Often, the end of the Holocaust is noted as January 27, 1945. The war was not over. Fighting was still raging throughout parts of Europe. And many, many were still being systematically murdered by the Nazis because they were Jewish. Yet, it was on that cold, winter day in southern Poland, about an hour from the city of Krakow, that the largest, and what was to become known as the most infamous of Nazi Concentration Camps, Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Army.
Unfortunately, many of the most abled inmates of Auschwitz, including Elie Wiesel and his father, had already been removed from the camp and taken on Death Marches throughout the freezing and bitter countryside of Poland to other camps. Many of whom did not survive. What the Soviet Army found was astounding. Among the corpses and the gas chambers, was the evidence of the most atrocious crime ever committed in human history—what was to become known as—The Holocaust.
In addition to the death and destruction that was found was also roughly 7,000 prisoners. Most of whom were left behind because they were seriously ill already, and the Nazis believed they would die soon there anyway. Or they were the few children of the camp, under the age of 15.
Among those remarkable survivor children was Hanna Wechsler.
Hanna was born in Poland and was only a baby when the war began. Due to the Aryan “looks” of her blond mother, Hanna and her family were able to secure papers and escape the Ghetto and Poland altogether, to the relative safety of Hungary. Unfortunately, the Nazis caught up to them in the later years of the war and eventually they were deported to Auschwitz. Hanna, along with her mother, was one of the youngest inmates to miraculously survive Auschwitz and was there to witness its liberation.
Next week, the world will mark 80 years since that day and the world is once again seeing a resurgence of antisemitism that has not been seen since the end of the Holocaust. Just last week a study showed that over 50% of adults worldwide hold antisemitic views. As I write this, news of the three hostages who have just been freed is flooding major news outlets and social media. Yet, it has been 80 years—a true lifetime—and yet here is Hanna alive to witness and see this all take place again.
In the immediate days after October 7 and throughout this past year, I have often thought about the liberation of Auschwitz, and the subsequent end of the Holocaust a few months later. What coming out of that must have felt like and how the survivors and the entirety of the Jewish people persevered after the horrors of the Shoah. As we pray and hope that the hostages begin to return in the coming weeks, I wonder how it will feel for them and for all the people of Israel. And as history showed us from the trials of the Holocaust survivors, it will not be an easy road.
My conversations with Hanna over the last year have at times been very depressing. We constantly talk about what is happening in Israel, with the hostages, and on college campuses throughout the United States. My heart aches that Hanna must see what is happening in the world and live through this time again. And yet at the same time, I derive such strength from hearing from her. As we speak and are filled with worry, she also reminds me of the strength of the Jewish people and their resolve to always survive.
For decades Hanna has been sharing her story to countless students and adults and sharing her message of peace and harmony. Despite all that Hanna has gone through and what she still witnesses taking place in the world, Hanna always speaks of resiliency and perseverance with a special zest for living a full life that gives me the utmost strength and hope despite the darkest of times.
I hope we will soon witness another liberation and that all remaining hostages will have been released from horrid depths of Hamas captivity. I hope that Hanna can witness the joy of seeing Jewish liberation once again. And while I have been so upset for Hanna over the last 15 months, knowing that she is still sharing her remarkable story of survival and educating the world, has brought great calm and reassurance to me.
If you would like to hear more on Hanna’s story and be able to interact with her storyfile (two-way computer-generated conversation), please reach out to Trish DiPette at [email protected]