(Courtesy of The Claims Conference) The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) has launched “I Survived Auschwitz: Remember This,” a new digital campaign featuring Holocaust survivors who endured the horrors of the extermination camp that is synonymous with evil. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest and deadliest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. More than 1.1 million people were murdered at the camp during its five years of operation.
This two-week social media endeavor features Holocaust survivors answering the question: Given your experience as an Auschwitz survivor, what is one specific thing – a person, a moment or an experience – you want people to remember for generations to come?
The powerful responses include survivors wanting the world to remember family members, pivotal moments during the Holocaust and towns where they had lived that were dramatically changed or completely lost during World War II.
Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference said, “The horrors that occurred at Auschwitz were an evil that no human should ever endure, but also an evil that no human should ever forget. While it is difficult to imagine oneself in a concentration camp, we can all relate to wanting people to remember loved ones we’ve lost, experiences that shaped us and moments that were important to us. It is critical that we educate future generations about Auschwitz.”
The campaign is inspired in part by Auschwitz survivor Aron Krell’s testimony about his brother, Zvi, who died from starvation after a year in the Łódź ghetto. Aron Krell remembered Zvi, the second of three boys in their family, as a soccer player. But the lack of food, grueling forced labor and dearth of medical treatment left Zvi emaciated. Aron recalled the last words Zvi told him before passing, “Please never forget me.” This campaign is a tribute to Aron, his brother Zvi and all the families lost, murdered and persecuted at the hands of the Nazis.
In his testimony, Aron Krell said, “I lost not only Zvi, but my brother Moshe and my mother, Esther in the Holocaust. I survived five concentration camps and ghettos, including Auschwitz. I know many people can’t fathom what I have endured. But you can understand loving a brother like I loved Zvi, can imagine the unbearable pain that comes with losing one, and, hopefully, agree that the lessons of the Holocaust must always be remembered.”
Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, said, “To truly ensure we never forget, campaigns like ‘I Survived Auschwitz: Remember This’ play a critical role in reminding us that the Holocaust is not just history—it is the lived experience of real people who endured unimaginable atrocities. As we lose survivors, it is our responsibility to listen to their voices and carry their stories forward. Only by ensuring everyone understands that hatred and divisiveness were at the foundation of the Holocaust can we overcome ignorance and meet our obligation to remember.”
The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz comes at a time when the world is experiencing a dramatic rise in antisemitism, divisive global politics and the animosity of racism.
The new campaign also includes a series of videos of notable survivors who have passed away, including Roman Kent and Elie Wiesel, and is accompanied by a four-part series of short videos on the history of Auschwitz. The series includes videos about specific Auschwitz facts and historical videos of well-known people associated with Auschwitz, including Anne Frank and Lali Solokov, a tattooist in Auschwitz.
The campaign website houses all the videos from the 80 survivors as well as their biographies.
“I Survived Auschwitz: Remember This” can be found on the Claims Conference social media channels and online at www.claimscon.org/rememberthis/.
For more information, please visit: www.claimscon.org
