As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, survivors like Shaul Spielmann, now 94, share their harrowing tales of resilience and survival. His story is a stark reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the enduring fight against antisemitism.
ASCALÓN, ISRAEL – Shaul Spielmann’s life has been a testament to the fragility of human existence and the strength of the human spirit. Sitting in his home in Ascalón, a city recently calm after a ceasefire with Hamas, Spielmann recounts his survival of the Holocaust with vivid clarity. His story, filled with moments of despair, luck, and unimaginable courage, serves as a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed during World War II.
Spielmann’s first encounter with death came in May 1944, during a selection by Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death.” Among 1,500 children and adolescents, only 67 were chosen for labor camps. The rest, including Spielmann, were condemned to the gas chambers. But fate intervened. His father, who worked in the Auschwitz registry, secretly moved his son’s name from the death list to the work list. “That’s how he saved my life,” Spielmann recalls.
Born in Vienna, Spielmann’s promising future was shattered in March 1938 when Nazi Germany annexed Austria. The day after the Anschluss, he was expelled from school under the Nuremberg Laws. His father, an engineer, was also dismissed from his job. “Very bad times are coming,” his father warned. Soon after, the Gestapo seized their family store and home, forcing them into cramped quarters with other Jewish families.
In September 1942, the Spielmanns were rounded up and sent to Theresienstadt, a transit camp in Czechoslovakia. A year later, they were transported to Auschwitz. “We didn’t know what Auschwitz was,” Spielmann says. “But when we arrived at Birkenau, I saw hell.” The chaos of searchlights, SS shouts, and the elderly being shoved off trains marked the beginning of his nightmare.
At Auschwitz, Spielmann endured the dehumanizing process of being tattooed with the number 170775. He witnessed the murder of his mother, whose body was thrown onto a cart headed for the crematorium. His father was sent to a labor camp in Germany, and their final goodbye was a fleeting, silent glance.
Spielmann faced another selection by Mengele, where 150 out of 800 children were sent to the gas chambers. Miraculously, an internal dispute among the Nazis spared his life. “We cried, knowing we were about to die, but after half an hour, nothing happened,” he recalls.
As the Soviet army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, Spielmann was forced on a death march. “Each day, we saw more corpses. By the fourth day, we were exhausted, wondering when we’d be shot,” he says. He survived Mauthausen and Gunskirchen, where a Nazi guard nearly killed him with a blow to the head. Liberation came in May 1945, when American troops arrived.
Spielmann’s story is now part of a photographic exhibition by Erez Kaganovitz, displayed at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the German Federal Ministry of Justice in Berlin. The project, Humans of the Holocaust, aims to preserve the testimonies of survivors as antisemitism rises globally. According to Jewish organizations, antisemitic incidents have surged by nearly 100% compared to 2023 and 340% since 2022.
Kaganovitz, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, emphasizes the importance of education. “It’s imperative to fight antisemitism by informing and educating people about its dangers,” he says. Spielmann echoes this sentiment, hoping his story will inspire future generations to remember the Holocaust’s lessons.
As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Spielmann’s resilience stands as a beacon of hope. His life, marked by unimaginable suffering and survival, is a powerful call to action against hatred and bigotry. “We must never forget,” he says, “because forgetting is the first step toward repeating history.”
This article is based on an interview published in El Mundo and is part of a series honoring Holocaust survivors and their enduring legacy.
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