The presidium of the International Auschwitz Committee met in Budapest from 13 to 15 September. It was attended by Auschwitz survivors and representatives from Hungary, the USA, Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria and Germany. The convention began as members of the IAC met with Dr András Heisler, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary.
During the presidium meeting, President Roman Kent (New York) reminded listeners that the largest group of Jewish people murdered in Auschwitz came from Hungary. In this context, Marian Turski (Warsaw) clearly pointed out that the Hungarian government contributes a shamefully small amount towards the preservation costs of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial. The International Auschwitz Committee will write to the Hungarian government with a request to rectify this situation.
In addition to this, it was clear in the reports and position papers presented by the Holocaust survivors, how greatly Europe and the European idea formed a source of hope for them, especially during the Cold War era. For them it embodied a project of hope and a project of the future. For this reason the survivors of Auschwitz are alarmed by the current internal state of the European Union.
They are following the right-wing populist and right-wing extremist developments in Europe with deep commitment and increasing concern. The Auschwitz survivors are reminded of their own painful experiences and find it utterly unbearable as they see how in many places the plight of distressed refugees and a fear of them is being used by right-wing demagogues to create a social atmosphere of hatred and persecution.
In Budapest Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the IAC said:
"It is for this reason that the Auschwitz survivors most emphatically welcome the strengthened interest of the EU parliament as clearly illustrated by yesterday’s vote to assert the values of the EU and to propagate respect and human dignity as the most important categories of living together in Europe, just as the Holocaust survivors demanded in their Milan Declaration of 1 July 2018. Auschwitz survivors are hoping that the strategies of hatred and the hate slogans that are being hammered into the heads of people around the globe will be combatted politically and legally on a massive scale before it is too late."
