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Voice of America
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Auschwitz liberation at 80: Survivors, world leaders mark milestone
Around 50 survivors and dozens of world leaders attended memorial events at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation by the Soviet Red Army in World War II. January 27 is marked around the world as International Holocaust Memorial Day. Six million people were killed in the Holocaust as the Nazis attempted to eliminate the Jewish race. In front of the so-called 'Death Gate,' through which more than a million Jews and other prisoners were led to their deaths, the survivors gathered in a heated tent, joined by heads of state and delegates from across the world. They lit candles and laid wreaths of remembrance for the estimated 1.1 million people who perished at the camp. Tova Friedman, who was 2 years old when she was taken to the camp at Auschwitz, is the youngest of the survivors. 'We were victims in a moral vacuum,' she told delegates. 'But today, however, we have an obligation not only to remember, which is very, very important, but also to warn and to teach that hatred only begets more hatred.' Auschwitz liberation On Jan. 27, 1945, Red Army troops liberated Auschwitz, the largest of the six Nazi extermination camps. What they found continues to haunt humanity. Industrial-scale human slaughter spread across a vast factory complex of dormitories, gas chambers, crematoria and mass graves — the apparatus of a regime determined to wipe out the entire Jewish race. A genocide conducted over 4-and-a-half years, planned and executed with meticulous detail. It was part of the Nazis' 'final solution to the Jewish problem' — a strategy of mass murder agreed at the Wannsee Conference in 1942. An estimated 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau, around 960,000 of them Jews. Poles, Roma, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities were also murdered in the thousands. Victims were stripped of their clothing and forced into packed chambers filled with cyanide-based Zyklon-B gas. By summer 1944, an estimated 12,000 people a day were being gassed to death. Thousands of others were shot or beaten to death or died from disease, starvation and exposure. Bodies were burned or buried in mass graves. 'Burning bodies' Janina Iwanska was taken to Auschwitz by train from another Polish transit camp in August 1944 at age 14. 'As soon as I got off the wagon, I was immediately hit by the smell, the one I knew from Treblinka [concentration camp] — the smell of burning bodies,' she told Reuters. 'There were small children there who were brought with their mothers. After leaving the 'disinfection' room, they were separated, torn off them. The mothers almost ripped the hands of these children off because they did not want to let them go. Besides, some of the children could not recognize their mothers, because not only were the clothes different but also the heads. A shaved head and a head with hair are two completely different heads,' Iwanska said. As Red Army troops approached the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp from the east, Nazi soldiers attempted to cover up their crimes. Around 60,000 prisoners were forcibly transferred in so-called "death marches" to other camps farther west. It's estimated that up to 15,000 died along the way. By the time the Russian troops entered Auschwitz, around 7,000 prisoners remained, most on the brink of death. Thousands died before receiving medical help. 'Culture of remembrance' Germany now embraces 'Erinnerungskultur,' an official "culture of remembrance," or a duty to take responsibility for the Holocaust. 'We keep alive the memory of the breach of civilization committed by Germans in the Holocaust and convey it to every generation in our country again and again. Our responsibility never ends,' German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said ahead of the anniversary. But the 80th anniversary comes amid growing fears over the rise of the far-right in Germany, Europe and beyond. Such concerns were voiced by many Auschwitz survivors, including Leon Weintraub, who was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 and now lives in Sweden. "Be attentive and be vigilant,' Weintraub told delegates. 'We, the survivors, we understand that the consequences of being considered different is active persecution, the effects of which we have personally experienced on our own skin. So, let us be very serious, and let us take seriously what the enemies of democracy preach. They generally seek to implement these slogans they promote,' he said. German fears The German government has repeatedly warned of the dangers of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party, which is polling in second place, or around 20%, ahead of February elections. The AfD is being monitored by German intelligence services as a potentially 'extremist' party. In a recent televised conversation with Elon Musk, the U.S. billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump, AfD's leader Alice Weidel said Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was not right-wing but a 'communist.' Speaking at an AfD conference Saturday by video link, Musk, who is an open supporter of the party, questioned Germany's approach to its past. 'I think there's frankly too much of a focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that. Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents or even let alone their parents, the great-grandparents, maybe even,' Musk said. Israel conflict The Hamas cross-border attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and the brutal Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, have overshadowed memorial events in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the Auschwitz commemorations. Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for suspected war crimes committed during Israel's war on Hamas, which he strongly denies. The United States, a close ally of Israel, has condemned the warrant and threatened sanctions against the court in The Hague. Poland assured Netanyahu that he would not be arrested if he attended the Auschwitz memorial events. However, the Israeli prime minister instead spent Monday in a Tel Aviv court as his long-running corruption trial resumed. Israel was instead represented by Education Minister Yoav Kisch. Relatives of the dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza traveled to Poland for the Auschwitz liberation anniversary, while survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre joined survivors of the Holocaust for commemorative events in Israel.
Sky News
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
King warns of 'dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism' as he pays tribute to Holocaust survivors
Why you can trust Sky News The King has warned of the "dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism" while meeting Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. "It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long for the world," he said on a visit to the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow, which he opened in 2008. The King then joined survivors and other dignitaries at Auschwitz, marking the first time that a serving British monarch has visited the concentration camp where more than a million people were murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime. Before he laid a candle as the UK's representative at the ceremony, three Holocaust survivors shared their stories, with Tova Friedman saying she felt it was "normal" that "as a Jewish child they all had to die". Janina Iwanska also said: "It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here." Kate, the Princess of Wales, will also join Prince William at a Holocaust commemoration ceremony in London later on Monday. The royals will pay their respects alongside Sir Keir Starmer and hear survivors and campaigners speak. 'Remembering the evils of the past remains vital; Speaking in Krakow, the King said: "In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife, and has witnessed the dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message. "As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders and on those of generations yet unborn. "The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task, and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future. "Here in Krakow, from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish community has been reborn." King's poignant journey to Auschwitz a display of his lifelong commitment to Holocaust survivors Rhiannon Mills Royal correspondent @SkyRhiannon The King had a clear purpose as he made his first visit to Auschwitz. Remembrance - but also the high cost of forgetting. It was right at the heart of a speech he gave at a Jewish community centre in Krakow, which he opened in 2008; a reminder of his enduring work to champion religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue, ever mindful of what he can do with his global profile. In the auditorium at Auschwitz, he was one of the most recognisable attendees. But as is so often the case with the Royal Family, his intention was to use his presence to draw even greater attention to those who really matter, the survivors. The Holocaust Educational Trust described his attendance as elevating the event on a global stage, a signal to the world of its significance. It was a display of his lifelong commitment to humanise and give a voice to those who 80 years ago were so savagely dehumanised at the hands of the Nazis. The King went on to say there is "no greater symbol" of that rebirth than the centre he is speaking in itself. "In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this, this centre, is how we recover our faith in humanity," he said. "They also show us there is much work still to be done," he says, adding that it's important not just to remember the past, "but to use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations". "This remains the sacred task of us all," he added. Later, the King joined world leaders like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Auschwitz, as those who lived through the Holocaust shared their stories of survival. 'The killing machine' Ms Iwanska said that while the camp was originally for political prisoners, in March 1942, "the operators of the camp started building gas chambers and the crematorium". "It was no longer a POW camp, a Soviet camp - this is when the killing machine started its operation," she added. "It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here." Ms Friedman also told those in attendance: "I remember as a five-year-old child watching from my hiding place as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths while the heartbreaking cries of their parents fell on deaf ears. "After all the children were gone and the courtyard was empty - I thought 'am I the only Jewish child left in the world?'" 2:15 She recalled that while held in Auschwitz, she "was being beaten mercilessly by a guard for fidgeting for not being able to stand still for hours," as she looked into her mother's eyes. "She was pleading with me 'don't cry'. And I didn't. At five I had the rebellion in me that I would not let them know the pain they are inflicting on me." More than a million people were murdered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp during the Second World War, most of whom were Jews but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities. Six million Jewish men, women and children died during the Holocaust. Commemorations at the former death camp began earlier when Poland's President Andrzej Duda joined Auschwitz survivors laying wreaths and candles at the site. 3:31 Their tributes were left at a reconstruction of the Death Wall, the site where several thousand people, mainly Polish political prisoners, were executed. In a speech, Mr Duda said "we Poles are the guardians of memory today" and had a duty to maintain the life stories of the survivors.
Sky News
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Holocaust Memorial Day latest: Holocaust survivors recount Auschwitz horrors at ceremony 80 years after liberation
16:02:26 Holocaust survivor addresses crowds Holocaust survivor Janina Iwanska says when the camp was liberated, it was only 5-10% who were liberated. She says 100,00 inmates were taken out of here and forced out to other camps. Iwanska goes on to say in 1950 a Polish writer wrote about the war. She says: "He wrote the following - 'if Europe ravaged by these follies is to avoid destruction, it's people must learn to anticipate better the consequences of their actions. "They must not disregard those who possess such foresight. "For the older the older generation this may be of lesser concern. My thoughts are with the young, those who have their whole lives ahead of them. "War and chaos can erupt anywhere, leaving no place or reason to flea." 15:46:22 'It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here' Now speaking is Holocaust survivor Janina Iwanska. She says Auschwitz-Birkenau was originally a camp for political prisoners - those who were not happy with German occupation. Then in March 1942, the camp was commissioned and changed. "The operators of the camp started building gas chambers and the crematorium," she says. "It was no longer a POW camp, a Soviet camp - this is when the killing machine started its operation. "It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here." In August 1943, there were as many as 4,00 Romani people living there. "There was this night where they were all taken to the gas chambers. The next day not a single Roma was living there," she says. 15:40:01 In pictures: World leaders listen in as survivors speak at ceremony Pictures from the ceremony in Oswiecim, Poland, show leaders and royals among those in attendance. 15:29:23 Hate speech used to arm conflict 'always ends in bloodshed' Holocaust survivor Marian Turski says today "he sentences tomorrow's heroes". "Let us not be afraid to convince ourselves that we cannot solve problems between neighbours" he says. He says for centuries people have had homes side by side but hate speech used to arm conflict "always ends in bloodshed". Turski, who was 14 when he was sent to the camp, says: "Luckily there are the positive experiences as well when both sides reach a conclusion." 15:08:34 Auschwitz survivor giving welcome address A welcome address is being given by Holocaust survivor Marian Turski. He says he must first and foremost welcome his fellow inmates "who have shared this misery" with him. The Holocaust survivors also says our thoughts should go to those "millions of victims who will never tell us what they experienced or felt". 14:55:01 Survivors, royals and world leaders attend commemoration ceremony A ceremony to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp will start in five minutes. Royals, survivors and world leaders have all gathered at the camp for the service. We'll hear from several Holocaust survivors who lived through their experiences at Auschwitz, some prayers and music, before a final tribute at the end. It's taking place in a specially made tent around the infamous "work will set you free" sign. Stay with us for updates and watch live above. 14:45:02 Level of horror at Auschwitz hard to understand It is "hard to understand the level of horror" that people at Auschwitz saw and survived, Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins, who is at the camp, reports. Robbins says the camp was "designed for extermination". "The Nazis practiced a method of killing at its most efficient," she says. Describing her surroundings, she says: "You can see the remains of the barracks and the guard towers, which would have watched the people there as they were forced around to work. Many of them starving and exhausted. "In the distance I can see the crumbled wreckage of the crematoriums where they sent people - sometimes on arrival. "Many of them would have been women and babies - those who they couldn't get to work." She adds: "It's so hard to understand the level of horror that people who were here saw and survived." 14:33:01 In pictures: King meets Jewish community in Krakow These images show the King meeting with members of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland. He gave a short speech about the importance of remembering those murdered in the Holocaust, before speaking with some survivors and local leaders. 14:15:01 Survivor describes horror of watching Nazi death squad kill her mother Hannah Lewis was seven when she watched a Nazi death squad execute her mother. Her family was rounded up by Hitler's troops and forced to march to a labour camp in the Polish village of Adampol in 1943. Hannah's father, Adam, escaped from the camp to join the partisans, a Jewish resistance movement during the Second World War, and returned to warn of an imminent Nazi raid, the night before his wife's death. Hannah's mother, Haya, refused to flee, fearing her daughter, who had fallen ill with a high temperature and suspected typhoid, would not survive. "For as long as I live, I will always wonder how she got through that night," Hannah told Sky's Sophy Ridge. "How she made the decision she made? Was it right?" The next morning, Hannah heard "yelling" and "screaming" after the arrival of the Einsatzgruppen, the Nazis' mobile killing unit responsible for the mass shooting of Jews.
