Auschwitz Survivors Issue Dire Warning at 80th Anniversary: “Push Back Against Rising Hatred”
On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, emotional survivors delivered a stark warning to the world: actively combat rising antisemitism or risk repeating the horrors of the past.
Gathering at the former death camp, 50 world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, King Charles III, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid their respects to the 1.1 million victims, mostly Jews, murdered at Auschwitz.
This historic anniversary served as a chilling reminder of the camp’s origins, transitioning from a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners and Soviet POWs to a extermination center for Jews and other minorities from across Europe.
“It Was Normal That If You Were a Jewish Child, You Had to Die”
Several survivors, many nearing 100 years old, shared their harrowing experiences and pleaded for a stronger commitment to prevent future atrocities. Tova Friedman, who survived as a six-year-old, spoke of the pervasive fear and acceptance of death she witnessed.
“80 years on … the world is again in crisis,” she said, pointing to a resurgence of prejudice, fear, and extremism. “The rampant anti-Semitism that is spreading among the nations is shocking.”
Marian Turski, a member of the International Auschwitz Council, echoed this sentiment. “We are again seeing a huge rise in anti-Semitism, precisely the anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust,” he said.
Noam Weintraub, whose family emigrated to Sweden to escape postwar anti-Semitism, urged broader vigilance against intolerance and hate speech. “I implore everyone to intensify their efforts in countering the views that lead to the genocide we are commemorating today,” he said.
Drawing Parallels to Today’s World
World Jewish Council president Ronald Lauder drew a direct link between the indifference to rising antisemitism in the 1930s and the current global reaction to Hamas’s attack on Israel. He argued that tolerating hateful rhetoric towards Jewish communities risks repeating the catastrophic consequences seen in the past.
“When we hear chants like ‘death to Israel’ today,” Lauder said, “what they are really saying is ‘death to western civilization’.”
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin emphasized the enduring relevance of the Holocaust and the need to recognize the dangers of “othering” and exclusion:
“I think we do need to understand where many within the Jewish community are coming from,” he said. “The enormity of the Holocaust is something we can never forget … nor dilute.”
This poignant 80th anniversary ceremony served as a powerful reminder of the fragility of peace and the ongoing fight against prejudice and intolerance.
**Let’s fight against hatred and ensure never again. **