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We, Survivors, know that the consequence of being an alien is active persecution. 80th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz.
On January 27, 56 Auschwitz Survivors met in front of the Death Gate at the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
They were accompanied by leaders and representatives of over 50 countries who listened to their words – crowned heads, presidents, prime ministers, ministers and diplomats as well as the representatives of numerous international institutions, social organization, clergy, the staff of museums and memorials devoted to this subject as well as – by intermediary of the media – all those who wished to honour the memory of the victims of German Nazis. The ceremony was hosted by Marek Zając, secretary of the International Auschwitz Council and chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation Board.
Marian Turski, an Auschwitz Survivor and a member of the International Auschwitz Council, welcomed the gathered.
Marian Turski was born on June 26, 1926, as Moshe Turbowicz in Druskininkai. During World War II, he was displaced to the Litzmannstadt ghetto and later deported to Auschwitz. In January 1945, he was evacuated on a “death march” to the Buchenwald camp. He was liberated in Theresienstadt.
“It is understandable, even obvious, that people, the media, turn to us—the Survivors—to share our recollections. But we were always a tiny minority… Of those who once passed positive selections, very, very few of us remained. And only a fraction of those survived to see freedom. Now, there is just a handful left. That is why I believe we should turn our thoughts toward the overwhelming majority, toward those millions of victims who will never tell us what they experienced, what they felt, because they were swallowed up by the Shoah,” he said.
“My dear friends, for at least two thousand years, a vision of the apocalypse has been with us. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appear: War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death. People are terrified, paralyzed by fear, feeling utterly helpless. What can be done?” asked Marian Turski.
After these words, he quoted a text by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: ‘Our entire world, our world, is like a very narrow bridge. And the main thing is: Do not be afraid at all!’
“So, do not fear! In the world today, we see a significant rise in antisemitism—the very antisemitism that led to the Holocaust,” said Marian Turski.
“Let us not be afraid to show the same courage today, when Hamas tries to deny the massacre of October 7. Let us not be afraid to stand up to conspiracy theories claiming that all evil in the world is caused by secret cabals of unspecified groups. Jews, of course, are often singled out in such narratives. Let us not be afraid to talk about the problems troubling what is called the Last Generation. True, these young people are violating our system, our order, our legal framework, but a judge who passed sentence on them made the telling remark: ‘Perhaps today I am sentencing tomorrow’s heroes,’ he added.
“Let us not be afraid to convince ourselves that problems can be resolved between neighbors. For centuries, on various continents, different nations, nationalities, or ethnic groups have lived side by side and among each other. Mutual prejudices, hate speech, hatred itself, have led to armed conflicts between neighboring nations and ethnic groups. These have always ended in bloodshed, but fortunately there are positive experiences when both sides realize they have no other way to ensure a peaceful and secure life for their children, grandchildren, and future generations than to reach a compromise,” emphasized Marian Turski.
The main addresses on the anniversary were delivered by Survivors: Janina Iwańska, Tova Friedman, and Leon Weintraub.
Janina Iwańska was born on June 12, 1930, in Warsaw. The Germans deported her from the Warsaw Uprising to Auschwitz. During the camp’s evacuation, she was transferred first to the Ravensbrück camp and later to Neustadt-Glewe where she was liberated.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, six months ago, in June, I was here to commemorate the first transport of prisoners to Auschwitz. They were Polish prisoners imprisoned in Tarnów and transported here—728 people in total. That was the 84th anniversary of the first transport. Today, I’m attending the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, i.e., the end of the camp’s operation. So the camp—Auschwitz, and later Birkenau—lasted four and a half years,” said Janina Iwańska.
“After Auschwitz, I was still in Ravensbrück and then in the Neustadt-Glewe subcamp. For me, Liberation Day did not come until May 2, 1945. When the war ended in ’45, euphoria spread throughout the world because the world war was over. Everyone believed that the slogan ‘Never Again War’ meant there would never be another war, that we would be happy. Picasso painted the Dove of Peace, which symbolized that there would now be only peace, that everything would be all right. However, there were people who foresaw that what had happened during the Second World War could quite possibly happen again, since people had become so inhumane that it was very likely to repeat itself. In 1950, a Polish writer and essayist published essays about the war in the Parisian journal Kultura [...] And at the end of one of those essays—I would like you to listen to this with feeling—he wrote: ‘If Europe, devastated by these insanities, is to avoid catastrophe, its inhabitants must learn to better foresee the consequences of our actions. And they cannot ignore those who can. For older people, it’s irrelevant. I think about the young, whose lives lie ahead. War and chaos can start anywhere. Thus, there will be nowhere to run—and no reason to do so,’” she emphasized.
Tova Friedman (née Grossman) was born on September 7, 1938, in Gdynia. During the German occupation, she was confined with her parents in the ghetto of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and later in a labor camp in Starachowice. In mid-1944, she and her mother were deported from there to the Auschwitz camp. She was liberated on January 27, 1945.
“As I was being beaten mercilessly by a guard for fidgeting during a 3-hour appell, roll call, I looked into my mother’s eyes that were silently pleading with me, “Hold on, don't cry. And I recall thinking “I will never let them know how much they are hurting me.” I am sure that many of you sitting here also had moments in Auschwitz when your entire being rebelled, but you felt helpless, abandoned, and even resigned,” said Tova Friedman.
“At the time we were victims in a moral vacuum. Today, however, we all have an obligation, not only to remember, but also to warn and to teach that hatred begets more hatred, and killing more killing. Instead, our revenge has been to build a strong Jewish country and to raise our families in peace. Many of you have these beautiful families with you today,” said the Survivor.
“80 years after the liberation, the world is again in crisis. Our Judeo-Christian values have been overshadowed worldwide by prejudice, fear, suspicion, and extremism, and the rampant antisemitism that is spreading among the nations is shocking to us, our children, and our grandchildren. Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, is fighting for its existence and its way of life. We mourn not only the fallen soldiers and hostages but also the turbulence and mistrust in our society. We pray for strength, resilience, and hope” she emphasized.
“We all must reawaken our collective conscience to transform the violence, anger, hatred, and malignancy that has so powerfully gripped our society into a more humane and just world before these negative forces destroy us. It’s an enormous task, but as our sages say, “The time is short, and the task is great. We may not be able to complete it, but we are obligated to start,” she ended.
Leon Weintraub was born on January 1, 1926, in Lodz, Poland. During the war, he and his family were confined to the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, and from there they were deported to Auschwitz in August 1944, where Leon was separated from other family members. After a few weeks, he was transferred to Gluszyce, and then to the Dörnhau camp and subsequent labor camps.
“This Nazi camp symbolises the unprecedented cruelty in the treatment of people throughout history, a place where the techniques of mass and industrial murder were first introduced” said Weintraub.
In his speech, Leon Weintraub addressed all people of goodwill, especially young people: “In today’s digital world, it is incredibly challenging to distinguish between genuine intentions and the pursuit of popularity. The need to exist that stems from a conscious and persistent agenda. I repeat: be attentive and vigilant! We, Survivors, know that the consequence of being an alien is active persecution, the effects of which we have personally experienced”.
“Astronomers tell us that trillions of solar systems and galaxies are similar to ours in the universe. Our planet is merely a speck in this vast cosmos. Isn't it absurd to divide the inhabitants of this speck into thousands of disparate groups that are often hostile to each other?,” he said.
“Every year, lengthy discussions take place in parliaments regarding budget cuts. Significant amounts of money are allocated to armaments. In contrast, the peaceful coexistence of nations could be achieved without any financial cost. Just think about the positive impact this expenditure could create,” he added.
“I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to the management and all the staff of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum for their tireless efforts in preserving the memory of the victims of Nazi ideology and in combating prejudice and hostility toward others. Allowing the memory of millions of innocent victims to fade would be equivalent to robbing them of their lives a second time,” Leon Weintraub emphasized.
During the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Ronald S. Lauder delivered an address on behalf of the donors supporting the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum. He began his address by recalling the words of Survivor Roman Kent from the 70th anniversary of liberation, who said at the time, “We do not want our past to be our’s children future”
“Roman Kent’s words haunt us. So, let today be the day when all of us – world leader or ordinary citizen, Jewish or non-Jewish, old or young, make a solemn pledge to stop this now, before it’s too late. We must… You must make sure that in every one of your countries, no hatred of Jewish people or any people is tolerated at all”, said Lauder.
“Remember. It wasn’t just Jews that died here. Practically every single prime minister, president, and king here today lost millions of their own countrymen in the war to defeat this hatred 80 years ago. Millions of young men gave up their lives so these gas chambers would be turned off forever. That means millions of young men never had the chance to live out their lives, to fall in love, to have families, to do good work, to watch their children grow up. They gave up everything so that we could live in a free and safe world” said Ronald S. Lauder.
“We can leave here and go back to our 50 different countries and assume it’s not our problem. Or we can leave here today united in our determination to stop this hate rising up in our world. United in our determination to guide our young people in the right direction. United as one,” he emphasized..
All those gathered for their presence on this special day were thanked by Auschwitz Memorial Director Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywinski, who dedicated his speech to the importance of memory: – Memory is polyphonic; it both divides and unites generations. It has divided and united me in my own experience. For eighteen years, I have stood here, experiencing both division and unity. We teach history, but this is not the same as teaching memory. History is the knowledge of facts, Memory is the awareness of those facts, which is precisely what we so desperately need today. History does not create trauma. Memory can. Memory is the key to understanding today's world and designing tomorrow's. Yet, we continue to focus solely on teaching history, not memory. Our educational programs must be changed. They must. Because memory is not just a matter of culture; it is a matter of identity.
“We are standing here with the people who bear responsibility for the world we live in today. Like you, I was born after the war… Like you, I do not remember those times… Like you, I listened to the stories of the Survivors… but what am I doing today? And what am I neglecting? What decisions do I make today? And are they guided by memory?,” added director Cywiński.
“And you, our dear Survivors. Beloved ones. You have come here. Our memory is primarily shaped by your experiences, The fruit of your lives. There are no words, dearest ones, to express the depth of our gratitude. But what are we to do with this memory today? If today, my friend, you feel uncertain about what to do, if you feel powerless, if you feel you cannot go on, then perhaps you have reached your limit. If so, know that limits are only imaginary.
You can always do more. Do something good – whatever you can, in the best way you can. Do it for others, and you will find that you have done it for yourself as well. Do it within the scope of your abilities. But do something. Act. You will recover from feelings of helplessness and apathy. Take action. Begin. But always: remember. Let your memory finally come alive. Today,” he emphasized.
After the speeches, rabbis and Christian clergy of various denominations prayed by reciting the Kaddish and Psalm 42. At the end of the commemoration, Survivors and heads of state delegations laid candles in front of a historic freight wagon placed before the main gate of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp.
Between speeches, the works of four composers deported to Auschwitz were heard. The Jews, German Simon James and Czech Gideon Klein, did not survive. The other two survived; they died many years after the war. They were a Pole, Jozef Kropinski, and a Polish Jew, Szymon Laks. Their compositions were performed by a clarinet quartet consisting of: Grzegorz Tobis, Piotr Wybraniec, Waldemar Żarów and Tomasz Żymła.
Earlier on January 27, 2025, in the morning—before the official commemorations—a group of Auschwitz Survivors, together with the President of the Republic of Poland and the Museum Director, laid wreaths at the Death Wall in the former Auschwitz I camp.
On the day of the commemoration, Polish Television and the Auschwitz Museum also produced an international television studio. Its guests included two Survivors and many personalities representing not only institutions related to the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, but also many guests from the world of culture, corporations, media, and politics.
On the day of the commemorations, King Charles of the United Kingdom, the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the President of France, and the President of Switzerland Karin Keller-Sutter all made brief visits to the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, whereas on January 26, President Maia Sandu of Moldova visited the grounds of the former camp.
Photos for publication
Photos from the 80th anniversary of liberation
Author: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum / Wojciech Grabowski
Photos from the 80th anniversary of liberation
Author: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum / Grzegorz Skowronek
Until the liberation of camp premises by the Red Army soldiers, German Nazis murdered in Auschwitz 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet POWs as well as the representatives of other nationalities. Today, Auschwitz constitutes for the world the symbol of the Shoah and atrocities of the Second World War. In 2005 the United Nations established January 27th as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
ADDRESS OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM, DR. PIOTR M. A. CYWIŃSKI.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
felt like a child, and thought like a child.
But when I became an adult, I left behind the ways of childhood.
Except for memory.
Memory endures. Even from the earliest experiences of our lives.
Today, we must reflect upon memory and experience.
I realized this as I grew up and, most importantly, in this very place.
Nowhere else have I matured more.
After all, I became aware of Auschwitz thanks to you and through you - Survivors.
Every generation needs a lens to evaluate its time.
Today, we all stand together, looking at the world through the lens of adulthood.
We must look within ourselves and ask: What have we done with memory?
Memory is polyphonic; it both divides and unites generations.
It has divided and united me in my own experience.
For eighteen years, I have stood here, experiencing both division and unity.
We teach history, but this is not the same as teaching memory.
History is the knowledge of facts,
Memory is the awareness of those facts, which is precisely what we so desperately need today.
History does not create trauma. Memory can.
Memory is the key to understanding today's world and designing tomorrow's.
Yet, we continue to focus solely on teaching history, not memory.
Our educational programs must be changed. They must.
Because memory is not just a matter of culture;
it is a matter of identity.
We are standing here with the people who bear responsibility for the world we live in today.
Like you, I was born after the war…
Like you, I do not remember those times….
Like you, I listened to the stories of the Survivors
…. but what am I doing today?
And what am I neglecting?
What decisions do I make today?
And are they guided by memory?
Memory hurts.
Memory helps.
Memory guides.
Memory warns.
Memory raises awareness
Memory obliges.
Who are you without memory?
Without memory, you have no history.
You have no experience, and no point of reference.
If you have no memory, you may not know which path to choose.
And if you truly lack memory, be sure: your enemies will design one for you.
And you, our dear Survivors.
Beloved ones. You have come here.
Our memory is primarily shaped by your experiences,
The fruit of your lives.
There are no words, dearest ones, to express the depth of our gratitude.
But what are we to do with this memory today?
If today, my friend, you feel uncertain about what to do,
if you feel powerless,
if you feel you cannot go on,
then perhaps you have reached your limit.
If so, know that limits are only imaginary.
You can always do more.
Do something good – whatever you can, in the best way you can.
Do it for others, and you will find that you have done it for yourself as well.
Do it within the scope of your abilities.
But do something.
Act
You will recover from feelings of helplessness and apathy.
Take action. Begin.
But always: remember.
Let your memory finally come alive.
Today.
Because your memory is your pillar, your aid,
Your instinct.
---
Photos for publication
Photos from the 80th anniversary of liberation
Author: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum / Wojciech Grabowski
Photos from the 80th anniversary of liberation
Author: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum / Grzegorz Skowronek
