80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Memories of a Concentration Camp Inmate.

On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the most horrific Nazi concentration camps, was liberated in Poland, where over 1.1 million people died. The first witnesses to the consequences of this camp were soldiers of the 60th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, who opened the gates of this death camp.

Auschwitz became a center for the mass extermination of Jews due to its location in the center of Europe. Its strategic position allowed the Nazis to effectively organize the deportation of victims.

The Nazis systematically persecuted and exterminated millions of innocent people, turning their murder into an organized 'death conveyor.' However, the persecution and repression of undesirable groups began even before the camp was established. Already after Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Nazis executed thousands of people in Eastern Europe.

Memories of an Auschwitz Inmate

92-year-old Aivor Pearl recounted how he survived in the concentration camp thanks to the help of his older brother. The rest of their family perished.

Aivor Pearl was born in 1932 in Hungary to a Jewish family. Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany, and although there were many restrictions for Jews in the country, most lived in relative safety. However, in 1944, German troops invaded Hungary, and many Jews, including Aivor and his family, were deported to Auschwitz.

In the camp, Aivor was fortunate to meet his older brother, but he disappeared and never returned. Aivor did not have to receive a tattoo with a number, but the number 112021 has forever remained in his memory.

After liberation from the camp, Aivor settled in England and still rarely speaks about his experience, as he feels shame for the inhumanity he witnessed in the concentration camp.

Today, January 27, is observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, proclaimed in memory of the victims of Nazi terror during World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of the Holocaust victims by lighting a candle at the memorial sign in Babyn Yar.