Holocaust Survivors Warn of Lost Lessons in Modern Europe

Holocaust survivors and educators stress the importance of remembering history in light of rising antisemitism and societal divisions across Europe, emphasizing the need for vigilance and understanding, especially among youth.

"Seeing a concentration camp with my own eyes and listening to a survivor who went through it all, that's really brought it home. It's important for young people like me. We'll soon be able to vote. The far right is gaining more and more support in Germany, and we need to learn from the past." Xavier, a 17-year-old German student, shared his reflections after visiting a Holocaust education center in Dachau, close to the site of a former Nazi concentration camp. He and his classmates devoted two days to absorbing lessons about their nation's Nazi history and its relevance to today's world.

Eighteen-year-old Melike admitted her lack of knowledge about the Holocaust prior to her visit. Listening to survivor Eva Umlauf recount her experiences profoundly affected her; she expressed a desire for more discussions on racism and intolerance. "I wear a headscarf and people are often disapproving. We need to learn more about one another so we can all live well together," she said. Miguel, another student, warned about growing racism and antisemitism online, echoing sentiments from his friend Ida, who emphasized the responsibility of their generation to ensure awareness to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

Despite the earnestness of these young individuals, Europe's landscape is increasingly polarized. With a rise in support for far-right and far-left parties, society seems to be regressing in its understanding and acceptance of diverse groups, including migrants, Muslims, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Jews. Eva Umlauf, the Holocaust survivor who made a significant impact on Xavier and his peers, stated, "I want everyone to live together, Jewish, Catholic, black, white, or whatever." She highlights the Holocaust as a dire warning against the dangers of prejudice and discrimination.

Now in her 80s, Umlauf was one of the youngest inmates freed from Auschwitz, where 1.1 million lives were lost, including one million Jews. The magnitude of Nazi atrocities, which included mass extermination and forced labor in concentration camps, is starkly illustrated through horrific visual depictions from the time. As she explained to the students, the tattooing of inmates was a dehumanizing act, intended to strip individuals of their identity and reduce them to mere numbers.

"I was too young to realize much of what was going on at Auschwitz," she recounted, showing her tattoo, A-26959. The emotional weight of her story resonated deeply with the youths listening, many of whom were visibly moved.

Meanwhile, in Munich, Charlotte Knobloch, a leader in the Jewish community, expressed her concerns over the resurgence of antisemitism. Citing personal memories from Kristallnacht, she worries about modern attitudes, noting that while antisemitism was never entirely eradicated, its current prevalence is alarming even in a nation that has confronted its past extensively. Reports show that a staggering 96% of Jews in Europe have faced antisemitism, with many feeling unsafe to express their identity.

Deborah Lipstadt, former special envoy for monitoring antisemitism, identified worldwide antisemitism as a burgeoning concern, particularly in the aftermath of escalating tensions in the Middle East. The conflation of individual government actions with collective identity has led to a dangerous resurgence of discriminatory attitudes worldwide.

The significant annual commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz is seen as a crucial turning point, particularly as fewer survivors remain to recount their stories. Amidst the challenge of confronting a rising tide of intolerance, there are reminders across Europe of the past. In Gdansk, signs of the Holocaust's horrors linger amidst the remnants of victims' belongings, like shoes buried under leaves, eliciting poignant reflections from activists.

Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, a Polish musician, argues that these items demand recognition, calling for action against war and discrimination—a moral imperative that echoes across generations. "These shoes belonged to people," he states, underscoring their shared humanity.

As society stands on the precipice of forgetting critical lessons of history, survivors' voices become increasingly urgent, asking all of us to reflect on our responsibilities in the face of rising intolerance. With the clock ticking on the opportunity to learn directly from those who lived through the Holocaust, the call to remember and act has never been more pressing.