Auschwitz 75th Anniversary

The liberation of Auschwitz, an infamous concentration camp in Poland was a camp liberated by the Soviet Union in 1945.

Auschwitz-Birkenau began operations in 1940 and initially served as a detention center for political prisoners. It became the largest of the extermination centers when the Nazi’s enacted the Final Solution to rid the world of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, the disabled, and political opponents. 

In total, over 1 million people were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz during the Nazi campaign that took the lives of over 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. Also, over 12 million lives were taken in the Nazi’s death camps.

The ceremony, which took place all day on January 27, consisted of a large white tent over the train tracks where the majority of the victims were brought in. Emotional speeches were also conducted at the gathering for all of the attendees. 

“Maybe I would like to cry, because only with tears I could tell you about this past. I hope you will all try to preserve the memory of this place, and other sites where innocent people died. I hope you’ll bear this responsibility so this terrible thing will never happen again,” said Batsheva Deagan, 95, a survivor who spoke to the audience. 

Many families of Holocaust survivors returned to the concentration camp in memory of all those who lost their lives in the camp.  As many as 200 survivors attended the gathering, as well as supporters from many other countries. A majority of the people who attended had lost family within the walls of the ominous camp. Around 50 heads of state and representatives also appeared at the ceremony as well according to the Wall Street Journal.