On the death of Thomas Oppermann, Vice President of Germany’s Federal Parliament the Bundestag and SPD politician, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute as follows:

“Throughout his entire life, Thomas Oppermann remained closely linked with the survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps, politically and as a fellow human being. Already as a young volunteer with the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, he embraced remembrance for the causes and consequences of the Nazi years as his personal challenge and task, and made this the keystone of his political and human commitment. The Auschwitz survivors greatly valued his analytical strength and kindness that he showed them over many years and implemented in politics. In this way Thomas Oppermann became one of the most important figures in a German republic which they could trust and on which they count in their fight against anti-Semitism and populist hatred. We are extremely saddened by his untimely death and are grateful for the friendship and support that he gave to the survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps.”