Latest news with #EvaClarke
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spanish royals join memorial at Nazi concentration camp in Austria
Senior Austrian officials were joined by Spanish royalty on Sunday in commemorating the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen, where 90,000 people were killed, among them many fighters fleeing Spain's civil war. The Mauthausen concentration camp near the Austrian industrial city of Linz was liberated 80 years ago at the end of World War II, after tens of thousands imprisoned there were killed or died from disease or malnourishment between 1938 and 1945. King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended on the invitation of Austria's head of state, Alexander Van der Bellen, to mark the International Liberation Ceremony. Many of the camp's victims were people who had fought in the Spanish Civil War against the future dictator Franco and then fled to France, only to fall into the hands of the Nazis. Among those in attendance was Eva Clarke, who was born in the camp just days before its liberation and who survived despite the deadly circumstances. Various speakers renewed calls that Austria pull "together for a 'Never Again!'" and said that society often harbours hatred towards others instead of adopting a conciliatory attitude. The Mauthausen concentration camp was opened in 1938, initially for German and Austrian opponents of the regime, as well as people seen as criminals or socially undesirable. After the start of the Second World War, people from more than 40 nations were deported there.
Pembrokeshire Herald
08-05-2025
- General
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Holocaust survivor receives Peace Award on historic VE Day anniversary
IN A POIGNANT and symbolic gesture, the Rt Hon Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones has awarded a Personal Peace Award to Eva Clarke, a Holocaust survivor whose birth coincided with the final days of World War II. This special recognition, granted on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, underscores the remarkable journey of Eva Clarke, who was born in Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria, on April 29, 1945, just days before the war ended on May 8, 1945. Eva Clarke's survival was nothing short of miraculous. The camp's gas chambers were blown up on April 28, 1945, and the Americans liberated Mauthausen just days after Eva's birth. Tragically, most of her family had been murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau, including three of her grandparents, her father, uncles, aunts, and her 7-year-old cousin, Peter. Eva and her mother were the only survivors of their family. Throughout her life, Eva has worked tirelessly with the Holocaust Educational Trust to raise awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and to condemn genocides wherever they occur. She participated in this year's Holocaust Memorial Day event in Cardiff and her dedication to sharing her family's experiences has been invaluable to ensure that the atrocities of the past are never forgotten and that future generations learn the importance of tolerance, understanding, and human rights. The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones, expressed profound admiration for Eva's courage and resilience, saying: 'Eva Clarke's story is a powerful reminder of the enduring strength of the human spirit. We are honoured to recognise her contributions to our community and beyond. Her willingness to share the heart-breaking experiences her family endured, ensures that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten and that future generations understand the importance of remembering the past to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. 'Eva's life journey, from the harrowing days of her birth to her contributions to peace, serves as an inspiration to all. The Peace Award bestowed upon her is a symbol of Cardiff's deepest respect and gratitude for her tireless efforts in promoting peace and understanding.' In 1933, when Hitler came to power, Eva's father, Bernd Nathan, left Hamburg and moved to Prague. There, he eventually met Eva's mother, Anka Kauderová. The couple married on May 15, 1940. In December 1941, they were sent to Terezín (Theresienstadt), where they remained for three years. They were young, strong, and able to work. During their time in Terezín, Anka became pregnant with a son, Dan. When the Nazis discovered this, Eva's parents were forced to sign a document stating that when the baby was born, it would have to be handed over to the Gestapo. Tragically, Dan died of pneumonia at two months of age. His death inadvertently saved Eva's life – had Anka arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau with a baby, she would have been sent immediately to the gas chambers. However, because she arrived without a baby and was not visibly pregnant with Eva, she survived. Anka was in Auschwitz-Birkenau from October 1-10, 1944. She had volunteered to follow her husband, who had been sent there. Tragically, she never saw him again, and he never knew she was pregnant. After the war, she discovered that he had been shot on January 18, 1945, less than a week before the Red Army liberated the camp. As Anka's pregnancy was not visible and she was deemed fit for work, she was sent out of Auschwitz to work in an armaments factory in Freiberg, near Dresden. She remained there for the next six months – by now getting weaker while at the same time, becoming more visibly pregnant. By the spring of 1945, the Germans were retreating and evacuating concentration and slave labour camps. Eva's mother and her fellow prisoners were forced onto a train: not cattle trucks this time but coal trucks – open to the skies and, obviously, filthy. They weren't given any food and scarcely any water during what became a three-week nightmare journey around the Czech countryside. The Nazis didn't know what to do with their 'dying cargo'. The train eventually arrived at Mauthausen concentration camp. Anka had such a shock when she saw the name of this notorious camp that her labour began and Eva was born on a cart, in the open, without any assistance, medical or otherwise. By this stage, Anka weighed about five stone (35 kg) – she had the appearance of a scarcely living pregnant skeleton. Eva weighed about 3 lbs (1.5 kg). If the camp's gas chambers hadn't been blown up on April 28, 1945, and the Americans hadn't liberated Mauthausen just days after Eva's birth, neither mother nor child would have survived. In 1948, Eva and her mother returned to Prague, where Anka married Eva's stepfather in February 1948. In the same year, they emigrated to the UK and settled in Cardiff. Eva later met her husband, a Law Student from Abergavenny who went on to be a Professor of Law in Cambridge. She moved to Cambridge to be with him. The Pembrokeshire Herald's Coverage of VE Day C80 commemorations are kindly sponsored by PMR
Associated Press
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
80 Years On, Mauthausen Survivor Unites with Eisenhower Family in Powerful Tribute to Liberation & Holocaust Remembrance
Eva Clarke, liberated as an infant by American army, met Eisenhower's great-grandson at event held by the International March of the Living & Eisenhower family WASHINGTON , DC, UNITED STATES, February 26, 2025 / / -- In an emotional tribute to liberation and Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke today met President Dwight D. Eisenhower's great-grandson for the first time, at a March of the Living Washington event to personally thank him for the role that the Americans troops had in liberating her and other survivors. The event marked the new collaboration between the International March of the Living Holocaust education organization and the Eisenhower family. This landmark partnership will see Merrill Eisenhower joining the 2025 March of the Living on Holocaust Remembrance Day from Auschwitz to Birkenau death camps, walking alongside Holocaust survivors and thousands of participants from around the world to honor the memory of the victims and the heroism of the liberators and the survivors. The collaboration underscores the continued commitment of the Eisenhower family and March of the Living to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are preserved for future generations. Monday's event was attended by prominent figures from both the Jewish community and beyond, including Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, who addressed the event. Eva Clarke, who was born in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria in 1945, one week before the camp's official liberation by U.S. Army forces under General Eisenhower, said upon meeting Eisenhower: 'I am the infant your great grandfather and the American soldiers saved. Had he and his soldiers not arrived in time, I would not be standing here today. General Eisenhower wasn't just a military man, but a visionary leader. He saw the dangers of Holocaust denial the moment he witnessed the atrocities committed by the Nazis. He fought against this – and you, Merrill, by participating in the March of the Living, continue his legacy and fight against it today. It is a great honor for me to march together with you on the Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day.' Merrill Eisenhower responded, saying, 'There is no greater privilege than continuing the legacy of my great-grandfather, who not only led the liberation of thousands of Jews from a cruel fate but also ensured the world bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust by ordering everything to be documented. To march in the March of the Living alongside survivors, whose lives were saved thanks to him, is a solemn duty. We must keep telling their stories, stand against Holocaust denial, and fight antisemitism and intolerable in all of its manifestation wherever it appears. I thank the March of the Living organizers for the honor of marching in his footsteps and continuing his his legacy.' This year's March of the Living, set to take place on Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 24, 2025, will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Thousands of participants from around the world will honor Holocaust survivors and the Allied forces, led by General Eisenhower, who ended Nazi tyranny and brought freedom to millions. As Clarke and Eisenhower Walk side by side at Auschwitz, their presence will reaffirm a shared commitment: to remember, to educate, and to stand against antisemitism and Holocaust denial, ensuring that history's darkest chapter is never repeated. Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President of the March of the Living, told the participants: 'The March of the Living stands as a living testimony to the triumph of memory over forgetfulness. The march of Eva and Merrill, alongside other survivors, is a powerful reminder of why we must continue this fight against denial and distortion. The fact that the great-grandson of the Supreme Commander who liberated Europe will march with us in the 80th year of the liberation is not just symbolic—it continues the legacy of a leader who never forgot what he saw in the Nazi death camps.' Prominent philanthropists Josh and Marjorie Harris, who co-hosted the event, said: 'We are deeply proud to stand with the March of the Living and the Eisenhower family in this vital mission of remembrance and education. General Eisenhower understood the impact of bearing witness, and that remembering the past is the key to safeguarding the future. At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, that responsibility is more urgent than ever. It is a privilege to lend our voices to this cause, to honor the survivors and liberators, and to ensure that their stories continue to be heard for generations to come.' Eva Clarke's Story: A Testament to Survival Born on April 29, 1945, at the gates of Mauthausen concentration camp, Eva Clarke's survival was a miracle. Her mother, Anka Kauderova, endured unimaginable hardships: deported from the Theresienstadt ghetto to Auschwitz while pregnant, she lost her husband, Bernd, to the gas chambers. Transferred to a forced labor camp and then Mauthausen, Anka gave birth while weighing just 32 kilograms, with Eva born at only 1.3 kilograms. Had Eva been born just a day earlier, both mother and child would have been sent to the gas chambers—but the gas had run out. American forces arrived days later, providing life-saving care to the mother and newborn. Today, Eva is one of only three babies known to have survived being born in Mauthausen. Her story is chronicled in the book Born Survivors, and she continues to share her experiences to ensure the world never forgets. N10S +972546921720 ext.
