Less than 220K Holocaust survivors left worldwide, study finds
According to a recent estimate, the number of Holocaust survivors worldwide has dropped to 220,000 at the 80th anniversary celebration of Auschwitz/Birkenau’s liberation.
Why it’s important: This anniversary, which coincides with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Monday, marks the likely last major milestone in the existence of child survivors – the last generation of Holocaust.
The big picture. Survivors will speak at commemoration ceremonies around the globe as advocates rush to record their testimony and rising antisemitism threatens to erase these stories.
There are only a few survivors expected to speak during the commemoration of Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum in Oswiecim.
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The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will also host a few survivors. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is located in Washington D.C.
Zoom in: According to Axios, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany shared data with Axios about 220,000 Holocaust survivors living in 90 countries.
This is down from the 245,000 reports made last year.
The majority of survivors (95%) were born between 1928-1946.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day aims to draw attention to the Holocaust which killed 6,000,000 Jews.
It’s a memorial to survivors of Nazi death camps in Europe, and is held on the anniversary that the Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz.
The Claims Conference launched a digital campaign called “I Survived Auschwitz – Remember This” this month. The campaign features Holocaust survivors who survived the extermination camps.
The survivors answer the question on video: What is something that you would like people to remember about your Auschwitz experience for future generations?
In a recent statement, Greg Schneider, executive Vice President of the Claims conference, stated that “as we lose survivors it is our duty to listen to them and to carry on their stories.”
They say: “I have survived five concentration camps, ghettos and Auschwitz.” In this Axios testimony, Aron Krell shares that many people cannot fathom the suffering he has endured.
Claims Conference stated that the campaign was inspired by Krell’s testimony of his brother Zvi who died after an year in the Lodz Ghetto from starvation.
“But you understand the pain of losing a brother, just as I did, and can imagine how unbearable it is to love one. And, hopefully, you agree that lessons from the Holocaust should always be remembered.”
According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, at California State University San Bernardino, the number of anti-Jewish crimes reported by police in 20 major U.S. Cities increased 48%, setting a record.
Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. Last week, he gave two Hitlergrusses, which scholars, journalists, and rights groups called a Nazi salute.
Musk told the members of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, which is on the far right, that “there was too much focus placed on the past.” He seemed to be referring to Germany’s burden for the Holocaust two days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Threat level: Last week, the Claims Conference released the “Index on Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness” which revealed a global trend of fading knowledge about basic facts regarding the Holocaust.
Auschwitz-Birkenau may be the most famous camp, but nearly half of Americans (48%) are unable name any other camps or ghettos established by Nazis during World War II.
In total, the majority of 1,000 adults in eight countries surveyed did not know 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust.
More than 76% of adults in the U.S. believe that something similar to the Holocaust could occur today.
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