Rose Girone, the oldest known Holocaust survivor at 113, passed away Monday. Born in 1912, she endured persecution under both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, escaping to Shanghai with her family before eventually immigrating to the United States. Her remarkable resilience, forged through hardship and loss, inspired her daughter and countless others. Girone’s knitting provided both sustenance and a source of strength throughout her extraordinary life.
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The 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation was observed on January 27th, with this year’s ceremony marking a poignant moment as likely the last major observance attended by a significant number of survivors. Approximately 50 elderly survivors, many in their 80s, were honored as the focus of the event, joined by world leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a symbolic demonstration of Germany’s ongoing acceptance of responsibility. The ceremony, held at the Death Wall, remembered the approximately 1.1 million victims murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, primarily Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The absence of Russian representatives reflected the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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Approximately 50 Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors, many in their late 80s and 90s, will return to the site on January 27th, the 80th anniversary of its liberation, to share their testimonies. They will be joined by world leaders, including King Charles and President Macron, but the focus remains on the survivors’ accounts of the atrocities committed at the camp, where over 1.1 million people were murdered. A heated tent has been erected at the “Death Gate” of Birkenau to accommodate the frail survivors during the commemorations. The absence of a Russian delegation reflects the ongoing war in Ukraine, despite the Soviet army’s role in the camp’s liberation.
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Within weeks of his appointment as Chancellor in January 1933, Hitler, leveraging the Weimar Republic’s inherent weaknesses, systematically dismantled its democratic structures. He initially aimed for an Ermächtigungsgesetz (enabling act) to grant him dictatorial powers, but the lack of a two-thirds majority in the Reichstag forced him to orchestrate new elections. Exploiting the Reichstag fire and subsequent emergency decrees, he suppressed opposition, banned the Communist Party, and intimidated voters, securing the necessary majority for the enabling act in March. This act effectively ended the Weimar Republic and ushered in the Third Reich.
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Elon Musk’s virtual appearance at a German far-right AfD rally sparked widespread condemnation. His comments, echoing the party’s downplaying of Germany’s Nazi past, were denounced by Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan as insulting to Holocaust victims and a threat to German democracy. Musk’s support for the AfD, which advocates moving past guilt over the Nazi era, aligns with his broader support for various European hard-right groups. The timing, shortly after a controversial gesture interpreted as a Nazi salute, further intensified criticism. This event underscores Musk’s increasingly vocal embrace of right-wing politics.
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Elon Musk delivered a surprise video address to a 4,500-person AfD rally in Halle, Germany, endorsing the far-right party for a second consecutive week. He advocated for preserving German culture and values, while downplaying the significance of Germany’s Nazi past. Musk’s speech, which included criticism of Chancellor Scholz and German free speech laws, followed his controversial appearance at Trump’s inauguration and an earlier X interview with AfD leader Alice Weidel. Substantial counter-protests against the AfD occurred throughout Germany.
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A German court ordered the eviction of an 85-year-old woman and her son from their home, a property forcibly sold by its Jewish owners in 1939 under Nazi duress. This ruling concludes a decade-long legal battle and represents one of the final property restitution cases in Germany, as most such claims have already been processed. The property will be transferred to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, as no living heirs to the original owners were identified. The court rejected arguments that the current occupants had purchased the property, maintaining that forced sales under the Nazi regime are invalid.
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Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside the house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring. This chilling discovery raises some disturbing questions about the atrocities committed during the dark days of the Nazi regime. The fact that these remains were uncovered in 2024 begs the question of why it took so long for this investigation to take place. What secrets were buried alongside these bones, hidden in plain sight for so many years?
The gruesome nature of the missing hands and feet only deepens the mystery surrounding these tragic victims. Why would someone go to such lengths to mutilate these bodies, depriving them of the ability to fight back or flee?… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker