate Germans were placing their money in towards the end of WWII. But it suited Wiesenthal's agenda as a self-styled Nazi hunter to further a narrative of all-powerful SS men at large, including Eichmann and Hitler's private secretary Martin Bormann. Eichmann was eventually captured in Argentina, taken to Israel and executed in 1962. Bormann – who, in reality, had committed suicide in Germany in 1945, a fact only discovered in 1973 – was supposed to be at large somewhere in the world, carrying on the Führer's nefarious plans and dreaming of creating a Fourth Reich. Terry's Sunday Times article suggested, with no credible evidence whatsoever, that Odessa had managed not only to extract Bormann from Germany, but that it was an all-powerful organisation with anti-Israeli intentions, intent on destroying the newly formed state. Terry's article may have been largely fantastical, parlaying small nuggets of truth into a largely imagined story. But it drew Forsyth's attention and led to his using it as the basis for his second novel, which came swiftly after the enormous success of The Day of the Jackal. It is testament to how quickly publishing moved (and Forsyth wrote) in the early Seventies that the book first appeared in October 1972; a mere 16 months after Jackal's initial appearance in Britain. He had written Jackal in 35 days, and although Odessa was not produced in quite such a rush, demand for a new book meant that it was fast-tracked by the eager publishers. Forsyth's journalistic instincts and ability to tell a ripping yarn are on full display throughout the novel, from the incorporation of real-life characters (including Wiesenthal, who acted as an informal adviser and is therefore portrayed as a flattering mixture of Sherlock Holmes and Oskar Schindler) to the carefully worked-out German setting. It begins in 1963, shortly after JFK's assassination, which gives it the slightest air of distance from the events depicted but nonetheless keeps it supposedly realistic. And there are brilliantly observed suspenseful moments that have the same air of verisimilitude as many of the events in Jackal. Miller escapes assassination by car bomb, for instance, because the hitman's explosives are defeated by his Jaguar XK150's particularly tight suspension. Nazis have always made for effective villains, and the antagonists in The Odessa File are no exception. The principal baddie Eduard Roschmann, the 'Butcher of Riga' – so called because he was the commandant of the notorious Riga Ghetto during 1943 – is shown in an appropriately nefarious light. At the time that the book was written, Roschmann was in hiding in Argentina, having become a naturalised citizen under the pseudonym 'Frederico Wagner' – the surname perhaps a nod to Hitler's favourite composer – and Forsyth's portrayal of him was heavily laden with dramatic licence. Although his current hiding place was not then known, Eichmann's high-profile apprehension the decade before had suggested that Nazis were drawn to the anonymity of South America: accurately, in this case. Many of the fictitious Roschmann's traits and actions are, of course, pure invention – for instance, he is said to answer to SS general Richard Glücks, who died in 1945, and his passport is supposedly procured by Odessa, who were not capable of such intricate acts of forgery. But it was still an act of relative daring to use a real-life, and presumably very much alive, mass murderer as the antagonist, although a man who was on the run for crimes against humanity was hardly likely to pop up and sue for libel. Although the novel has been described as inaccurate, others have lauded it for sticking relatively close to known facts. 'We cannot blame Forsyth for being inaccurate,' the historian Matteo San Filippo said. 'He was writing a thriller, not an historical essay. The incidents were based on fact and the overall impression was not inaccurate.' Certainly, it was marketed as fiction, albeit of the sophisticated variety. The first edition blurb read, 'Many characters in The Odessa File are real people. Others may puzzle the reader as to whether they are true or fictional, and the publishers do not wish to elucidate further because it is in this ability to perplex the reader that much of the grip of the story lies.' It soon proved a big hit when it was published in October, and, like its predecessor, sold in its millions. It has remained consistently in print ever since it was published, and, after Jackal and perhaps the Fourth Protocol, remains Forsyth's best-known novel. However, it received mixed reviews, with some finding it a let-down after Jackal and others praising it as a fresh masterpiece by the thrilling new talent. The Guardian announced that 'in Forsyth's hands the 'documentary thriller' had assumed its most sophisticated form'. But the New York Times, in a scathing review entitled 'Live bombs and dud people', took issue with the publisher's hints that the novel was based on never-before-revealed sources. Its critic Richard P Brickner stated that the 'book's absorbing facts, made livelier for a while by their moral urgency, will probably sour in your mouth as the moral urgency becomes discoloured'; it went on to criticise the protagonist Miller as colourless, the novel as more concerned with sensation than accuracy and, most damningly, wrote that Forsyth had created a 'vulgar stew of hideous documented fact and flimsy melodrama'. Brickner concluded, 'The Odessa File leaves one feeling that Forsyth has borrowed painful, live history in order to spring a few quick thrills.' This may have been unfair, but the book's huge commercial success led to the film rights being purchased swiftly and an adaptation going into production almost immediately after it was published. It was directed by veteran British filmmaker Ronald Neame, who had had a significant success with 1972's The Poseidon Adventure, and starred Jon Voight, recently Oscar-nominated for his breakthrough role in Midnight Cowboy. It did not enjoy either the same critical or commercial success as the 1973 adaptation of The Day of the Jackal, though – the New York Times continued its vendetta by remarking that it was largely devoid of suspense, and that 'these Nazis don't have as much fun as those in The Night Porter'. But it did have one unexpected and welcome legacy. Roschmann was played in the film by the Oscar-winning Swiss actor Maximilian Schell, one of the country's biggest post-war stars. Flattering casting, perhaps; certainly enough to make a vain man want to see it. Forsyth told the Daily Telegraph in 2011 that the picture indirectly led to the real-life Roschmann's exposure. 'They made [the novel] into a film, which was screened in a little fleapit cinema south of Buenos Aires, where a man stood up and said, 'I know that man, he lives down the street from me,' and denounced him. [The suspect] decided to make a run for it to Paraguay and died of a heart attack on the river crossing. They buried him in an unmarked gravel pit. I hope they tossed a copy of the book on top of him.' As often with Forsyth, there is a slight element of letting a good story overwhelm the facts – Roschmann died in Paraguay on August 8 1977, several years after the picture opened, rather than in the midst of a dramatic flight. But nonetheless, the renewed attention directed towards him made him a marked man and ensured that he died a hunted fugitive rather than a complacent Argentine citizen. The Odessa File remains one of Forsyth's most-loved novels, and continues to captivate readers long after its publication. It was announced late last year that he had written a belated sequel, co-written with the novelist Tony Kent, entitled Revenge of Odessa. While no claims are being made for its torn-from-the-headlines qualities this time round, the publisher's blurb makes the book sound like a suitably gripping yarn. Set in both Germany and the United States, the novel revolves around Miller's grandson Georg (a 'journalist and podcaster', we learn) investigating a series of apparently unconnected atrocities that make him the target for hitmen. This is, naturally, because he discovers that 'his would-be assassins are from an organisation known as the Odessa, a menacing and powerful Nazi group intent on regaining power.' As the cover screams, 'The Nazis were never defeated. They were just biding their time.' The book is published this October (assuming Forsyth managed to finish it) and, with luck, will prove both a fitting sequel and an appropriate swansong for its legendary author. Yet even if it is a disappointment, it should still retain its own fascination. Forsyth commented when the book was announced that 'While The Odessa File was a product of my imagination over 50 years ago, the political realities it describes are still very much with us.' The Nazis themselves may have largely vanished, but with Putin all-powerful in Russia, North Korea's nuclear capabilities and the still-uncertain agenda of China, the concept of a totalitarian state is still more than timely. After all, the Nazi antagonists of the Odessa movement may never have existed as such, but Forsyth knew villainy where he saw it. Come October, the great storyteller's final book should demonstrate his legendary talents, one last time.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Holocaust denier who fled to Scotland back on trial
The 56-year-old was arrested in November 2022 following a two-year search for his whereabouts led by France's Central Office for the Fight against Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes, which began after the memorial of Oradour-sur-Glane, where Nazi troops killed and destroyed an entire village in June of 1944, was vandalised by graffiti which read 'Reynouard is right'. His arrest came after a domestic warrant issued by a French court regarding seven videos made between September 2019 and April 2020, including one where he allegedly described the Nazi atrocities as 'crude slanders' and another where he spoke of 'the Jewish problem'. The alleged offences included 'public trivialisation of a war crime' and 'public challenge to the existence of crimes against humanity committed during the Second World War'. Vincent Reynouard was arrested in Anstruther in November, 2022 (Image: Herald Scotland) Holocaust denial has been a criminal offence in France since 1990 and Reynouard has been convicted on previous occasions, including being handed prison sentences in November 2020 and January 2021. His convictions date back as far as 1991 when he was sentenced for distributing leaflets denying the existence of the gas chambers among high school students. Reynouard was handed over to French authorities in February last year after spending 15 months on remand at HMP Edinburgh. Back in March this year, Reynouard was sentenced to 12 months in prison at the Judicial Court of Paris after being found guilty of denying war crimes, denying crimes against humanity and inciting racial hatred. He was also ordered by the court to pay €10,000 in damages to associations including French organisation LICRA (The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism) and the Jewish Observatory of France. The public prosecutor had originally requested an 18-month prison sentence and a €15,000 fine. READ MORE: Notorious Holocaust denier arrested in Scots fishing village French Holocaust denier loses bid to appeal against extradition Holocaust denier gives pro-Nazi lecture after extradition to France According to AFP, a sentencing judge was due to determine how Reynouard will serve his prison sentence. Responding to the sentencing at the time, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told The Herald: 'Vincent Reynouard is a despicable Holocaust-denier who has repeatedly been convicted by French courts. "We are pleased that, following our previous success in having him deported from the UK to face justice in France, Mr Reynouard has been jailed. Now, he will be forced to face the consequences of his hatred behind bars—where he belongs.' Now The Herald can reveal that Reynouard stood trial at the Judicial Court of Paris at the end of May charged with "contesting crimes against humanity". The charges relate to allegations he made statements denying the occurrence of the Holocaust in a five-minute video clip promoting his latest book. Vincent Reynouard's convictions date back as far as 1991 (Image: Getty) Reports in France say a verdict on the charges - for which French prosecutors are requesting a minimum sentence of eight months imprisonment and a €5,000 euro fine - will be returned on July 11. In June last year, The Herald revealed that Reynouard hosted a pro-Nazi lecture in the southern French city of Perpignan just weeks after his extradition from Scotland. The lecture was broadcast online by French neo-Nazi website Jeune Nation - named after the most prominent French neo-fascist movement of the 1950s - and appeared in full on YouTube before being removed for violating the video sharing platform's terms of service. Screengrabs from the lecture, posted on extremist online platform Gab, showed Reynouard reading from a lectern in front of a flag for fascist pan-European alliance APF. Billed as 'a fascinating presentation that re-establishes the facts and offers a completely different vision of history', Reynouard's lecture on 'The challenging politics of revisionism' had among its list of 'discussed subjects' such topics as 'The invention of National Socialist crimes to cover up Allied war crimes', 'Enlisting youth against anti-fascism' and 'The question of gas chambers'. Reynouard was then due to give a follow-up lecture on Nazism at an event in Paris some weeks later but it was shut down by the Parisian authorities. Shortly after his arrest in Scotland in 2022, Reynouard said he expected to spend at least 'five years or more' in prison should he be extradited back to France. In a letter from his prison cell addressed to French far-right weekly magazine Rivarol, seen by The Herald, Reynouard wrote: 'Back in France, I will serve several prison sentences for 'disputing crimes against humanity'. 'In total, these sentences exceed 24 months (29 months to be exact). There will undoubtedly be other convictions for the same reason, because since my exile in Great Britain, in June 2015, I have published many revisionist videos likely to fall under the Gayssot law [which makes it an offence in France to question the existence or size of the category of crimes against humanity as defined in the London Charter of 1945]. 'Several are not time-barred, either having been published less than a year ago or already being sued. Therefore, I expect to stay in prison for five years or more.'
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Man accused of abusing women in Glasgow and Hamilton
Dominic Humble, 27, faces an indictment listing a total of 14 charges spanning between June 2015 and August 2023. The accusations feature a total of five women. The alleged offences are said to have occurred mainly at addresses in Glasgow's East End and in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Amongst the charges are that he raped one of the women and separately engaged in conduct which left her fearful of his actions. READ MORE: Celtic settled 85 per cent of claims in sexual abuse lawsuit, court hears The latter includes a claim that he did "pretend" that he had "a terminal medical diagnosis". It is also said he caused the woman to be sanctioned with "anti-social behaviour warnings". Prosecutors also claim he spun a child - known to her - on a roundabout "at speed" causing the youngster to be injured after falling off. It is alleged Humble was jealous and controlling with a second woman amid an accusation that he also choked her. The indictment states he harassed a third on social media and repeatedly demanded money. Humble is further accused of being violent to another woman including claims that he slapped and punched her, forced her to sleep on the floor, hit her with a bottle and other household items. READ MORE: Pensioner admits embezzling £54k over five years from Jewish charity He is said to have sexually assaulted and attempted to rape the final woman. The case called for a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow today. Tony Lenehan KC, defending, said: "He pleads not guilty to the indictment." Both the defence advocate and prosecutor Shanti Maguire said they were both ready for a trial to be set. Lord Matthews went on to fix a trial and it is scheduled to start in June 2026. The case could last around eight days.
