Around the globe, survivors of the Holocaust are commemorating their fellow sufferers in Israel, whose world was once again torn apart on 7 October 2023 by the terrorist acts of Hamas.
Most of the survivors were completely alone when they were liberated from Nazi extermination camps. After rebuilding new families in Israel and years of creating new foundations, many of them witnessed the brutal, demonstrative slaughter of family members and the abduction of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren by Hamas hostage-takers on that 7 October.
Some of the young people are still being held by their captors today. Many Holocaust survivors themselves are still unable to return to their homes and are living under the constant threat of multiple daily attacks. Holocaust survivors around the world are sending their heartfelt wishes to them on this day, together with their solidarity and all the strength of their memories.
In Munich, Dr Eva Umlauf, Auschwitz survivor and president of the International Auschwitz Committee, stressed: “It is particularly tragic that many Holocaust survivors made it very clear after their arrival in Israel that they wanted to live in peace with the Palestinians, having experienced enough hatred, exclusion, and violence in their own lives. Getting to know one another, understanding each other’s wounds and experiences, and learning to interact with one another – this has always been the intention of Holocaust survivors, who have tried, despite resistance, to live their lives in this spirit by joining in encounters and exchanges and embedding this spirit in Israeli society.
But the day of terror on 7 October 2023 shattered all these intentions: every survivor of the Holocaust in Israel, as well as those around the world, are confronted daily with the cruel truth that Hamas still wants to wipe the state of Israel off the map and kill all Jewish people, whether women, children, men, or the elderly, and eradicate all Jewish life forever. We have already experienced this once before. The murderers at that time called it the final solution to the Jewish question. And yet, at this time, our thoughts also turn to Gaza. In the aftermath of 7 October, we see the sufferings of the population and especially the children in Gaza, who have been forced to live as hostages of Hamas for decades and endure a soul-destroying education in hatred. Nevertheless, we are constantly hoping for the release of the hostages and for peace to come soon.”
And in Berlin, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: “In many European societies, we are currently witnessing a massive rise in anti-Semitism. And this goes hand in hand with hatred toward the state of Israel, breeding hatred and violence in this country. Time and again, the agitation and inflammatory propaganda of Palestinian support groups portray the state of Israel as the sole cause of all the troubles in the Middle East, while branding it as a pariah of the international community.
It is absurd to hold the entire population of Israel responsible for the policies of the Israeli government, to the point of exclusion from international sports and song competitions. The self-righteous and pseudo-moral egocentric attitude of the European world towards Israel and Jewish citizens around the globe is cynical and ineffective. It is equally ineffective in face of the indifference of so many people towards the violence and attacks to which Jewish people are exposed every day in European countries. That is today’s bitter conclusion on 7 October 2025.
