9 May, at 16 minutes past midnight: signing of the Act of Surrender by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of Armed Forces High Command, General-Admiral von Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff representing the air force (Luftwaffe). Signatories on the Allied side were Marshal Georgy Zhukov on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, and three representatives of the American, British and French Allied Forces. This marked the official end of World War II.in Europe. Photograph: Imago/Leemage

08.05.2023

As a new war in Europe rages, the world remembers the end of World War II on 8 and 9 May 1945

Speaking while at the Auschwitz Memorial on today’s Remembrance Day marking the end of World War II, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... As a new war in Europe rages, the world remembers the end of World War II on 8 and 9 May 1945

Neuruppin District Court. On 28 June 2022 the district court in Neuruppin sentenced Josef Schütz to 5 years imprisonment for aiding and abetting murder and attempted murder. Image: Website of the District Court Neuruppin

28.04.2023

Former concentration camp guard Josef Schütz dies aged 102 before final decision on prison sentence

Whilst at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented on the death of the former SS guard Joseph Schütz as follows: ... Former concentration camp guard Josef Schütz dies aged 102 before final decision on prison sentence

Roger Waters during the "This Is Not a Drill" tour. Chicago U.S. Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

25.04.2023

Antisemitism accusations: Administrative court allows Roger Waters performance in Frankfurt

Not only Jewish survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps are once again deeply saddened, horrified and increasingly disillusioned by the Frankfurt Administrative Court decision on the upcoming performance by British singer Roger Waters at the Frankfurter Festhalle. ... Antisemitism accusations: Administrative court allows Roger Waters performance in Frankfurt

Marian Turski, Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee, during his speech delivered in Warsaw on 19 April 2023 at the state ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Image: Spiegel Online

21.04.2023

Marian Turski's speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Speech delivered on 19 April 2023 in Warsaw by Marian Turski, Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee, at the state ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. ... Marian Turski's speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: a photograph from the report by Jürgen Stroop to Heinrich Himmler from May 1943. Report title: The Jewish Quarter of Warsaw Is No More! Original photo caption: Forcibly pulled out of bunkers. Suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ─ captured Jews are led by German Waffen-SS troops to the assembly point for deportation. Photograph: IMAGO/Reinhard Schultz

18.04.2023

80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on 19 April 1943

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the presidents of Poland, Israel and Germany, Duda, Herzog and Steinmeier, will attend the state ceremony in Warsaw together. They will meet there with Marian Turski, the Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee, as well as Stanislaw Zalewski, Polish survivor of Auschwitz and further survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps. ... 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on 19 April 1943

The March of the Living (Hebrew מצעד החיים Mitzad HaChajim) is a walk of remembrance from Auschwitz I concentration camp to Birkenau extermination camp. Since it was founded in 1988, more than 300,000 participants from 50 countries have taken part on Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – in memory of all the victims of the Holocaust and walked together along the 3-km-long path from Auschwitz to Birkenau. Image: facebook.com/MOTLorg

16.04.2023

35th anniversary of the March of the Living on 18 April in Oswiecim/Auschwitz with trainees from Emden, Wolfsburg and Osnabrück.

Since 1988 more than 300,000, mostly Jewish, young people from around the world have taken part in the March of the Living, walking in a column along the three-kilometre-long path from Auschwitz I concentration camp to Birkenau extermination camp. This walk of remembrance is dedicated to the memory of those murdered in Auschwitz, and in honour of the survivors. ... 35th anniversary of the March of the Living on 18 April in Oswiecim/Auschwitz with trainees from Emden, Wolfsburg and Osnabrück.

The last surviving chief prosecutor in the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials has died. Benjamin Ferencz was 103 years old. imago/ZUMA Press

09.04.2023

Benjamin Ferencz, chief prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen Trial and subsequent Nuremberg Trials, has died

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute to Benjamin Ferencz who has died at the age of 103: ... Benjamin Ferencz, chief prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen Trial and subsequent Nuremberg Trials, has died

The International Auschwitz Committee will present itself at the Leipzig Book Fair from April 27 to April 30, 2023 in Hall 4, Stand A 303. Image: Leipzig Book Fair

24.03.2023

The International Auschwitz Committee will present itself for the first time at the Leipzig Book Fair from 27 to 30 April 2023 in Hall 4, Stand A 303.

For the first time ever, the International Auschwitz Committee will be taking part in the Leipzig Book Fair. It will be presenting books and brochures from its work which focus on the memories, feelings and experiences of Holocaust survivors told after their liberation and also reflecting their later ‘second ‘lives’. ... The International Auschwitz Committee will present itself for the first time at the Leipzig Book Fair from 27 to 30 April 2023 in Hall 4, Stand A 303.

The International Auschwitz Committee is urging Twitter and Elon Musk to take decisive steps against the alarming increases in anti-Semitic tweets since its takeover in October 2022 and to strictly adhere to EU laws. Image: IMAGO/NurPhoto

23.03.2023

International Auschwitz Committee urges Elon Musk to rid Twitter of anti-Semitic smears and hatred.

Whilst at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented on press reports about the massive increase in anti-Semitic contents on Twitter following its takeover by Elon Musk: ... International Auschwitz Committee urges Elon Musk to rid Twitter of anti-Semitic smears and hatred.

Governor of Lower Austria and ÖVP leader Johanna Mikl-Leitner with Udo Landbauer, head of the far-right FPÖ of Lower Austria and heavily criticized for an anti-Semitic songbook published by his fraternity. They are negotiating for a coalition. Image: ORF.at

18.03.2023

International Auschwitz Committee horrified that ÖVP is making the far right socially acceptable

Following the state election in Lower Austria, the country’s geographically largest state, a coalition is currently emerging between the ÖVP and an FPÖ in which has accommodated leading representatives of far-right and anti-Semitic attitudes for many years. ... International Auschwitz Committee horrified that ÖVP is making the far right socially acceptable

Jewish Cemetery, Kraków: Henri Goldberg, who survived the Holocaust by hiding in Belgium as a child, stands in front of the grave of Maria Orwid. She was one of the first psychologists in Europe to work with traumatized children and young people who had survived the Holocaust. Image: Hannah Lessing/IAC Vienna

12.03.2023

80th Memorial Day in remembrance of Kraków Ghetto liquidation

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the final liquidation of Kraków Ghetto, on 13 March 1943, and the deportation of the last remaining Jewish prisoners to Plaszow and Auschwitz concentration camps, the Presidium of the International Auschwitz Committee gathered for a meeting in Kraków. ... 80th Memorial Day in remembrance of Kraków Ghetto liquidation

VW trainees involved in conservation work at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. Image: Karl Lehmann / IAC Berlin

03.03.2023

International Auschwitz Committee and Volkswagen AG renew project work with trainees at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial.

The International Auschwitz Committee and Volkswagen AG have started working together again. They are holding a preparatory seminar in Hanover as the conservation project with trainees at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial gets underway again following the interruption caused by the Covid pandemic. ... International Auschwitz Committee and Volkswagen AG renew project work with trainees at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial.

21 February 2023: The Berlinale awards Steven Spielberg the Honorary Golden Bear for his lifetime achievement. Image: SCHROEWIG, Collage KGS/IAC Berlin

21.02.2023

Steven Spielberg receives Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival

Speaking in Berlin on today’s Berlinale award of the Honorary Golden Bear for Steven Spielberg, Christoph Heubner, Excutive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Steven Spielberg receives Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival

15.02.2023

Prevent upcoming appearance of QAnon propagandist Friedemann Mack in Falkensee town hall!

Commenting in Berlin on the upcoming appearance of QAnon propagandist Friedemann Mack in Falkensee town hall, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stressed: ... Prevent upcoming appearance of QAnon propagandist Friedemann Mack in Falkensee town hall!

Potsdam Germany, 21 March 1933. Handshake at official meeting of Chancellor Adolf Hitler and President Paul Ludwig von Hindenburg at the opening ceremony of the Reichstag held in the Garrison Church in Potsdam. Image: imago images/Leemage

13.02.2023

IAC calls for change in Germany’s remembrance culture

These days mark the 90th anniversary of the time when the Nazis took over power in Germany on 30 January 1933 and then promptly destroyed the foundations of democracy in civil society in the following few weeks of February and March 1933. ... IAC calls for change in Germany’s remembrance culture

Demonstration against the AfD on 15 May 2021 in Siegen/Germany. Image: IMAGO / Rene Traut

06.02.2023

Ten years of AfD: Increasingly radical

Commenting in Berlin on the 10-year existence of the AfD as a far right extremist party in Germany, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stressed: ... Ten years of AfD: Increasingly radical

Der Angriff - Das deutsche Abendblatt, Berlin 30 Jan.1933: National Socialistt seizure of power in Germany. Image: Mabit1, evening edition of Der Angriff, CC BY-SA 4.0

30.01.2023

90 years since so-called seizure of power by National Socialists in Germany

While in Chemnitz, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, gave a statement on the 90th anniversary of the so-called seizure of power by the National Socialists in Germany: ... 90 years since so-called seizure of power by National Socialists in Germany

Surviving Jewish children in Auschwitz with nurses. The photograph was taken by a Soviet photographer while making a film about the liberation of the camp. Image: IMAGO / Reinhard Schultz, Collage: KGS / IAK Berlin

26.01.2023

78th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, issued an emphatic statement marking the 78th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust on 27 January: ... 78th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

23 January 2023, in Warsaw the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda (left), awards Marian Turski the Cross of Officer of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. Image: Leszech Zych / Polityka

25.01.2023

Republic of Lithuania honours Marian Turski with the Cross of Officer of the Order for Merits to Lithuania

Marian Turski, Auschwitz survivor, President of the International Auschwitz Committee, long-standing head of the historical section of POLITYKA and Chairman of the International Museum Council at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, was awarded the Cross of Officer of the Order for Merits to Lithuania on 23 January. ... Republic of Lithuania honours Marian Turski with the Cross of Officer of the Order for Merits to Lithuania

The Death Gate in Stutthof concentration camp, 1941–1945. Image: GEDANOPEDIA, foundation Gdańsk – image excerpt IAC Berlin

20.12.2022

Stutthof Trial: Accessory to murder of more than 11,000 people

In Itzehoe, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented as follows on the upcoming verdict in the Stutthof Trial against Irmgard F., the former secretary to the camp commandant, who is facing the charge of being an accessory to the murder of more than 11,000 people: ... Stutthof Trial: Accessory to murder of more than 11,000 people

The time has come to focus more clearly on the AfD in the German Bundestag, particularly under security aspects, and to point out their responsibilities for current developments in the far-right milieu. Image: IMAGO / Christian Ohde, KGS / IAC Berlin

10.12.2022

The political consequences of the raid against the far-right milieu on 7 December 2022

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the political consequences of the raid against the far-right (Reichsbürger) milieu as follows: ... The political consequences of the raid against the far-right milieu on 7 December 2022

7 December 2022: Prince Heinrich XIII. Reuß is led away in handcuffs by two police officers. Photo: Tagesspiegel

07.12.2022

Raid targeting right-wing extremists in Germany

Commenting on today’s raid by security forces, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Raid targeting right-wing extremists in Germany

29.11.2022

Current developments surrounding Twitter and the network service’s owner Elon Musk.

Holocaust survivors are deeply concerned as they follow the current developments surrounding the social network service Twitter. ... Current developments surrounding Twitter and the network service’s owner Elon Musk.

Tadeusz Borowski, Polish writer (* 12 November 1922 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine; † 3 July 1951 in Warsaw). Image: KGS/IAC Berlin

12.11.2022

Remembering the world-renowned writer and Auschwitz survivor Tadeusz Borowski who was born 100 years ago on 12 November 1922.

To this day, his two collections of stories: Here in Our Auschwitz and Other Stories, and This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen, both published in Poland in 1946, remain particularly disturbing and moving accounts of the horrors in Auschwitz for readers of classic world literature. ... Remembering the world-renowned writer and Auschwitz survivor Tadeusz Borowski who was born 100 years ago on 12 November 1922.

Zilli Schmidt was born as Cäsilie Reichmann in Thuringia in 1924. She survived the concentration camps of Lety in Bohemia and the so-called Gypsy Family Camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her daughter, her parents and her relatives were gassed there in 1944. On the same day Zilli was deported to Ravensbrück as a forced labourer. Together with her cousin she managed to escape from the concentration camp, found her way to an uncle in Berlin and acquired false documents that enabled her to move freely until the end of the war. She lived in Mannheim. Zilli Schmidt rarely spoke publicly about her life. Image: IMAGO / Mike Schmidt

21.10.2022

Auschwitz survivor Zilli Schmidt has died at the age of 98.

Zilli Schmidt, who died today aged 98, was one of the last witnesses of the genocide against the Sinti and Roma. Speaking in Berlin, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute to Zilli as follows: ... Auschwitz survivor Zilli Schmidt has died at the age of 98.

30 January 2018: In view of the huge far-right and extreme populist challenges in many countries around the globe, Auschwitz survivors presented the Gift of Remembrance to the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. The statuette represents the inverted letter B in the cynical inscription above Auschwitz camp’s main gate ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work makes you free). The prisoners secretly welded the letter B upside-down to give courage to fellow prisoners and resist the desperation in that murderous place. Image: Peter Lechner

17.10.2022

International Auschwitz Committee congratulates President Van der Bellen on his re-election

Letter from Marian Turski and Christoph Heubner to the President of the Republic of Austria. ... International Auschwitz Committee congratulates President Van der Bellen on his re-election

Holocaust Memorial Berlin. Image: KGS / IAC Berlin

11.10.2022

Outrage at behaviour of AfD politician from Thuringia at the Holocaust Memorial

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the behaviour of the AfD politician Holger Winterstein at the Holocaust Memorial saying: ... Outrage at behaviour of AfD politician from Thuringia at the Holocaust Memorial

07.10.2022

Nobel Peace Prize 2022 awarded to Belarussian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

Commenting on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Nobel Peace Prize 2022 awarded to Belarussian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

The election result in Italy is a shocking and saddening event for all survivors of the Holocaust and the heirs of the Resistenza italiana, one of the most important resistance movements against fascism in Europe. The fact that citizens in Italy are putting their trust in the promises of far-right populists and Mussolini’s self-appointed heirs who are taking up their positions to rule, is an alarming sign that the European idea is coming under increasing pressure. Image: 123rf

26.09.2022

IAC response to the election result in Italy

Speaking at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented on the result of the Italian election and the foreseeable victory of the Fratelli d’Italia party (FDI) and other far-right parties: ... IAC response to the election result in Italy

documenta fifteen: The banner of the Indonesian art collective bearing unmistakeable anti-Semitic images is dismantled. In the end all that remains is empty scaffolding. Then the artists from Taring Padi remove and destroy the large-format figures and discard them. Image: IMAGO/Hartenfelser

25.09.2022

At the end of documenta fifteen all that remains is a pile of rubble

Speaking at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented on the end of documenta fifteen as follows: ... At the end of documenta fifteen all that remains is a pile of rubble

The president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, speaks in an interview with CBS in Teheran. It was held before his visit to New York where he took part in the 77th session of the UN General Assembly UNGA 77 on 19 September 2022. Image by Iranian Presidency apaimages, Teheran, Iran, Islamic Republic

20.09.2022

Open Letter from Volkswagen trainees to the Iranian president in response to his playing down of the Holocaust.

In a joint project with the International Auschwitz Committee fourteen Volkswagen trainees from Wolfsburg, Zwickau, Chemnitz and Dresden are working together to preserve and maintain the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. ... Open Letter from Volkswagen trainees to the Iranian president in response to his playing down of the Holocaust.

2 September 2017: Prince Charles with the Statue of Remembrance, Marian Turski (Auschwitz survivor), Michèle Deodat (artist and designer of the B statue). In London the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, receives the Statue of Remembrance from Holocaust survivors. The award was presented to Prince Charles when he met survivors and representatives of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust at St James’s Palace in London. The statue depicts the inverted B in the cynical inscription above the main gate to Auschwitz concentration camp ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work sets you free). Image: Paul Burns

11.09.2022

Auschwitz survivors send a message to King Charles III

In January 2017, the International Auschwitz Committee presented Charles, Prince of Wales, with its Statue of Remembrance at St James’s Palace in London. The statue depicts the inverted letter B which the prisoners deliberately turned upside down in a demonstration of courage and defiance when they were forced to manufacture the inscription above the gate to Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp: ARBEIT MACHT FREI (work sets you free). The sculpture was designed by the French artist Michèle Déodat. The statue is regarded as the highest honour to be awarded by the survivors of... ... Auschwitz survivors send a message to King Charles III

7 September 2022: The 96-year-old Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor, Marian Turski, was re-elected as president of the International Auschwitz Committee. Image: Bernd Oertwig

07.09.2022

16th General Assembly of the International Auschwitz Committee in Oswiecim/Auschwitz

Today, in Oswiecim Poland, the General Assembly of the International Auschwitz Committee ended. It takes place every five years. This year it was attended by Auschwitz survivors, relatives and descendants of the camp survivors, and representatives from Auschwitz foundations in 11 different countries. ... 16th General Assembly of the International Auschwitz Committee in Oswiecim/Auschwitz

26 August 1992: Pogroms in Rostock Lichtenhagen, police moving in. Image: Imago/Rex Schober

22.08.2022

Remembering the pogroms in Lichtenhagen in August 1992

While in Werdau/Zwickau, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the pogroms in Lichtenhagen in August 1992 and on this year’s remembrance ceremony as follows: ... Remembering the pogroms in Lichtenhagen in August 1992

Cover of the illustrated version of Anne Frank's Diary. The diary of Anne Frank is a world-famous part of the Holocaust literature. The original work has been adapted with illustrations by the screenwriter and filmmaker Ari Folman and the illustrator David Polonsky. Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation (2019) has already been translated into 20 languages, published in some 60 countries, and has headed the bestseller lists in 5 countries. Image: By courtesy of the Anne Frank Fonds, Basle.

18.08.2022

Anne Frank’s Diary is pulled from shelves of school libraries in a school district of Fort Worth, Texas

Together with the respective school boards, ultra-conservative parents in the USA are continuing their school-cleansing campaigns against supposedly indecent literature in school and class libraries. ... Anne Frank’s Diary is pulled from shelves of school libraries in a school district of Fort Worth, Texas

16 August 2022: Joint press conference with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin. Image: IMAGO/Jürgen Heinrich

16.08.2022

Palestinian President Abbas feeds anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic aggressions with Holocaust comparison.

Commenting in Berlin on today’s statements and Holocaust comparison by Palestinian President Abbas during a press conference with Federal Chancellor Scholz, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... Palestinian President Abbas feeds anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic aggressions with Holocaust comparison.

August 8, 2022: Zofia Posmysz, Polish author and Auschwitz survivor passed away in the Hospice of Oswiecim at the age of 98. Image: Pawelsawicki, Zofia Posmysz, Image detail: KGS / IAK Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0

08.08.2022

Zofia Posmysz, prominent Polish author and Auschwitz survivor has died at the age of 98.

Auschwitz survivors around the globe are bidding farewell with sadness, heartfelt gratitude and great esteem, from their friend, fellow sufferer, companion and renowned writer Zofia Posmysz, who died today aged 98 in the Hospice of Oswiecim. ... Zofia Posmysz, prominent Polish author and Auschwitz survivor has died at the age of 98.

August 5, 2022: Professor Felix Kolmer, Czech-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee dies aged 100. Image: memoryofnations.eu, IAK Berlin

05.08.2022

Czech-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee Professor Felix Kolmer dies aged 100

Professor Felix Kolmer, the Czech-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, passed away this morning at the Hagibor retirement home in Prague aged 100. ... Czech-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee Professor Felix Kolmer dies aged 100

The art exhibition documenta fifteen from 18 June to 25 September 2022. A critical visitor with an exhibition catalogue and some defective spectacles – with a blind right eye. Image: IMAGO/serienlicht

29.07.2022

Position of the International Auschwitz Committee on the current situation of documenta fifteen

Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the current situation at documenta fifteen, and specifically criticized the unwillingness of the exhibition organizers to take a stand on anti-Semitic manifestations within the exhibition: ... Position of the International Auschwitz Committee on the current situation of documenta fifteen

Polish Prime Minister Matuesz Morawiecki. Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto / xMateuszxWlodarczykx

27.07.2022

New appointment of the advisory body International Auschwitz Council by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on 26 July 2022

Since the year 2000 the appointment of the International Auschwitz Council has been the responsibility of the Polish prime minister. The council’s 25 members are appointed by the prime minister as experts on the process of coming to terms with the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. The council members serve for a term of six years. ... New appointment of the advisory body International Auschwitz Council by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on 26 July 2022

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary. Image: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire / xBeataxZawrzelx

26.07.2022

On the racist statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Băile Tușnad, Romania

Commenting on the recent statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Fidesz summer academy in Băile Tușnad, Romania, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... On the racist statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Băile Tușnad, Romania

Unknown persons have vandalized seven trees, by sawing them off or breaking them down, close by Buchenwald Memorial. The planting of the commemorative trees began in 1999 along the Death March routes from Buchenwald concentration camp. They are in honour and recognition of the courage of German anti-fascists Emil Carlebach, Otto Kipp, Erich Loch, Reinhold Lochmann, August Stötzel. They are also in honour of the 1,600 children and young people who did not survive Buchenwald, and the French engineer and industrialist, Marcel Dassault. The destroyed trees symbolize life, their lives and their sacrifices. Image: Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation

21.07.2022

Attack on Buchenwald Memorial

During a visit to France, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, made a statement on the targeted attack on the Buchenwald concentration camp Memorial. The attack included the vandalizing of trees dedicated to children murdered in the camp: ... Attack on Buchenwald Memorial

The people were crammed together in busses like this and taken to the Vélodrome d’hiver. Illustration: Jean Cabut, known as Cabu. "Whilst he was completing these illustrations, he had nightmares and was scarred for the rest of his life," wrote his wife, Véronique. Cabu was murdered in the Islamist attack in Paris on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on 7 January 2015.

16.07.2022

80th anniversary of the mass roundup in occupied Paris on 16 and 17 July 1942

On this day, Auschwitz survivors around the world are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the massive, brutal roundups in occupied Paris on 16 and 17 July 1942, in which Germans and French police arrested more than 13,000 Jews and incarcerated them for days in deplorable conditions in the velodrome near the Eiffel tower. ... 80th anniversary of the mass roundup in occupied Paris on 16 and 17 July 1942

documenta fifteen Friedrichplatz Kassel: The banner by the Indonesian artists’ collective Taring Padi with explicit anti-Semitic imagery has been removed, leaving the empty scaffolding. Afterwards, the artists of Taring Padi destroyed the giant figures and removed the remains. Image: IMAGO / Hartenfelser

09.07.2022

Taking the bull by the horns: Discussion about documenta’s unprecedented blunder

Trainees stage performance against anti-Semitism at the Kunsthaus Göttingen. ... Taking the bull by the horns: Discussion about documenta’s unprecedented blunder

The work titled People's Justice by the Indonesian collective of underground artists Taring Padi at documenta 15 in Kassel caused a wave of outrage. The documenta organizers first decided to drape the work with black cloth, just three days after it was installed. It is now being completely dismounted. Image: hessenschau.de

21.06.2022

The most recent anti-Semitic manifestations at documenta fifteen

During a stay at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the latest developments in the anti-Semitism debate surrounding documenta 15: ... The most recent anti-Semitic manifestations at documenta fifteen

Anti-Semitic relief, a so-called Jews’ sow sculpture on the Evangelische Stadtkirche in Wittenberg, where Martin Luther once preached. The information on a panel at the church says: There is a relief scorning and deriding the Jewish religion on the south-east corner of the Stadtkirche which has been there since around 1290. Defamatory sculptures of this kind that depict Jews in connection with pigs – animals which are deemed unclean in Judaism – were particularly widespread in the Middle Ages. Image: IMAGO / Winfried Rothermel

15.06.2022

Judgement of the Federal Court on the depiction of the so-called Jews’ sow in Wittenberg

During a stay at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on today’s Federal Court judgement concerning the anti-Jewish relief known as the "Wittenberger Judensau": ... Judgement of the Federal Court on the depiction of the so-called Jews’ sow in Wittenberg

Dr Angela Merkel, former Federal Chancellor. Image: Eva Oertwig/SCHROEWIG

15.06.2022

Judgement of the Federal Constitutional Court on the statement by Federal Chancellor Merkel on the election of the Minister-President in the Free State of Thuringia in 2020

Commenting on today’s judgement by the Federal Constitutional Court on the statement by former Federal Chancellor Merkel on the election of the Minister-President in Thuringia with votes from the CDU, the FDP and the AfD, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stressed: ... Judgement of the Federal Constitutional Court on the statement by Federal Chancellor Merkel on the election of the Minister-President in the Free State of Thuringia in 2020

Vice Chair Mario Lehmann (AfD,Saxony-Anhalt) with Rammstein shirt at Saxony-Anhalt state parliamentary session on 24 October 2018. Foto: IMAGO / Christian Schroedter

11.06.2022

The quiet return of the former MP, Mario Lehmann, to the police force of Saxony-Anhalt

Commenting in Berlin on the return of the former AfD politician and regional state MP to the police service in Saxony-Anhalt, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... The quiet return of the former MP, Mario Lehmann, to the police force of Saxony-Anhalt

Detective Inspector Mario Lehmann (52) at the opening of the new police uniform store. He took photos for the police force. Image: Christian Schroedter

01.06.2022

AfD politician Mario Lehmann returns to police force

Repeated demands are being made to remove right-wing extremist officers from the police force. In Saxony-Anhalt a self-confirmed far-right extremist and despiser of the republic has returned to the police service. Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented as follows: ... AfD politician Mario Lehmann returns to police force

Russia May 5, 2022, rehearsal for Victory Day military parade in Vladivostok. Image: Yuri Smityuk/IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

09.05.2022

8 and 9 May: Days of remembrance marking the end of World War II

On this 9 May 2022, Auschwitz survivors across the globe are commemorating all of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian soldiers of the Red Army who liberated them from Auschwitz and led them back into life. ... 8 and 9 May: Days of remembrance marking the end of World War II

Prof. Felix Kolmer, Czech Jewish survivor of Auschwitz and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee. Image: memoryofnations.eu, IAC Berlin

03.05.2022

Prof. Felix Kolmer, Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee turns 100

Today, it is the 100th birthday of the Czech Jewish survivor of Auschwitz and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Prof. Felix Kolmer, who is marking his 100th anniversary in the Jewish retirement home Hagibor in Prague. ... Prof. Felix Kolmer, Auschwitz survivor and Czech Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee turns 100

28 April 2022, Jerusalem, Israel: President Isaac Herzog and his wife, First Lady Michal Herzog, light candles on Yom Hashoah in the Knesset in memory of the martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust. Image:

28.04.2022

Yom hashoah: Worldwide remembrance of the martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust

Speaking in Berlin on the occasion of today’s Holocaust Remembrance Day Yom Hashoah, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Yom hashoah: Worldwide remembrance of the martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust

Kolmar Park, 4143 N. Kolmar Ave. in Old Irving Park Image: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club Chicago

27.04.2022

Chicago honours Gertrud Kolmar, the German-Jewish poet who was murdered in Auschwitz

It’s a lovely story: For many years, tucked away in the northwest of Chicago, there has been a rather inconspicuous park called Kolmar Park. It is named after the city of Colmar in Alsace, France, near the border with Germany. ... Chicago honours Gertrud Kolmar, the German-Jewish poet who was murdered in Auschwitz

Marian Turski, President of the International Auschwitz Committee. Image: Wojciech Grabowski, Excerpt: IAK Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0

24.03.2022

Marie Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin awards honorary doctorate to IAC President Marian Turski.

The Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Marian Turski, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Senate of the Polish Marie Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin. ... Marie Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin awards honorary doctorate to IAC President Marian Turski.

Holocaust survivor Boris Romanchenko was killed in a Russian missile attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on March 18, 2022, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Image: IMAGO / photo2000

22.03.2022

Ukrainian Holocaust survivor Boris Romantschenko (96) killed in Russian shelling of Kharkiv

Ukrainian Holocaust survivor Boris Romantschenko aged 96 was killed when Russian shells hit his flat in an attack on his home town of Kharkiv on Friday. During a stay at the Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Ukrainian Holocaust survivor Boris Romantschenko (96) killed in Russian shelling of Kharkiv

Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum passes in Potsdam aged 101 years. Image: IMAGO / Metodi Popow

14.03.2022

Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum passes at the age of 101.

On Monday night the Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum died in Potsdam at the age of 101. Leon Schwarzbaum was born as the son of a Polish-Jewish family in Hamburg in 1921, but he grew up in the Polish town of Bedzin in Upper Silesia. In 1943, after the dissolution of the ghetto there, the family, was deported to Auschwitz. ... Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum passes at the age of 101.

09.03.2022

Holocaust survivor Inge Deutschkron has died aged 99 years.

Holocaust survivors across the world are bidding farewell to their companion and fellow sufferer Inge Detschkron. They are eternally grateful to her, and they are expressing their heartfelt affection and respect at her passing. During a stay at Auschwitz Memorial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute to her as follows: ... Holocaust survivor Inge Deutschkron has died aged 99 years.

09.03.2022

Administrative Court in Cologne: AfD may and should be under surveillance by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

During a visit at the Auschwitz Memorial Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee commented as follows on the Cologne Administrative Court‘s decision for surveillance of the AfD: ... Administrative Court in Cologne: AfD may and should be under surveillance by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Missiles strike next to the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial on the outskirts of Kyiv. Image: RND.de

02.03.2022

Damage inflicted on the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, made a statement concerning the damage inflicted on the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial during the bombardment of Kyiv’s neighbouring television tower. He said: ... Damage inflicted on the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial

Feb. 27, 2022 More than a hundred thousand Germans, Ukrainians, Russians and people from all over the world demonstrate in Berlin against Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Image: KGS, IAC Berlin

27.02.2022

Putin's cynical and treacherous lie to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

Time and again the Russian president Vladimir Putin uses the terms “genocide” and “denazification” in his arguments for the invasion of Ukraine. In this context Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stated in Berlin: ... Putin's cynical and treacherous lie to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

Gabriel Bach was deputy state prosecutor in the Eichmann Trial in Israel. He is holding a photograph with himself in the foreground and Eichmann in the background. Gabriel Bach died on 18 February 2022 aged 94. Image: Menahem Kahana/AFP

19.02.2022

Gabriel Bach, deputy state prosecutor in the Eichmann Trial, dies aged 94.

Speaking in Berlin on the death of Gabriel Bach, deputy state prosecutor in the Eichmann Trial, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Gabriel Bach, deputy state prosecutor in the Eichmann Trial, dies aged 94.

18.02.2022

100th anniversary of Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, Polish Auschwitz survivor and subsequent foreign minister of the Republic of Poland

Tomorrow, 19 February 2022, Auschwitz survivors around the globe will be remembering their Polish fellow prisoner and fellow sufferer Władysław Bartoszewski with utmost respect and gratitude. He was incarcerated in Auschwitz at the age of 18, and tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. In Warsaw the Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Marian Turski, paid tribute to his long-time companion: ... 100th anniversary of Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, Polish Auschwitz survivor and subsequent foreign minister of the Republic of Poland

Richter based his Birkenau Cycle on four black-and-white photos that were taken secretly by a prisoner and then smuggled out of Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Image: imago/Robert Michael

09.02.2022

Gerhard Richter turns 90

On the occasion of Gerhard Richter’s 90th birthday Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee congratulated the artist as follows: ... Gerhard Richter turns 90

The radical right-wing AfD candidate for the Bundestag, Jens Maier, at a joint rally staged by Pegida and AfD on 5 June 2017 at the Altmarkt in Dresden. Image: Imago/Paul Sander

05.02.2022

Far-right AfD politician Jens Meier wants to return to office as judge

Commenting in Berlin on the imminent return of AfD politician Jens Maier to the office of judge in the Free State of Saxony, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... Far-right AfD politician Jens Meier wants to return to office as judge

The International Auschwitz Committee is supporting the nomination of MEMORIAL for the award of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Image: IAC Berlin

29.01.2022

The International Auschwitz Committee is wholeheartedly supporting the proposal to award MEMORIAL the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Representatives from almost every party in the Estonian parliament have issued a joint press statement nominating the Russian human rights organization MEMORIAL for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. ... The International Auschwitz Committee is wholeheartedly supporting the proposal to award MEMORIAL the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

77th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. Image: ZDF.de, IAC Berlin

26.01.2022

h Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Speaking in Berlin on the occasion of tomorrow’s 77th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and the International Day in Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... h Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Raphael Esrail of blessed memory, Image: memoiresdesdeportations.org, excerpt IAC Berlin

23.01.2022

Raphael Esrail, Auschwitz survivor, French Vice President of the IAC and President of the Union dés déportés d’Auschwitz in Paris, has died.

Auschwitz survivors around the globe are deeply saddened by the passing of Raphael Esrail at the age of 96 in Lannion (Côtes d’Armor) France. At the same time they are profoundly grateful to their friend, fellow sufferer and long-time companion. ... Raphael Esrail, Auschwitz survivor, French Vice President of the IAC and President of the Union dés déportés d’Auschwitz in Paris, has died.

06.01.2022

Auschwitz survivor Trude Simonsohn dies at 100 years of age

It is with deepest gratitude and sadness that Auschwitz survivors around the world are bidding farewell to their friend and fellow sufferer Trude Simonsohn who has passed away at the age of 100 years. In a tribute to her, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Auschwitz survivor Trude Simonsohn dies at 100 years of age

Auschwitz survivor Gertrude Pressburger. Image: http://www.bundespraesident.at

02.01.2022

Auschwitz survivor Gertrude Pressburger has died at the age of 94

In a tribute to the Auschwitz survivor Gertrude Pressburger, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Auschwitz survivor Gertrude Pressburger has died at the age of 94

A judge at Russia’s Supreme Court announces the verdict against Memorial International. Image: Tagesschau.de

29.12.2021

Russia’s Supreme Court orders closure of the human rights organization Memorial.

Commenting on the continuing efforts to suppress Russian institutions and to destroy Memorial, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Russia’s Supreme Court orders closure of the human rights organization Memorial.

Steven Spielberg, Image: Eva Oertwig, SCHROEWIG, IAK Berlin

18.12.2021

Auschwitz survivors around the world congratulate Steven Spielberg on his 75th birthday.

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, congratulated and paid tribute to the film director Steven Spielberg on his 75th birthday: ... Auschwitz survivors around the world congratulate Steven Spielberg on his 75th birthday.

The leader of the far right Dutch party Forum for Democracy (FvD), Thierry Baudet. Image: nu.nl

17.12.2021

Amsterdam verdict: Far right populist not to compare Coronavirus rules with the Holocaust

Auschwitz survivors are welcoming the ground-breaking court judgement handed down yesterday in Amsterdam against the MP Thierry Baudet. Baudet had made repeated references in his statements comparing the coronavirus measures taken by the Dutch authorities with the persecution of Jewish families during the Holocaust. ... Amsterdam verdict: Far right populist not to compare Coronavirus rules with the Holocaust

Carry van Lakerveld, former Dutch vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee. Image: boomgeschiedenis.nl, IAC Berlin

11.12.2021

Carry van Lakerveld, former Dutch vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee died.

Sadly and full of gratitude, the International Auschwitz Committee says goodbye to its former Dutch Vice-President Carry van Lakerveld, who has died in Amsterdam at the age of 83. ... Carry van Lakerveld, former Dutch vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee died.

AfD id for chair of interior committee: fatally thoughtless signal. Image: IAC Berlin

10.12.2021

AfD bid to chair Bundestag interior committee: fatally thoughtless signal

The survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps are following the first steps taken by the new government in Germany with great interest. Commenting in Berlin Christoph Heubner, the der Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... AfD bid to chair Bundestag interior committee: fatally thoughtless signal

Kara Tepe refugee camp on Lesbos. Image: Twitter/Mission Lifeline

04.12.2021

Holocaust survivors thank Pope Francis

In a statement concerning the present journey of Pope Francis to Cyprus, his clear words during his meeting with refugees in Nicosia, and his subsequent journey to Greece with his renewed visit to the refugee camp on Lesbos, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Holocaust survivors thank Pope Francis

Auschwitz survivor Albina Moimas. Image: hna.de, Collage IAC Berlin

30.10.2021

Auschwitz survivor Albina Moimas celebrates her 100th birthday

In honour of her 100th birthday the Auschwitz Committee presents the commemorative medal marking the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz to Albina Moimas. ... Auschwitz survivor Albina Moimas celebrates her 100th birthday

Gerhard Richter, Germany's most important living artist, painted his four-part monumental work "Birkenau Cycle" based on photographs taken by a Jewish prisoner at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp in August 1944. Image: katholisch1.tv

27.10.2021

The artist Gerhard Richter is presenting an edition of his Birkenau Paintings and four Grey Mirror paintings to the International Auschwitz Committee.

The exhibition ensemble of works by the world-famous German artist includes not only these mirror paintings but also four reproductions of the original photographs taken by a prisoner in Birkenau. ... The artist Gerhard Richter is presenting an edition of his Birkenau Paintings and four Grey Mirror paintings to the International Auschwitz Committee.

Entrance to Block 17 with the new Austria exhibition in Auschwitz. Image: National Fund of the Republic of Austria for the Victims of National Socialism, Parliamentary Directorate/Ulrike Wieser

04.10.2021

Opening of the newly conceived and designed memorial exhibition of the Republic of Austria in Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial centre

Today, following many years of discussion on contents and design, the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen will open the Republic of Austria’s new memorial exhibition at the Auschwitz Memorial, together with the Polish Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee Marian Turski and a group of relatives and descendants of Austrian Auschwitz prisoners. ... Opening of the newly conceived and designed memorial exhibition of the Republic of Austria in Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial centre

AfD election results in Saxony and Thuringia: a dramatic wake-up call for the democratic parties and society as a whole. Image: ARD, Wikipedia, Coat of arms of Thuringia, Collage: IAC Berlin, CC0 1.0

27.09.2021

AfD results in Saxony and Thuringia a dramatic wake-up call for the democratic parties and society as a whole

Survivors of the Holocaust have been following the German federal elections with special interest. Commenting in Berlin, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... AfD results in Saxony and Thuringia a dramatic wake-up call for the democratic parties and society as a whole

The Death Gate of Stutthof concentration camp, 1941–1945. Image: GEDANOPEDIA, Foundation Gdansk – Picture detail by IAC Berlin

25.09.2021

Late justice – History returns: The Stutthof Trial in Itzehoe

An act of late justice for their murdered family members is what survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants are hoping for in the Nazi trial of Irmgard Furchner in Itzehoe. ... Late justice – History returns: The Stutthof Trial in Itzehoe

19 September 2021: Unveiling of the Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names Amsterdam. Image: Tagesschau.de

19.09.2021

The Holocaust Memorial Amsterdam is unveiled by the Dutch Auschwitz Committee and King Willem-Alexander

76 years after the end of World War II, and after more than 15 years of controversy and delays concerning the site, the Dutch Auschwitz Committee and King Willem-Alexander are today unveiling the Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names in Amsterdam: ... The Holocaust Memorial Amsterdam is unveiled by the Dutch Auschwitz Committee and King Willem-Alexander

III Weg election poster with incitement to murder Green politicians and voters. Image: IAC Berlin

15.09.2021

Irresponsible decision by the administrative court in Chemnitz on the III Weg posters

Commenting on the decision of the administrative court in Chemnitz on the III Weg posters, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Irresponsible decision by the administrative court in Chemnitz on the III Weg posters

14.09.2021

Saul Friedländer is awarded the Balzan Prize 2021 for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

On the award of the prestigious international Balzan Prize to the historian and Holocaust survivor Saul Friedländer, Christoph Heubner, executive vice-president of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... Saul Friedländer is awarded the Balzan Prize 2021 for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

12.09.2021

Pope Francis travels to Hungary and Slovakia, and once again meets with Holocaust survivors and Roma families

Holocaust survivors around the world are following Pope Francis’ journey to Hungary and Slovakia with great interest and respect. During his travels Pope Francis will again be meeting with Holocaust survivors and Roma families. Commenting in Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... Pope Francis travels to Hungary and Slovakia, and once again meets with Holocaust survivors and Roma families

Election poster of Der III Weg with murder threats against Green politicians and voters. Image: IAC

08.09.2021

Election posters published by the aggressive fascist group "Der III Weg" bearing murder threats against Green politicians and voters

In response to the activities of the fascist party "Der III Weg" (The Third Path) in the run-up to the German parliamentary elections, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stated: ... Election posters published by the aggressive fascist group "Der III Weg" bearing murder threats against Green politicians and voters

‘Querdenker’ in battle mode. Image: Tagesschau.de

05.08.2021

Former members of the army and the police are radicalizing the ‘Querdenker’ movement

Holocaust survivors are deeply shocked by the revelations of journalists concerning the leading organizational and ideological involvement of former members of the military and the police in the so-called Querdenker movement. In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... Former members of the army and the police are radicalizing the ‘Querdenker’ movement

Grave stones at the Genocide Memorial in Potočari near Srebrenica (2008) Photo: Maurits90 – own work, public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9986920

28.07.2021

The Srebrenica genocide: Denial punishable at last

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, commented on the decision of the UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina to make the denial of the Srebrenica genocide punishable: ... The Srebrenica genocide: Denial punishable at last

Award for Prof. Felix Kolmer during a ceremony at the Hagibor retirement home of the Jewish Community in Prague on 13 July 2021. Photo: IAC

22.07.2021

High award for Felix Kolmer

Professor Felix Kolmer from Prague, Holocaust survivor and Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, has been awarded the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria by the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. ... High award for Felix Kolmer

Esther Bejarano (Auschwitz survivor), Berlin, 12 June 2013, presentation of the International Auschwitz Committee sculpture "to B remembered" at Wittenbergplatz in Berlin. Photo: Eva Oertwig/SCHROEWIG

10.07.2021

Auschwitz survivor Esther Bejarano has died

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute to Esther Bejaranos who has died: ... Auschwitz survivor Esther Bejarano has died

Dr. Giselle Cycowicz (psychologist, AMCHA therapist and Shoah survivor), Dr. Martin Auerbach (National Clinical Director at AMCHA Israel). Image credit: Florian Krauss for AMCHA Deutschland, private, collage IAC Berlin.

24.06.2021

Award for outstanding commitment to psychosocial support for Holocaust survivors

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is awarded to Dr. Giselle Cycowicz and Dr. Martin Auerbach. ... Award for outstanding commitment to psychosocial support for Holocaust survivors

The place where the first mass extermination experiments were staged with Zyklon B poison gas in the cellar of Block 11 in Auschwitz 1 concentration camp. In the background at floor level the small hatch through which the prisoners entered the ‘standing cell’. There was no room to sit because up to four prisoners were crammed together in each standing cell. Picture credits: Diether, Auschwitz I Block 11, CC BY-SA 3.0

22.06.2021

Lest we forget the crimes against Russian soldiers

Today, Auschwitz survivors around the globe are remembering that day in June 1941, when the German Wehrmacht invaded the die Soviet Union. ... Lest we forget the crimes against Russian soldiers

Tin foil hats in Rostock. Image: Moahim, 2018 - Petrikirche - Rostock, Collage by IAC Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0

21.06.2021

A prime example of how the far right ridicules the democratic state

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, made a statement focussing on the decision of Rostock city council and the voting behaviour of its various groups concerning the planned performance by the singer Xavier Naidoo in the Hanseatic city: ... A prime example of how the far right ridicules the democratic state

Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski marking the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January 2020 Photo: Wojciech Grabowski, Marian Turski. 75 rocznica wyzwolenia Auschwitz, excerpt by the IAK Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0

14.06.2021

Marian Turski is elected new president of the International Auschwitz Committee

Following the death of their President Roman Kent, who passed away on 21 May 2021 in New York, the members of the IAC Presidium have elected the Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and journalist Marian Turski from Warsaw as the new president of the International Auschwitz Committee. ... Marian Turski is elected new president of the International Auschwitz Committee

The former garden of the former Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Human Genetics, Anthropology and Eugenics is now a car park. Human bones were found in this area that most likely belonged to prisoners murdered in Auschwitz. Photo: Bernd Oertwig

09.06.2021

Grounds of the Free University in Berlin possible Holocaust crime scene?

Based on the latest research by the Berlin historian Götz Aly (see Berliner Zeitung, 6.6.2021), Auschwitz survivors are outraged at the lack of willingness and insensitivity on the part of the Free University in Berlin (FU) to investigate and clarify the nature of the human remains discovered in 2014 in the grounds of the FU at Garystrasse 39. ... Grounds of the Free University in Berlin possible Holocaust crime scene?

New Synagogue, Ulm. Photo: Andreas F. Borchert, Ulm Weinhof New Synagogue, Jerusalem Window, 2012 11 03, image excerpt by IAC Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0

05.06.2021

Fears are mounting: Attack on the synagogue in Ulm

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, made a statement on the attack against the synagogue in Ulm: ... Fears are mounting: Attack on the synagogue in Ulm

Christoph Heubner in August 2017 at the Auschwitz Memorial (Block 11 /Death Wall (Execution Wall) at Auschwitz I Main Camp with Auschwitz survivors (from left) Roman Kent, Marian Turski, Felix Kolmer, Esther Bejarano (obscured) and Eva Fahidi. Photo: Bernd Oertwig

21.05.2021

President of the International Auschwitz Committee Roman Kent died

Roman Kent, the President of the International Auschwitz Committee, died today in New York at the age of 96, following a brief, severe illness. ... President of the International Auschwitz Committee Roman Kent died

„Durch die Knochen bis ins Herz“ - the new book by Christoph Heubner, vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee. Image: Bernd Oertwig

29.04.2021

Durch die Knochen bis ins Herz ("Through the Bones to the Heart") – the new book by Christoph Heubner

The new stories by Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee: "There were railway tracks, there were furnaces, and it was very hot and very dangerous." ... Durch die Knochen bis ins Herz ("Through the Bones to the Heart") – the new book by Christoph Heubner

Ottoman military forces march Armenian men from Kharput to an execution site outside the city. Kharput, Ottoman Empire, March 1915-June 1915.

25.04.2021

President Biden recognizes Armenian genocide

In a statement about President Biden’s recognition of the Armenian genocide, Christoph Heubner, the Executive President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin: ... President Biden recognizes Armenian genocide

VW Group trainees from Germany and Poland work to preserve the Auschwitz memorial. Image: International Auschwitz Committee

21.04.2021

Volkswagen AG supports memorial work in Auschwitz with 600,000 euros

Volkswagen is again supporting the International Auschwitz Committee. The company is providing 600,000 euros for the committee’s work at the Memorial in Oswiecim/Auschwitz ... Volkswagen AG supports memorial work in Auschwitz with 600,000 euros

Adolf Eichmann during the trial in Israel in 1961, image: Israel Government Press Office, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

11.04.2021

The Eichmann trial 60 years later: no escape for perpetrators of genocide

On the 60th anniversary of the start of the trial against Adolf Eichmann, a key designer in the genocide of the Jews of Europe, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said in Berlin:   ... The Eichmann trial 60 years later: no escape for perpetrators of genocide

Protester with the Star of David and Nazi symbols at "Querdenker" event in Kassel

22.03.2021

International Auschwitz Committee warning: democracy under threat

Auschwitz survivors are very concerned about the steadily increasing propensity to violence and the overt contempt of democracy manifested by the current demonstrations of the Querdenker movement in Kassel and other German cities. ... International Auschwitz Committee warning: democracy under threat

Eduard Wirths (c.) with the two Auschwitz camp commanders Richard Baer (l.) and Rudolf Höss (r.) at the opening of the SS hospital in Auschwitz. Picture rights: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

09.03.2021

Mengele’s boss honoured on memorial in his home town

“In memory of our fallen and missing brothers”. This is the inscription on the war memorial in the town of Geroldshausen, Lower Franconia. The list of names includes Eduard Wirths, who was born in the town and from 1942 to 1944 was chief SS doctor at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. As such he played a decisive role in the industrialized murder programme at the killing centre. ... Mengele’s boss honoured on memorial in his home town

03.03.2021

Hungarian MEPs from Orban’s Fidesz party quit EPP group

Commenting on the Hungarian MEPs from the Fidesz Party leaving the EPP group in the European Parliament, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said in Berlin: ... Hungarian MEPs from Orban’s Fidesz party quit EPP group

01.03.2021

Trump and the Nazi symbol of the Odal Rune

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, former president Trump gave his comeback speech on a stage based on the widespread Neo-Nazi symbol of the Odal rune that was once incorporated into SS uniforms. In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stated: ... Trump and the Nazi symbol of the Odal Rune

20.02.2021

100th birthday of Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum

Auschwitz survivors around the world are happy to be sending their best wishes today to their friend, fellow sufferer and companion Leon Schwarzbaum in Berlin. And they are expressing their deepest gratitude on his 100th birthday. In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: ... 100th birthday of Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum

16.02.2021

Statement on the two new trials in Germany of two Nazi perpetrators

The survivors, who are all now very old, have waited throughout their lives for the perpetrators to be brought to justice for their actions. The fact that this is only happening now is a clear sign of failure and neglect on the part of the German judicial authorities over many decades. Knowing that the perpetrators from the camps have been able to live their lives, in most cases undisturbed and in safety, without being brought to account for their crimes in front of a German court, has been a burden to the survivors throughout their lives. ... Statement on the two new trials in Germany of two Nazi perpetrators

Ban on Generation Identitaire in France, Image: Aidentity

14.02.2021

Ban with a signal effect

Commenting on the effort to ban Generation Identitaire in France, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, said in Berlin: ... Ban with a signal effect

08.02.2021

The prosecution of SS perpetrators should continue despite old age

Trial of a former SS guard at Sachsenhausen concentration camp for accessory to murder in more than 3,000 instances. ... The prosecution of SS perpetrators should continue despite old age

29.01.2021

Name streets and squares after Walter Lübcke!

On the first anniversary of the murder of Walter Lübcke in June 2020, the International Auschwitz Committee already symbolically named a street in Berlin-Tiergarten after him in memory of this important patriot and European. ... Name streets and squares after Walter Lübcke!

28.01.2021

Verdict in the trial for the murder of Walter Lübcke: Sentence for Stephan E. is important and the right message

Commenting in Berlin on the verdict in the trial for the murder of the District President of Kassel, Dr Walter Lübcke, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, stated: ... Verdict in the trial for the murder of Walter Lübcke: Sentence for Stephan E. is important and the right message

26.01.2021

76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Acutely aware of the current dangers

On the occasion of the 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, stressed in Berlin: ... 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Acutely aware of the current dangers

Igor Levit, Invitation to the Memorial Concert

21.01.2021

Remembering the 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Igor Levit plays pieces chosen by Auschwitz survivors

During these days, Auschwitz survivors around the world are commemorating the 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. To mark this occasion the International Auschwitz Committee is collaborating with the Federal State Representation of Lower Saxony and showing the exhibition “What have we achieved? - Auschwitz survivors take stock”. It is mounted on the fence of the Lower Saxony Representation, opposite the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. ... Remembering the 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Igor Levit plays pieces chosen by Auschwitz survivors

Zaunausstellung IAK Berlin, Christoph Heubner

20.01.2021

Exhibition: What have I achieved? – Auschwitz survivors take stock

In cooperation with the Federal State Representation of Lower Saxony, the International Auschwitz Committee is marking the run-up to the worldwide remembrance ceremonies for the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Starting on Wednesday 20 January, the IAC will be showing the exhibition “What have I achieved? – Auschwitz survivors take stock” on the fence of the Federal State Representation of Lower Saxony. ... Exhibition: What have I achieved? – Auschwitz survivors take stock

13.01.2021

On the arrest of Robert Keith Packer in the USA: Nazi scene glorifies Auschwitz with increasing openness and aggression

In Berlin the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, commented on the arrest of the American Robert Keith Packer, who took part in the storming of the Capitol in Washington wearing an Auschwitz T-shirt: ... On the arrest of Robert Keith Packer in the USA: Nazi scene glorifies Auschwitz with increasing openness and aggression

05.01.2021

Scarred by pain and horror: The Auschwitz survivor Renate Lasker-Harpprecht has died

It is with sadness, great respect and gratitude that Auschwitz survivors around the globe are bidding farewell to their fellow sufferer and companion Renate Lasker-Harpprecht. In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, paid tribute as follows: ... Scarred by pain and horror: The Auschwitz survivor Renate Lasker-Harpprecht has died

21.12.2020

Appropriate: Auschwitz survivors react to the conviction of the Halle attacker

Commenting in Berlin on the sentence passed by the Naumburg Higher Regional Court on the Halle attacker, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: ... Appropriate: Auschwitz survivors react to the conviction of the Halle attacker

17.12.2020

Gestapo comparison in European Parliament

In Berlin, Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee made the following comments on the decision of the PPE Group in the European Parliament to keep the Hungarian Fidesz representative Tamas Deutsch in the group, despite his Gestapo comparison: ... Gestapo comparison in European Parliament

Foto: adn / Konzept: Christoph Heubner, Karl Lehmann

05.12.2020

When Willy Brandt fell to his knees: To this day an enduring appeal to keep on confronting the dark sides of one’s own national history

Throughout the world Holocaust survivors are now remembering Willy Brandt’s gesture of humility on 7 December 1970. That was the day when he, as the Federal Chancellor of Germany, knelt in humility at the Ghetto Memorial in Warsaw, acknowledged his home country’s guilt towards the Jews of Europe and the Polish people and asked for forgiveness for what he himself had constantly resisted. All the more did his gesture of compassion and the recognition of German guilt and responsibility impress all those people in the world who had suffered torment, persecution and death by Germans during the... ... When Willy Brandt fell to his knees: To this day an enduring appeal to keep on confronting the dark sides of one’s own national history

28.11.2020

Hungary: Perfidious attack on the American-Jewish philanthropist George Soros and the European Union

Today, on an influential news website, Origo, the author and director of the renowned Petöfi Literary Museum, Szilárd Demeter, has written a perfidious attack on the American-Jewish philanthropist George Soros and the European Union. Demeter was enthroned as director of this important museum by the Orban government two years ago, after pro-government media had mounted a hate campaign and forced the previous director Gergely Pröhle to step down. ... Hungary: Perfidious attack on the American-Jewish philanthropist George Soros and the European Union

21.11.2020

“You aren’t the majority! We’re standing up for democracy and against hatred!”

It is with growing concern that Holocaust survivors are following the increasingly aggressive and potentially violent attitude at demonstrations by Covid-19 deniers in Leipzig and other places in the country. Increasing sections of demonstrators are clearly allowing themselves to be led by conspiracy lies that are anti-Semitic in essence and incite hatred towards Jews and democratic society.

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