DLNews Holocaust 80th Anniversary:
On a cold January morning in 1945, the gates of Auschwitz opened to reveal horrors that would forever haunt humanity. Eighty years later, the survivors of that place—men and women now in their 90s—return to the site where their lives were forever altered. For them, it’s not just a historical landmark; it’s the ground where they lost their families, their childhoods, and nearly their hope.
Today, in a rare private gathering away from the crowds, they walk the same paths they once trudged as prisoners. They are accompanied by their children and grandchildren, a testament to resilience and survival. “It feels like I’m walking with ghosts,” says Miriam Goldstein, who was only 13 when she was liberated. “The friends I lost, the family who never left this place—they’re all here with me.”
For many survivors, returning to Auschwitz is like reopening an old wound. But it’s a wound they believe the world must see. “I come back because I have to,” explains David Klein, whose parents and two sisters were murdered in the gas chambers. “If we don’t tell our stories, the world will forget, and forgetting is dangerous.”
The world will join them in remembrance on Jan. 27th, 2025. Dignitaries, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, will attend a formal commemoration, but the spotlight will remain on the survivors. Their raw and unvarnished stories will once again serve as a warning about the depths of human cruelty and the strength of those who endured it.
Eighty years later, their presence at Auschwitz is a defiance of the hatred that sought to erase them. As Miriam says, “We’re still here. We survived. And that’s the most powerful message we can leave behind.”
For these survivors, the past isn’t just history—it’s a call to humanity to do better.
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