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About 20 Holocaust survivors gathered in a ceremony in Poland on Saturday to mark the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp during World War II.
The approximately 20 survivors from surrounding Nazi concentration camps gathered to lay wreaths, flowers and light candles at the Death Wall at Auschwitz, where the Nazis executed thousands of prisoners.
Later, the group, along with state officials, gathered to remember the camp's 1.1 million victims.
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The group gathered in front of a brick women's barracks in the former concentration camp, lit candles and prayed for the victims.
HOLOCAUST MEMORY 2024 AS A SCOPE OF DEATH, CRUELTY AND THREAT STILL DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND TODAY
Holocaust survivors and relatives arrive at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Halina Birenbaum, a 94-year-old survivor, spoke during the memorization next to Barrack 27, where she spent part of August 1943 until the forced evacuation of the camp's inmates on foot on January 18, 1945.
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She said the suffering and tragedy of the people caused by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 was “painful” for her and a continuation of her Auschwitz experience.
Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne defended Israel's retaliation after Hamas' unprecedented terrorist attack.
“We hoped that the lessons of the Holocaust had been learned,” Livne said. “Yet today we are astonished by the allegations of genocide against the Jewish state as we fight for our existence.”
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Holocaust survivors and relatives arrive at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Holocaust survivors and guests bring lit candles to the memorial at the Birkenau Nazi death camp during a ceremony in Oswiecim, Poland, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
In Germany, residents gathered to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the Holocaust by laying flowers.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country would continue to bear responsibility for this “crime against humanity.”
SPIELBERG ANNOUNCES NEW PROJECT FOR DOCUMENTATION OF INVOICES FROM OCT. AT. 7 ATTACKS: “I NEVER IMAGINED” SUCH BARBARITY.
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He called on citizens to defend democracy in Germany and fight anti-Semitism as the country marked the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
“Never again” is the motto every day, said Scholz in his weekly video podcast. “January 27th calls on us: Stay visible! Stay audible! Against anti-Semitism, against racism, against misanthropy – and for our democracy.”
A Holocaust survivor holds a candle as he waits in line to place it next to the Wall of Death at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowsk)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the day by posting a picture of a Jewish menorah on X.
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“Every new generation must learn the truth about the Holocaust,” Zelensky wrote. “Human life must remain the highest value for all nations of the world.”
The far left's hatred of Jews today reflects the socialism and anti-Semitism of Hitler in the 1930s
In Italy, Holocaust commemorations included a torchlight procession and official statements from senior political leaders.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her conservative nationalist government was determined to stamp out anti-Semitism, which she said had been “revived” by the war between Israel and Hamas.
Gad Partok, 93, a Tunisian-born Holocaust survivor, poses for a portrait at his home in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Friday, January 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
President Biden wrote that it is “our responsibility” to combat anti-Semitism and hate violence.
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“Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mourn one of the darkest chapters in history, when six million Jews and countless others were systematically murdered,” Biden wrote on X. “It is our responsibility to confront anti-Semitism and hateful violence offer.” everywhere.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.