Survivors Mark Auschwitz 80th Liberation Anniversary

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being commemorated Monday at the site of the former Nazi death camp.

The ceremony is widely regarded as the last major observance likely to see a significant number of survivors in attendance.

What’s the Context

Nazi German forces murdered approximately 1.1 million people at Poland’s Auschwitz, while the country was under German occupation during World War II. The vast majority of victims were Jews, systematically killed in gas chambers as part of the Nazis’ industrialized genocide. However, the camp also claimed the lives of many Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, LGBTQ individuals, and others persecuted under Nazi racial ideology.

What to Know

Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose country lost 6 million citizens during World War II, placed a candle at the Death Wall at Auschwitz, where prisoners, including Polish resistance fighters, were executed. He was joined by elderly survivors of the camp, many assisted by family members, in a solemn tribute to those who perished.

How Many Jews Died in the Holocaust?

In total, Nazi Germany murdered 6 million Jews across Europe, wiping out two-thirds of the continent’s Jewish population and one-third of the global Jewish community. In recognition of this tragedy, the United Nations designated Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005.

Later in the day, world leaders and royalty will gather alongside Auschwitz survivors, the youngest of whom are now in their 80s. This year, politicians have not been invited to speak, with organizers instead choosing to focus the observance on the survivors themselves, recognizing their advanced age and the importance of their firsthand testimonies.

Which World Leaders Are Attending the Auschwitz Ceremony?

Among the leaders expected to attend are Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Germany has never sent both its highest state representatives to the observances before, according to German news agency dpa.

Germany’s decision to send both its chancellor and president to the Auschwitz observance underscores the country’s ongoing commitment to acknowledging its historical responsibility, even while a rising far-right movement in the country seeks to downplay or forget the past.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are also expected to attend the ceremony. In addition, Britain’s King Charles III will join monarchs from Spain, Denmark, and Norway in honoring the memory of Holocaust victims.

Will Russia’s President Putin Attend the Auschwitz Ceremony?

In the past, Russian representatives were central guests at Auschwitz anniversary observances, honored for the Soviet army’s role in liberating the camp on Jan. 27, 1945, and the immense sacrifices made by Soviet forces in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. However, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they have not been invited to attend.

What People Are Saying

Polish President Andrzej Duda said to reporters after lighting remembrance candles on Monday “We Poles, on whose land—occupied by Nazi Germans at that time—the Germans built this extermination industry and this concentration camp, are today the guardians of memory.” He added “May the memory of all the dead live on, may they rest in peace.”

What Happens Next

Because of the advanced age of the last survivors of Auschwitz, it is not expected that a significant number will remain in sufficient good health to attend the next major anniversary in five years, leaving the responsibility for honoring the victims to be increasingly shouldered by younger generations in future.