As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, survivors like Shaul Spielmann, now 94, share their heartbreaking stories of resilience and survival. His story is a stark reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the enduring fight against anti-Semitism.
Ascalón, Israel – The life of Shaul Spielmann bears witness to the fragility of human existence and the strength of the human spirit. Sitting in his home in Ascalón, a town recently quiet 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 of 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 others, including Spielmann, were sentenced 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 fired from his job. “Very bad times are coming,” his father warned. Shortly afterward, the Gestapo seized their family store and home, forcing them to move in 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,” says Spielmann. “But when we arrived in Birkenau, I saw hell. » The chaos of searchlights, SS shouts and elderly people falling from the 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 to the crematorium. Her father was sent to a labor camp in Germany, and their final goodbye was a fleeting, silent glance.
Spielmann faced another Mengele selection, 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 going 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. “Every day we saw more bodies. By the fourth day we were exhausted, wondering when we were down,” he says. He survived Mauthausen and Gunskirchen, where a Nazi guard almost 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, on display at the National World War II 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 anti-Semitism increases globally. According to Jewish organizations, anti-Semitic incidents have increased by almost 100% compared to 2023 and 340% since 2022.
Kaganovitz, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, emphasizes the importance of education. “It is imperative to combat anti-Semitism by informing and educating people about its dangers,” he says. Spielmann echoes this sentiment, hoping his story will inspire future generations to remember the lessons of the Holocaust.
As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Spielmann’s resilience is 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 lasting legacy.
Originally published in The European Times.
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