Eighty Years Later, Bergen-Belsen Survivors Reflect on Unimaginable Horror

Wed Oct 22 2025 06:03:36 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Survivors, families, and dignitaries gather to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, a site of significant human suffering during the Holocaust.

As commemoration events unfold at Bergen-Belsen, the haunting memories of the atrocities and the resilience of survivors echo through the decades since the camp's liberation in April 1945.

Eighty years have passed since the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi concentration camp that bore witness to unimaginable horrors during World War II. To honor this somber anniversary, survivors, their families, and dignitaries gathered at the camp to reflect on the tragic events that unfolded there.

In April 1945, as British and Canadian troops advanced towards the camp near Hanover, Germany, they were unprepared for the harrowing sights that awaited them. Eyewitness accounts had hinted at the camp's grotesque conditions, but nothing could compare to the grim reality they would find. Upon entering, they were confronted by over 13,000 unburied corpses and approximately 60,000 emaciated survivors struggling to survive amidst the rotting remnants of human suffering.

Among the attendees of the commemoration were over a thousand survivors, including a group of 180 British Jews, who were part of a journey organized by the Jewish Military Association, Ajex. Events included laying wreathes, reciting prayers led by UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, and gatherings that sought to preserve the memory of those who perished. The memorial services took place amidst a transformed landscape, where the remnants of the camp—watches, fences, and buildings—no longer stand, having been destroyed by British soldiers to prevent the spread of disease.

Notably, Bergen-Belsen did not contain gas chambers; instead, it was the conditions of overcrowding, malnutrition, and rampant disease that led to 500 daily deaths primarily in the closing weeks of the war. As the Third Reich crumbled, the fate of the camp's inmates became a tragic symbol of Nazi cruelty and incompetence. Among those who succumbed to the grim fate was the young diary writer Anne Frank, whose journey symbolized the plight of countless victims.

The stories of Bergen-Belsen and the accounts of those who witnessed and survived the camp serve as a powerful reminder of the past, ensuring that the victims are never forgotten. With the establishment of a visitor center and memorial stones marking various graves, the enduring spirit of remembrance prevails, even as the physical remnants vanish from the landscape.