MeMoMu_ELCWOMF_038 AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR BERNARD OFFEN DURING THE 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ
"I am an old man who has seen where indifference leads to."
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Auschwitz Survivor Bernard Offen during the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
“I am almost 97 years young, and I am a survivor of five camps including this one. Why do I mention those days? When you survive the Holocaust, when each day was a struggle to stay alive, you realize that each day of life is precious,” he said.
During his speech, Bernard Offen recalled the moment on the Auschwitz ramp when he was separated from his father: “My father was sent to the left, toward death, and I was sent to the right. I remember that moment—our eye contact and the feeling that we were seeing each other for the last time. He was sent to his death and I was given a chance to live. Then they tattooed a number on my forearm and I was transferred to a transit camp. There, when I asked what had happened to my father, my fellow prisoners replied that he was turned into smoke. It took me some time to understand what that meant.”
In his address Bernard Offen also shared a reflection directed toward the future: “Today, as I look at contemporary times, I see many signs I know all too well. I see hatred resurgent. I see violence beginning to be justified once again. I see people who believe their anger is more valuable than another human life. I say this because I am an old man who has seen where indifference leads to. And I say this because I believe—I truly believe—that we can choose differently.”
“I ask you today, let memory not be a burden. Let it be a light that guides us in the darkness. We, the witnesses, will soon pass away, but I believe this light will remain with you,” Bernard Offen emphasized"
Watch the entire address of Bernard Offen: https://www.youtube.com/live/P6Z6pGf5M6Y... Kuva vähem
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