Nazi concentration camp survivors say authors of hateful online comments should be ashamed of themselves

News server iRozhlas.cz reports that three former prisoners of Nazi concentration camps have made a German-language video that was viewed on Facebook by almost two million users in just a couple of days. The two men and one woman are all in their nineties, and all three warn against the growing antisemitism that is being disseminated in Germany, mainly through social media.

When 92-year-old Sarah reads a comment posted online alleging that the Holocaust never happened, her voice trembles because the statement denies her own suffering. She says she will never forget what was done to her in the camp.

Alexander, who is 93, says that what people are allowing themselves to write online is insolent. The third speaker in the video, 93-year-old Justin, says that when he reads such comments online – and many worse ones are featured in the video – he is overwhelmed with fear.

The clear message to those who are writing such commentaries on social media is that first and foremost they should be ashamed of themselves. All three survivors are doing their best to combat what they believe is the main cause of antisemitism increasing, which in their view is because the Holocaust is being forgotten.

The trio’s aim is to remind people of their experiences, their fates, and their suffering so that it will not be forgotten in the future. The video is not the only way they do this work.

Justin, for example, is from Chemnitz in Germany and regularly visits schools there to speak with pupils about the Holocaust. The video, which by now has been seen on Facebook by more than 2.5 million users, is one way to reach out to many more people.