Eighty years after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, a somber commemoration took place, with survivors and their families reflecting on the horrors that unfolded at this infamous concentration camp. Bergen-Belsen, located near Hanover, Germany, witnessed the suffering and death of tens of thousands of people, predominantly Jews, during the last years of the Second World War.
The reality of the Nazi concentration camps was not fully acknowledged until the arrival of British and Canadian forces in April 1945. As soldiers entered Bergen-Belsen, they were met with an appalling scene of despair. Estimates indicate that 13,000 unburied corpses lay scattered amidst approximately 60,000 sick and emaciated survivors. The sight shocked the world.
To commemorate this grim anniversary, a crowd of more than a thousand gathered at the camp for remembrance events. Michael Bentine, a British soldier who later became a renowned entertainer, described Bergen-Belsen as an ultimate blasphemy. His sentiments echoed those of journalists and filmmakers who struggled to adequately portray the scenes of horror they witnessed firsthand. The BBC’s own Richard Dimbleby, in his landmark broadcast shortly after liberation, labeled that day as the most awful of his life.
What set Belsen apart was its preservation; unlike other camps such as Treblinka, which were demolished to obscure the evidence of genocide, Bergen-Belsen remained intact with ample evidence of the atrocities committed. It was a site where victims, witnesses, and even perpetrators intersected, revealing the full scope of Nazi cruelty.
A lack of gas chambers at Bergen-Belsen did not spare its inmates from a fate of suffering. The final weeks of the war saw a dramatic rise in deaths due to malnutrition, dysentery, and typhus, culminating in around 500 deaths per day. Notably, Anne Frank and her sister Margot perished during this harrowing time.
Between January and April 1945, it is estimated that as many as 70,000 individuals lost their lives at Bergen-Belsen, with an astounding 14,000 succumbing in the days immediately following liberation due to the traumatic adjustment to food after prolonged starvation. The majority of the deceased were Jewish, alongside other marginalized groups including Soviet prisoners of war and the Sinti community.
During the commemorative events, 180 British Jews were in attendance, facilitated by the Jewish Military Association (Ajex). As dignitaries and community leaders prepared to pay their respects, wreaths were laid, and a psalm was recited by the UK’s Chief Rabbi. Amid the serene landscape of Lower Saxony, the remnants of the camp are minimal, as British soldiers had to incinerate the huts to contain outbreaks of disease.
Today, memorial stones stand in quiet tribute to the lives lost, with one reading, “Hier ruhen 5,000 toten” – here rest 5,000 dead – a haunting reminder of the past and the importance of remembrance.
