11 April 2020 – 75th Anniversary
of the liberation of the
Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps
Floréal Barrier (1922–2015):
“Let us demand, first and foremost of ourselves and then also of others, that those who are different from us be regarded with respect. Let us prohibit all hindrances to liberty, to life and to life in peace.”
Floréal Barrier (1922–2015)
French survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, typesetter, chairman of the prisoners' advisory board of the Buchenwald memorial
Bruno Bettelheim (1903–1990):
“Our hearts must know the world of reason, and our reason must be directed by a knowing heart.”
Bruno Bettelheim (1903–1990)
Austrian psychoanalyst, survivor of the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, emigrated to the USA
Léon Blum (1872–1950):
“... that which builds on violence, debases humanity and is maintained by force, that which is based on contempt for the human person, will not endure.”
Léon Blum (1872–1950)
French Prime Minister, survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp
Robert J. Büchler (1929–2009):
“The first lesson is tolerance. The second: No war. Because without war, no Holocaust would have taken place. Peace, tolerance, mutual understanding, human rights: These are my lessons from the camp.”
Robert J. Büchler (1929–2009)
Slovakian survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Israeli historian and representative of Israel in the International Committee Buchenwald-Dora and Commandos
Leopold Claessens (1924-2011):
“It took me 30 years to know I’m not an animal. But I think that’s how it was for many of us.”
Leopold Claessens (1924-2011)
Survivor of the concentration camps Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen
Bernard d’Astorg (1921-2014):
“We’re here to pass on the obligation of remembrance to the younger people.”
Bernard d’Astorg (1921-2014)
French resistance fighter, survivor of the Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, former General
Pierre Durand (1923–2002):
“Our long lives have taught us that one must never give up, that one must preserve in one’s heart the flames of hope and the will to build a better world, a world worthy of humanity.”
Pierre Durand (1923–2002)
French resistance fighter, survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, journalist and president of the International Committee Buchenwald-Dora and Command
Jacqueline Fleury (*1923):
“Europe is something that is built in smallness. Through exchange.”
Jacqueline Fleury (*1923)
Survivor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp and Buchenwald subcamps, President of the French Association Nationale des Anciennes Déportées (ADIR)
Louis Garnier (1921-2014):
“That’s why we stay on the lookout, so we’ll recognize possible signs of a rebirth of Nazism in plenty of time.”
Louis Garnier (1921-2014)
French resistance fighter, survivor of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps, former General
Chava Ginsburg (*1930):
“Hatred for one group can easily spread to the others.”
My message is: Be friendly and tolerant of other people. Hatred for one group can easily spread to the others. We learned the hard way. – “It can happen to you, too.” We must work towards a world devoid of hatred, religious intolerance and cruelty. A world of peace.
Chava Ginsburg (*1930)
Hungarian survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and the Buchenwald subcamp Markkleeberg
Alex Hacker (1926):
“Message to Hitler: I am still here, you bastard.”
Alex Hacker (1926)
Survivor of the concentration camps Flossenbürg, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen
Ya’acov (Jackie) Handeli (1926):
“I do not remember ever crying while in a concentration camp, or after liberation; not even in the most difficult moments…”
Ya’acov (Jackie) Handeli (1926)
Survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen
Bertrand Herz (*1930):
“We must oppose all threat to basic human rights, and under no circumstances must we succumb to the lure of populism or ideologies whose goal is to ostracize individuals.”
Bertrand Herz (*1930)
French survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, engineer and honorary president of the International Committee Buchenwald-Dora and Command
Stéphane Hessel (1917–2013):
“When we live in societies, it means that every individual has the same fundamental rights.”
There are differences between cultures, but not between civilizations. When we live in societies, it means that every individual has the same fundamental rights. At the same time, those rights mean that people can live together, that they respect one another, that they bear responsibility for one another – that is civilization.
Stéphane Hessel (1917–2013)
French resistance fighter, survivor of the concentration camps Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora and diplomat
Ivan Ivanji (*1929):
“Now it is up to our children and grandchildren.”
By no means may we be content with the conditions in which we live, and by no means may we despair because the world of peace and liberty has been created only in rudiments and has lately come under threat again, unexpectedly, even there. Now it is up to our children and grandchildren – I hope we have educated them well, that we continue to do so today and here, and have entrusted them with the right weapons, tools and ideas.
Ivan Ivanji (*1929)
Survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald, diplomat and writer
Benedikt Kautsky (1894–1960):
“Man carries within himself the seeds of evil and of good.”
Human nature cannot be changed; man carries within himself the seeds of evil and of good ‒ the challenge is to create the conditions under which respect for the foreign personality, responsibility for the self, and regard for the rights of others become a matter of course.
Benedikt Kautsky (1894–1960)
Austrian economist, survivor of the Dachau, Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps
Imre Kertész (1929–2016):
“All we really need to live is a habitable place.”
Homeland? Home? Country? ... Perhaps someday it will dawn on people that these are all abstract terms, and that all we really need to live is a habitable place. Such a place would probably be worth every effort.
Imre Kertész (1929–2016)
Hungarian survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, Nobel Prize winner for literature
Eugen Kogon (1903–1987):
“We became witnesses.”
One must expose the roots, manifestations, practices and consequences of terror. Because we became – and still become today – witnesses to how terror develops in the midst of today’s democracies, of how it comes to power and poses as democracy – indeed, as a form of government that ensures liberties.
Eugen Kogon (1903–1987)
German resistance fighter, survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, publicist and sociologist
Rolf Kralovitz (1925–2015):
“Hatred is a terrible thing, no matter who it comes from or at whom it is directed. All we can do is try to inform and bring people together rather than divide them.”
Rolf Kralovitz (1925–2015)
German survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, actor, and film producer
Sol Lurie (*1929):
“The beauty of the world is that rainbow of human beings coming from many different backgrounds, and that has to be celebrated.”
Sol Lurie (*1929)
Lithuanian survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, now living in the USA
Zbigniew Mikołajczak (1925-2008):
“I’m a Thuringian. I can say that because, on 11 April 1945, I was born again as a human being on the grounds of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp.”
Zbigniew Mikołajczak (1925-2008)
Polish resistance fighter, survivor of the concentration camps Groß-Rosen, Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora
Boris Pahor (1913):
“The survivors are called upon to bear witness for the young generations.”
Boris Pahor (1913)
Slovenian resistance fighter and writer, survivor of the concentration camps Dachau, Natzweiler, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen
Charles Palant (1922–2016):
“But we could not simply rebuild our own house. When we talked about peace, we also meant creating a peaceful Europe.”
Charles Palant (1922–2016)
Survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald, French human rights activist
Éva Pusztai (*1925):
“The best is a life without fear.”
... the fate of our grandchildren is what matters to us most. The best I can wish for them – however utopian it may sound – is that they can create for themselves a life without fear. That they will build themselves a democratic society that knows no institutionalized hatred.
Éva Pusztai (*1925)
Hungarian survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, bearer of the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande
Franz Rosenbach (1927-2012):
“I was able to cope with the experiences to an extent, but not entirely. Something always remains behind.”
Franz Rosenbach (1927-2012)
Survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora and Honorary Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Jorge Semprún (1923–2011):
“One of the most effective means of preparing the way for the future of a united Europe, or rather a reunited Europe, is to share our past, to unite our memories, our hitherto separate recollections.”
Jorge Semprún (1923–2011)
Spanish resistance fighter, survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp and writer
Vilém Svácha (1918-2006):
“We have to be human beings […]. That’s the best thing a person […] can do for humanity.”
Vilém Svácha (1918-2006)
Czech resistance fighter, survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora and Sachsenhausen
Józef Szajna (1922–2008):
“But who knows the victims?”
Tragically, we remember only the greatest murderers of contemporary history – no one forgets Hitler. But who knows the victims? I stand on the side of people, not on the side of power and its representatives; the leaders of this world don’t matter to me.
Józef Szajna (1922–2008)
Polish resistance fighter, survivor of the concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald, theatre director and artist
Jack Unikoski (*1927):
“Not everybody can be a hero, a politician, a philosopher, a helper. But each and every one of us can respect the dignity of every other individual and give someone in need a helping hand.”
Jack Unikoski (*1927)
Polish survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, now living in Australia
Albert van Dijk (1924):
“Even so, we’d sworn to each other, full of hope, ‘Never again!’ So the wars wouldn’t devour our children.”
Albert van Dijk (1924)
Survivor of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps and member of the prisoner advisory board of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp memorial