Liberation of Auschwitz – 80 Years Ago (January 27, 1945)
We Should Never Forget and Keep the Memory of It a Constant Reminder of What Cruelty Men are Capable of
There is too much populism and right-wing extremism out there for my taste.
I want to remind you in this context of Auschwitz, of the Shoa, and about the liberation of Auschwitz by the Russian Army on January 27, 1945.
Auschwitz was a Nazi concentration camp and extermination camp in occupied Poland where more than a million people were murdered as part of the “Final Solution” regarding the Jewish people.
I believe deeply that such an extinction of women, men, and children should never happen again. But all the fatal twists in politics in the last couple of years worry me.
I share with you the following numbers:
➔ Total number of murdered Jews (not just in Auschwitz):
→ Approximately 2.7 million Jews were murdered in extermination camps.
→ Approximately 2 million Jews were killed in mass shootings and massacres.
→ Between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Jews were murdered in ghettos, labor camps, and concentration camps.
→ At least 250,000 Jews were killed through other acts of violence outside camps and ghettos.
➔ Number of non-Jewish victims murdered by Germans* and others:
→ Soviet prisoners of war: about 3.3 million
→ Non-Jewish (ethnic) Poles: about 1.8 million
→ Roma (men, women, and children) and other groups derogatorily labeled as “Gypsies”: at least 250,000, possibly up to 500,000
→ Serbian civilians murdered by Ustaša authorities of the Independent State of Croatia: more than 310,000
→ People with disabilities in care homes and institutions: 250,000 to 300,000, including at least 10,000 children
→ German political opponents and dissidents: tens of thousands
→ Those imprisoned as “habitual criminals” and “asocials”: about 35,000
→ Jehovah’s Witnesses: about 1,700
→ Gay, bisexual, and men accused of homosexuality: hundreds, possibly thousands
→ Black people in Germany: unknown, possibly several hundred
➔ Over 60 million people were killed in World War II!
❗During the tumultuous years of the Weimar Republic, conservative politicians underestimated the rising threat posed by the right-wing extremists allied with Adolf Hitler, failing to recognize the dire implications of their actions.❗
I deliberately say “Germans” and not “the Nazi regime” because “Nazi regime” sounds too abstract.
You can find many essential facts here:
About Auschwitz | Oświęcim (Polish name)
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To your emotional independence,
Silke Kristin ❁
✳ Be bold. Take charge. Embrace life.
By ❁Silke Kristin Juelich❁
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That’s me: As a single mom and survivor of depression, PTSD, and medical mistreatment, I write—rooted in Islamic Studies, Art History, and lived experience— 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡.