 Historic Reichsteiger building will also be addressed by the Bundestag President and a Holocaust survivor, 87-year-old Dr. Inge Oberbuch, who was born in Germany and survived three years in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Meanwhile, however, Jewish leaders are already warning that in light of a sharp rise in anti-Semitism and the overall global climate, nowadays the lessons of the past must be reiterated day to day. Here is the chairman of European Jewish Congress, Dr. Moshe Kanto. In times of political and economic uncertainty, people look for simplistic solutions to questions for which they do not have answers. It is no accident that in the midst of a pandemic, instruments are spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about Jews or the state of Israel. This shows us that we cannot rest for one minute. Let's cross now live to Berlin, where our Polina Garayev is at. Polina, hello. Well, the ceremony, the special plenary session is about to begin. What can you tell us? Well, it is, of course, a very special occasion, a very, an opportunity for Germany to remember its history and, most importantly, to iterate its commitment to the memory of the Holocaust, to making sure that anti-Semitism and the fight against anti-Semitism remain a priority for this government and future governments. The main event that we'll see today will hear speeches, as you mentioned, by a Holocaust survivor. We'll also hear speaker of the Knesset taking the podium for the first time during such an event. There are also other ceremonies taking place all across Germany's local communities that are marking this occasion. Many of the events, unfortunately, are happening online because of the pandemic. One noteworthy initiative is one the University of Tübingen that recently discovered that the remains of thousands of Holocaust victims were used in the science departments of the University. A particular project was devoted to learning their histories, they're learning the biographies of those victims, and those details are today being published online for people to learn about the individuals that suffered such injustices. We are going to hear a lot about the Holocaust and mostly what it means today in the media today and also, of course, it's very present in the streets, the main government buildings and also the main train station in Berlin. I will be illuminated later today with the writing, We Remember, the campaign of the World Jewish Congress. Germany is also taking part and, of course, here the words We Remember mean more than even in other countries. Right. And Polina, we have seen a shift in power as incoming Chancellor Schulz replaced former Chancellor Angela Merkel. What have we been hearing from the new Chancellor in this respect? Well, it's, of course, Chancellor Angela Merkel was a close friend of Israel and on numerous occasions expressed her commitment to both Israel's security and the fight against anti-Semitism. This is something that, of course, will not change under the new government and despite any sort of political differences and the new Chancellor does come from a different party that at times was more critical of Israel. But when it comes to remembering the Holocaust, there's no doubt that this commitment will continue. And we did hear from the new Chancellor, Olaf Schulz, so before he was elected and later reiterate this commitment. And, of course, also repeats Merkel's famous saying that Israel's security and, of course, the fight against anti-Semitism are part of Germany's reason of being state-reason. Yes, Polina Garajeva for us in Berlin. Thank you. We'll speak to you later on in the broadcast again. And with me here in studio, former Israeli Ambassador to France and political commentator, Mr. Ambassador, rather, Daniel Sheik. And in our Tel Aviv studios, senior correspondent Owen Alterman, Ambassador Sheik, as Polina mentioned, rising anti-Semitism, unfortunately, is timely every year to an extent when we're marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But this year, it seems that in the aftermath of the Texas synagogue hostage attack and in Europe when we're talking about a political climate there, it is even more pressing. Well, you know, I think that there is an important parallel to be drawn between the unfortunate universality of anti-Semitism and the universality of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was instituted in 2005 through a UN General Assembly resolution. And its importance to my mind is that it is a moment of remembrance not just for the victims, it's not just for the victims or their descendants. It is a universal Remembrance Day and it is there to remind the world, including the countries who participated in the nations who participated in these terrible crimes or other nations who just stood by and did nothing about these events. So I think, yes, you're right in saying that if anti-Semitism is growing, then remembering the terrifying consequences of anti-Semitism is just as important. And if I understand correctly, you're alluding there to Poland, perhaps most notably in recent months or in the past year. We are seeing already live images from the Bundestag where the ceremony will begin shortly. We can see the dignitaries entering the big hall. Instead, the chairman of the Bundestag will speak there. Israeli parliament speaker and a Holocaust survivor who was born in Germany. Let's go now to our Owen Alterman in our Tel Aviv Studios. Owen speaks to us a bit about the importance of this special plenary session that is taking place annually in Germany and also connects us to the political climate in Berlin nowadays. Yeah, well, first of all, Ellie, just to take off something that Daniel Schek was saying, this project of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it's not that old. It only came out in 2005, as Ambassador Schek said, through the General Assembly resolution. And look at how much of a tremendous success it's become. The list of ceremonies happening across Europe in the United States, in Israel and beyond, is breathtaking. And of course, for Jews and for Israelis, it has to be said the more important and resonant Holocaust day is the one in the spring that has been marked in the Israeli calendar since the 1950s. But this has certainly taken its place on the international calendar year in and year out. And I have to say, it's really inspiring and encouraging to see just how much importance is devoted to this around the world. And of course, who can forget that ceremony two years ago at Yad Vashem and the eve of the pandemic, which brought in leaders and heads of state and heads of government from so many countries here, a magnificent event, if that word is even appropriate, that was hosted here in Israel in conjunction with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As for the ceremony in Germany, look, Ellie, as I often say on our broadcast, the post-Holocaust culture in Germany is something that's just incredibly impressive. And we're going to see it on display again in just a few minutes. But we've seen it not only today, not only in Holocaust Remembrance Day, but it has to be said in every single day of the year in Germany over the course of decades, as the country has done so much to come to terms with its legacy, right? There's a new chancellor, but this shows just how much of a consensus this is. Yes, absolutely. And we'll make a stop there and join the live ceremony in Berlin and continue the discussion afterwards. The high-ranking civil servants and National Socialist Party officials met. The topic of the meeting was the final solution to the Jewish question. All those in attendance were aware of what this meant. The mass murder had commenced much earlier. The objective was to discuss how to make this mass murder systematic, accelerated, and expanded to compass the whole of Europe, and compass 11 million Jews, none of the meeting's attendees, registered any concerns. We remember the victims of the National Socialist Crimes, the murder Jews, the Sinti and Roma who died, the victims amongst the Slavic peoples. We remember the millions of people who were persecuted, dispossessed, humiliated, deprived of their rights, tortured, or left to die because they thought differently, worshiped differently, loved differently, or because their lives were classified by the Nazis as unworthy. The Vance conference stands for a state in which injustice was legalized for a state which planned, organized, and administered the crime. This state was undepend by individual people, people who became murderers and accomplices. So today is also a day of shame, shame for what previous generations of Germans did. A shame never shown by the perpetrators. Far too few of them were held accountable by the courts. Far too many of them escaped with sentences so mild as to be an insult to the victims. And that included participants in the Vance conference. My dear Ms. Auerbacher, you stand before us today as a witness of a time which, for most of us, is consigned to history. It seems far away and completely unimaginable. When you were seven years old, you were deported with your parents to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. This was a day in which your childhood ended. Approximately one and a half million Jewish children died in the Holocaust. And in one of your books, you write that you feel these three million eyes on you. And you appeal that they should not be forgotten. And making this appeal has become your vocation. Over the past years and decades, you've told your story on numerous occasions, particularly to children and young people, to ensure that they do not forget. I would like to thank you for making a trip from New York. And I know it was not easy, particularly under the difficult circumstances of the pandemic. So thank you for coming to speak to us today and telling us your story. We are honored to have you here with us. When Inge Auerbach's family received the so-called emigration order to deport them, her birthplace, Kippenheim, had already been declared in Nazi Jagen to be free of Jews, almost all of the Jews from Baden, the Palatinate, and Saarland had been deported to the Geurtskamp in the non-occupied part of France in October 1940. This was one of the first mass deportations of German Jews. And all of this took place in broad daylight. And as the responsible officials duly reported back, it went off for the main without incident. Today, the restored synagogue in Kippenheim is a remembrance education and meeting center. It is run by citizens on a voluntary basis. And it is also thanks to the dedication of a local group that the house of Inge Auerbach's grandparents in Jagen-Pausen was able to be preserved. And that today, it is part of a path of remembrance commemorating former Jewish life in Kippenheim. As a representative of all the dedicated local people, I would like to welcome the mayor of Kippenheim, Mr. Alex Meyer. Our culture of remembrance and commemoration is reliant on initiatives like this. And these active citizens and associations which take care of remembrance sites, as well as school pupils who embark on voyages of discovery about the past. A culture of remembrance is not something which can be imposed from the top downwards. And it is not confined to state rituals like this annual act of remembrance, at least not in a free and democratic society. Remembrance evolves. With the passing of time, there are less and less witnesses able to give firsthand testimony. More and more people living here do not have German ancestors. And Germany's horrific 20th century history is not their history. That makes the work of schools, remembrance sites, and museums all the more important. Our culture of remembrance, which has earned respect from many quarters, can only remain vibrant if we continually ask questions about history and see cancers. And that applies particularly to young people. And it also means being able to accept different perspectives and discussing reference points of the histories of others. As long as we do this and the debates take place in a sensitive, responsible, and respectful fashion. So I am particularly saddened by the fact that we have had to postpone the German Bundestag's youth encounter due to the pandemic. But of course, we will reschedule it as soon as possible. The youth encounter brings together young people from different countries with different life experiences and different life stories. And they are united by one thing, by their belief that what happened must never be repeated. Antisemitism, misanthropy, and racism have no place in our society, neither today nor in the future. Our country bears a special responsibility. The genocide of the European Jews is a German crime. Yet it is also a path which is relevant to all, not only Germans and not only Jews. And that is why the Bundestag, together with other European parliaments, is participating in the social media We Remember campaign. Together with many others worldwide, we are taking a stance on remembrance of the Holocaust, a stance against xenophobia and anti-Semitism. But merely taking a stance is not enough. I welcome the president of the Knesset, Mr. Mickey Levy. It is a pleasure to have you with us today. And your visit underlines the close and special ties between the parliaments of our countries. Seventy years after Konrad Adenauer and Ben Gorion signed the Luxembourg Agreement, which provided for reparations for something which cannot be repaired. Looking back, reconciliation between Germany and Israel seems miraculous. A precious gift which must be cultivated. German and Israel do not agree on everything, but they are nevertheless true partners, as emphasized by the then-Israeli president Rivlin two years ago when he spoke here. We are united, not least by the shared values, the shared values to which we are committed and which are partly grounded in the lessons learnt from history. And that applies particularly to the battle against anti-Semitism. We in politics and society have been engaged in this battle for many years. We've created commissions and commissioners to deal with anti-Semitism. And we have innumerable civil society initiatives and groups. And we've tightened up provisions under criminal law. We warn of the dangers and make clear that anti-Semitism is not acceptable. Full stop, no matter how it is expressed, no matter where it comes from, never again must anti-Semitic stereotypes and prejudice be allowed to take hold. Never again must Jews be made responsible for the evils of the world. Never again must anti-Semitism pave the way for exclusion, hatred, and a fanatical ideology of extermination. This ceremony of remembrance is also part of our commitment because we remember in order to counter any threat of repetition, as stated in the original proclamation on this day of remembrance. Yet remembrance and commemoration do not create immunity to anti-Semitism, nor do they safeguard against racism and right-wing extremism. They did not prevent the murderous terrorism of the NSU nor the anti-Semitic attack in Hala, nor the right-wing extremist murders in Hanoi. And knowledge of history has not prevented one-third of the German population believing that the Jews might indeed have too great an influence and has not prevented 70% of people from agreeing or partially agreeing that Israeli policy in the Middle East, and I quote, is as bad of that of the Nazis in the Second World War. And it has not prevented the pandemic from further stoking the hatred of Jews, which was already rife. So anti-Semitism is there. And it is to be found not only on the extreme margins, not only amongst intransigent diehards and a few anti-Semitic trolls on the internet. It is a problem of our society as a whole. Anti-Semitism is to be found in our midst. We must ask ourselves honestly, including those of us who identify as committed anti-anti-Semites, how free are we really from anti-Jewish cliches? Do we always manage not to hold Jews responsible for Israeli policy and do misguided notions of tolerance lead us to be overly indulgent towards the anti-Semitism which some immigrants are brought with them from their own home countries? And do we actually notice the multifaceted German life, which fortunately once again exists in Germany? The diversity of contemporary Jewish life, encompassing German Jews and Jewish Germans, Orthodox and liberal Jews, young Israelis, and Jewish families from the former Soviet Union. For the Jews do not exist, just as the Germans do not exist. The refugees or the Muslims do not exist. And incidentally, anybody who incites hatred of Muslims and their faith undermines their own credibility as a friend of Judaism. Anybody who rejects people amongst us because they are different or simply because they've not always been here should certainly not use the word freedom in this context. Human dignity is inviolable. The dignity of every human. The lessons drawn from history shaped our constitution. And we know from experience that free societies remain vulnerable on the inside. So that is why we need courage to show intolerance towards those who want to use democracy to destroy it. And that is why we need that. Those are not my words. They are the drastic words of Carlo Schmidt, one of the architects of the German Constitution, the basic law. Our liberal democracy must be able to defend itself against those who repeatedly invoke democracy, but actually only mean their own freedom, who emphasize their own right to tolerance while showing only contempt for pluralism, who spread lies in order to sow the seeds of doubt, incite hatred and violence only to later distance themselves with expressions of outrage. The majority in our country has no time for this. They will not allow themselves to be enticed into violence. They vote democratically and debate democratically. And they are often passionate in these debates, sometimes even fears. In our approach to the others, we need more courage to show intolerance. The resolute use of all means at the disposal of a resilient democracy. When right-wing extremists, historical revisionists, and ethno-nationalists celebrate election victories, it is not a warning sign. It is a sign that is this high time to take action. High time to stand together to defend the values and institutions of our free democratic society. For democracy, there is no eternal seal. It is reliant on citizens who value it and bring it to life. And this is also one of the lessons which we are reminded of on this day and by German history. We are reminded that it is up to all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, a diverse culture which had grown over centuries was destroyed by murderous German fanatical racism. This impoverished Europe, scientists, intellectuals, and artists were forced out, went into exile, lost their lives. One of them was the composer from Prague, Hans Kraser. His children's opera, Brun de Bar, was misused by the Nazis for their propaganda in Theresienstadt concentration camp. It was there that Hans Kraser also wrote the string trio piece that we're about to hear. He died in 1944 in Auschwitz. I would like to thank the musicians from the Prague operas. I would like to thank the cantor. And I would also like to thank all the other musicians and artists who have been involved in this ceremony of remembrance. After the music is finished, Ms. Auerbacher, you have the word. You have the floor. Thank you very much. Yes, and these were the remarks of Ms. Barbara Bilbas, the chairwoman of the German parliament, the Bundestag. As we continue to, of course, monitor the ceremony in Berlin, let's cross now back to Polina Garayev standing by for us. Polina, very impressive speech by the chairwoman of the Bundestag. For me, what stood was really the definition that anti-Semitism does not come just from right-wing elements, extreme right-wing elements, or from the extreme left, but rather at the very middle and the very consensus of the political landscape. What are your takes from the speech? Definitely. Bilbas provided a comprehensive and an alarming image of what anti-Semitism means in Germany of nowadays. And as you said, it's not only violent acts that are committed by the far right. Also, it should be added to the list of heinous acts that you mentioned is a suspected plot against the synagogue in the city of Hagen near Dusseldorf, this past Yom Kippur that was suspected to have an Islamist motivation. This was, of course, was foiled just one year after the attack on a synagogue in Halle, that had a neo-Nazi motivation. And of course, there are also, and Bilbas mentioned that in the comment that was directed at the far-right populist AFD party that there are many forms of hate that are being experienced in Germany nowadays. But we're not only talking about violence, it's simply the idea that being Jewish makes you different in German society, makes you less German, or makes you different in any other way. This is something that we have seen also in demonstrations by opponents to COVID restrictions, by anti-vaxxers who are trying to appropriate Holocaust-related symbols, trying to compare their treatment by the government to how the Jews were prosecuted by the Nazis at those times. This is, of course, something that can be utilized for personal use in order to make a point. And this is, of course, something that Germany cannot stand for. And this is why Bilbas spoke of the need to look at oneself and with one's own attitudes and see where perhaps one possesses views that see Jews as different. This also, of course, echoes the message that we've seen published ahead of this day by the Central Council of Jews in Germany that mentioned the need to back such claims that never again should the prosecution of Jews take place on German soil, not only with words, but also with deeds. And they also mentioned very specific actions that the German government can take in order to realize this. One of those things is adding anti-Semitism commissioners to all the public prosecutor's office in all the German states. This is something that is happening slowly, but unevenly across Germany. It also spoke of the need to educate judges about Nazi injustices. And also, of course, teachers should be given training about how to curb anti-Semitism in schools, which is, of course, a major problem. Yes, Polina Garrive, thanks you. Thank you very much for this. And, of course, we continue to watch the ceremony at the Budenstag. But let's go back to studio now, Ambassador Daniela, Sheikh, echoing what we've heard from Polina and, of course, the chairwoman of the German Parliament. Let's talk a bit about the consensus to an extent that anti-Semitism has become. And more so, we've mentioned earlier in the broadcast the issue of the Texas synagogue attack, the sporadicness in which targets against Jews or Jewish targets rather are being used. President Joe Biden defined this attack as a terror attack with the attacker himself not conveying clear sentiments against Jews specifically, but it is yet the go-to spot when one wishes to make a provocation. Well, you know, there's a difference between Europe and the United States in the sense that Europe has a very sad tradition of century-old anti-Semitism with rises and falls, whereas the United States has less of a habit in treating this. But unfortunately, I believe the developments of the last few years, both with violent incidents but also with a broadening expression of what some people call a cultural anti-Semitism, a sort of low-key, diffuse kind of anti-Semitic sentiment within American society, these are becoming more and more widespread and need to be addressed very seriously. The United States is no longer immune to this terrible phenomenon. Yeah, and the rise of conspiracy theories led it to be due to the political climate in the States or obviously the COVID pandemic is definitely boosting. Yes, because in moments of crisis anywhere in the world, it always makes the ugliest parts of the human nature come to the surface, and when that happens, anti-Semitism is never very far away. Yes, well, we are seeing the Holocaust survivor, Dr. Inge Obacher, taking the podium now. We will tune in back to the ceremony at the German capital to hear her speech now. Good morning. Good morning. Sehr vere Frau Bundespräsidentin Barth, Madam President of the Bundestag, Mrs. Barth, Mr. Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Levi, Dr. Scheuble, Dr. Scheuble, members of the German Bundestag, guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for inviting me here today. So who am I? I am a Jewish girl from the village of Kippenheim in Baden and from Jebenhaus in Gepingen in Swabia. I was born on December the 31st, 1934, in Kippenheim. Jews and Christians lived together in peace. I was the last Jewish child to be born there, the only child of Bertolt and Regina Auerbacher. Papa was the first World War soldier. Papa served in the German army in World War I and was badly wounded. He was a decorated soldier. He was awarded the Iron Cross. By profession, he was a textile merchant. His mother was from Jebenhausen in Swabia. Her mother, my grandma, was from a large family. She was one of 14 children. Four of her brothers fought in World War I and two of them gave their lives to the German fatherland. My grandma of blessed memory was murdered by the Nazis. She is buried in a mass grave in Birkenicke Forest near Riga in Latvia. Bertolt Auerbach, his real name was Moses Baruch Auerbacher, was a member of my family, one of my relatives and in the 19th century he was a celebrated writer. Today there is a street named after him in Berlin. New York has been my home for 75 years, but I still have very clear memories of that dark time, a time of terror and hate. Sadly this cancer has returned and hatred of the Jews has become commonplace again in many countries of the world, including Germany. This disease needs to be eradicated as swiftly as possible. We were a happy little community in Kippenheim until something happened to disturb the peace of our quiet village. On November the 9th and 10th 1938, riots and violence erupted against the Jewish people across Germany. Today those events are known as the Night of Broken Glass. In Kippenheim, there was a pogrom on November the 10th. I was not even four years old at the time. Nazi hoodlums through bricks through our windows. I was nearly hit by one of those stones. A synagogue was not burnt down. There were Christian houses in the neighborhood and there was a risk that they might catch fire as well. All men and boys from the age of 16 were sent to concentration camps. My grandpa and papa were deported to the concentration camp at Dachau, where they were held in Block 16. A few weeks later they were released and came back home. They told us terrible stories of the torture and abuse they had suffered. It was quite clear that it was time to leave Germany. We sold our house in Kippenheim in 1939 and papa lost his business. We moved in with my grandparents in Yerbenhausen, hoping that we would soon be able to emigrate. But where to? The doors for emigration were closing very rapidly. Soon afterwards my grandpa died of a broken heart. New anti-Semitic laws and decrees were being issued all the time, all targeting the Jews. And yet many of the residents of Yerbenhausen remained our loyal friends. Even though it was forbidden for Christians and neighbors to have any contact with Jews, some of the farmers sometimes gave us food as well. And most children still played with me. Then I turned six and it was time for me to go to school. By now Jewish children were not allowed to attend the local public school anymore. I had to walk the three kilometers to Gepingen and then spend one hour on the train to Stuttgart where there was a Jewish school. It was the only Jewish school in the region. I had to get special permission to travel as Jews no longer had any freedom of movement. At first my father took me to school. Later my parents had to work as slave laborers in a factory in Gepingen and so I traveled to school on my own. The journey to school became even more dangerous after September 1, 1941 as all Jews aged six and over had to wear the yellow star. I was taunted and harassed by some of the Christian children. One day a woman left a little bag of bread rolls right next to my seat. She must have seen that I was wearing the yellow star and felt some compassion for the little Jewish girl who was sitting all alone on the train. The deportations to the east began at the end of 1941. My grandma and most of the children from the Jewish school were deported to Riga in Latvia. The school in Stuttgart was soon forced to close before I could finish first grade. We had to leave my grandparents' house in Yebenhausen and move into a Jewish house in Gepingen. In August 1942 my parents and I and other Jews were told to assemble in the school gymnasium at the Schillerschule in Gepingen. All our belongings were searched. One of the guards saw that I was wearing a little wooden pin, which she liked the look of, and he tore it off me. In a harsh voice he told me, you won't need this where you're going. It sounds a bit different in Swabian, he said it in Swabian. And I had my doll in my arms and he ripped her from me too and looked inside her hollow body to see if I was hiding anything there. There were tears streaming down my face. I was so happy when he handed Marlene my doll back to me. From Gepingen we were sent to the Killesburg Transit Camp in Stuttgart. Then on August 22, 1942, we were put on a transport made up of Jewish people from Württemberg and sent to the Theresienstadt, or Theresien concentration camp. I was seven years old at the time, the youngest in the transport of around 1,100 Jews. My parents and I were among the very few who survived. We were on the train for about two days. It was still a passenger train, very crowded, and finally we arrived at the station in Bauschowitz. The first thing we heard were the guards yelling at us, drop everything except your bedroll and metal dishes, get going, march, do as you're told. We were surrounded by guards with whips. My parents put me between them, so I was protected from the blows. I was holding onto my doll for dear life. We walked about three kilometers. For the older people, it was a very long and difficult journey on foot. Finally, we passed through an entrance arch into a garrison, very large. Our quarters were located on the top story. We had no beds, there was just the cold floor. It was very, very overcrowded. Thereseenstadt, or Thereseen, consisted of vast red-brick barracks and old rundown houses. The concentration camp was totally sealed off from the outside world by high walls, wooden fences and barbed wire. Contact with anyone outside was strictly forbidden. On October 10th, 1941, Reinhard Heidrich, Adolf Eichmann and other Nazi high-ups had decided that Thereseenstadt should serve as a transit camp for Jews before they were sent onwards to their deaths. In 1944, the Nazis beautified the camp for propaganda purposes and called it a model ghetto. It was all for show, an elaborate hoax staged solely for the inspection by the International Red Cross. The camp inmates came from all over Europe. They were older people, prominent people and many were highly decorated veterans of World War I. Life in the Thereseenstadt concentration camp was especially difficult for such a young child. There was no escape. There were only the gas chambers at Auschwitz, starvation, suicide or death from disease. Most families, men, women and children had to live separately from one another. But they could still see each other. Luckily, I was allowed to stay with my parents in the quarters assigned to the disabled war veterans. We slept on sacks of straw, crowded together on two or three-tier bunks. We children became independent very quickly. The most important words in our vocabulary were bread, potatoes and soup. Life revolved entirely around food. The bathrooms were just latrines far away. Very occasionally, we were allowed to take a shower. Our playground was a foul-smelling garbage dump. We rummaged around here for hours, hoping to find a treasure, a rotten turnip or some potato skin. If it was still edible, we would cut a little bit off to eat. School was forbidden for us children. Classes were held in secret, and we were taught some basic reading and writing skills. This was called keeping ourselves busy. I made a bed for my doll out of a dirty cardboard box, which I kept at the end of the top bunk where I slept, alongside my parents. One day, I found a dead mouse in the box, another victim of starvation. There were frequent epidemics caused by the lack of sanitation and the overcrowded conditions that we had to live in. Typhus was one of the worst dangers we faced. Rats, mice, fleas, lice and bedbugs, those were our constant companions. There were also frequent deportations, most literally Auschwitz. In 1944, all the disabled war veterans had to report in alphabetical order to the commandant's office. They had no idea that this was a selection for deportation to Auschwitz. We shared our room with a family named Abraham from Berlin. They had a daughter, Ruth Nelly, who was exactly my age and who was an only child, just like me. Her father had been wounded in World War I and walked with a limp. So both our fathers were summoned to the commandant's office at the same time. A few weeks later, all three members of the Abraham family were deported to the east. By a miracle, we were left behind. Ruth and I were like sisters and we promised to visit each other. She would come to Jebenhausen and I would go to Berlin. Dear Ruth, I am here in Berlin. I have come to visit you. Ruth and her parents were murdered in the gas chambers in Auschwitz. She didn't even make it to her 10th birthday. On the 8th of May 1945, we were liberated by the Russian army and our misery finally ended. Out of the 140,000 people who were sent to Theresienstadt, 33,000 died there. And 88,000 were murdered, mostly in Auschwitz or at other camps. 15,000 children passed through the Theresienstadt camp. And very few of them survived. Miraculously, I am one of them. Let me add something. I am wearing a butterfly here today and it's not only a piece of jewelry. A Czech boy, Pavel Friedmann, wrote a poem in Theresienstadt. He wrote, I never saw a butterfly again. And this symbol, the butterfly, is a symbol for the one and a half million Jewish children who were killed. So we always wear this butterfly. And I am wearing it today, especially here at the German Bundestag. The city of Stuttgart sent a bus to pick up the few survivors. We went back to Goeppingen, but only stayed there for nine months. In May 1946, we emigrated to New York. I was 11 years old. My parents found work with a well-to-do family. My mother as a maid and my father as a butler. To me, America felt like wonderland. Sadly, though, my dream was about to end. I had a very bad cough, so I was taken to the doctor. After he examined me, he told my parents, your daughter is very sick. She has tuberculosis in both lungs. She has to go to hospital right away. The doctor told my parents that the disease was caused by the three years in the concentration camp, where I had been undernourished and lived in filthy conditions. I was placed in a community hospital. I could hardly believe it. I thought, I am being locked up again. This can't be true. My face was awash with tears. I had to spend two years in bed and undergo painful medical examinations. Finally, my parents said, it's enough. They had found an apartment in Brooklyn by that time and they took me home. Within a few months, however, I was in an even worse state than before, with bleeding in my lungs and very weak. I prayed to God, please, don't let me die. I want to live. By a miracle, a new drug came out, Streptomycin, the first antibiotic that was effective against tuberculosis. The Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery. I had to stay in bed for another year, but I was so thankful because those painful injections of Streptomycin cured me. Finally, aged 15, I started school and I finished high school in three instead of four years. I was very interested in science, so I went to college to study chemistry. After a few years, I got sick again. I had to spend another 12 months in bed and take 26 pills a day and two shots of Streptomycin. Then, at last, I went back to college and completed my studies for 38 years. I pursued a career as a chemist in medical research and clinical work to sum up. As far as I know, I am the only child survivor who was deported from Stuttgart to the concentration camps. 20 members of our family were murdered by the Nazis. I spent three years in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. I endured four years of bedrest due to the severe effects this had on my health. I lost eight years of schooling and suffered four years of stigmatization from having to wear a yellow star as well as stigma because of the pernicious disease which deterred partners from marrying me. I never got to wear a wedding dress. I will never be a mum or a grandma. But I am happy. The children of the world are my family. I would like to conclude by sharing what my heart desires the most. Hatred against people is terrible. We are all born as brothers and sisters. My greatest wish is reconciliation among all people. So, light a candle today to remember the murdered innocent children, women and men. Light a candle to celebrate life and hold back the darkness. Take care of your sisters and brothers. Then you will always be blessed. We are all born as children of God. The gates to unity and peace are opening. The past must never be forgotten. Together, let us pray for unity on earth. Together, let us welcome a new tomorrow and never, never, never lose sight of this dream. Thank you very much. I am excited to hear about the German conversation. Now standing ovation at the German parliament still with me here in the studio. Ambassador Daniel Shake, both of us were glued to this screen, listening to this remarkable woman. A remarkable generation truly. Both of you and I know it from very up close. Her speech continues to resonate in me. What are your main takeaways? Listen, such a powerful woman, such a powerful recounting of a story that we've heard so many times. And on a personal note, both my parents were in Theresienstadt. And they were both among the very few survivors of that camp. So I know all the subject matter by heart. But still, to hear such a clearly visualized memory, together with a very clear vision of what the future is, the fact that such a woman who grew up as a small child in the worst possible, worst imaginable conditions became such a productive, vital, energized woman 87 years old and look how much energy she had, what a career as a scientist, what a career as a human being. And who was able as many as many other survivors found the strength not to just hate humankind for what had happened, but to put some faith in a better future. That is amazing. And this is perhaps what we're lacking so fundamentally nowadays. It feels time and time again. The Israeli Speaker of Parliament, Mikhi Levy, will take the podium soon. He will speak in Hebrew while in Berlin on this day. The symbolic aspect of all of it, really, we don't need to say much. But I would like us to talk a bit about what I would dare to define a success in terms of the consensus surrounding the international remembrance of Holocaust and the ability to differentiate it from criticism towards Israel that we are seeing often, which is, again, legitimate. Let's be clear, it's not working everywhere. Not everywhere. Many times it is being intertwined with anti-Semitism. But if we're talking about this day, it seems like a glass half full. I'd like to go back to what Owen Alderman said at the beginning of our hour together. It is a success. I mean, Holocaust remembrance today has become a landmark in the universal calendar. Many countries have events, not all of them, and not all of them are as significant as in Germany. But Germany is a special case, and Germany has never denied its special role in its special responsibility, not just towards the state of Israel, but towards the remembrance of the crimes of Nazi Germany. And it fills me with hope to listen to a politician like Bell Bass, who is relatively young. She's not the older generation of field and responsible, who could be tempted, like other younger German politicians, to say, listen, yes, it was terrible, but all the perpetrators are dead. Most of the survivors are dead. Let's turn the page, or let's just lower the flames a little bit, lower the expectations from the feeling of guilt that you expect Germany to feel. It has never happened. Never has a mainstream political leader in Germany shied away from the fact that the special responsibility towards Israel and the special relationship with Israel is one of the fundamental pillars of German foreign policy, along with the transatlantic relation and with the EU, it is at that level. It's a one-package, it comes together absolutely. And in this respect, Ambassador Schekke, I would like to turn back to our Owen Alterman. I wouldn't say in contrast of that policy, German policy that you've mentioned, but in Poland, Owen, we are seeing different sentiment, to an extent, politically speaking. Yeah, just to finish for one sec, Ellie, with Germany, going back to the speech from the parliament that we heard. She made one reference, said that the culture out paraphrase, the culture of remembrance that we've got you so much praise for, it has to be transmitted to the young. And I think that really speaks to the problem of how hard it is to keep up the momentum of the intensity of the culture of remembrance. 77 years on, Daniel Schekke was just referencing to the voices you hear, at least on the margins in Germany that are calling for changes and the resistance to that among the mainstream, but just how hard it's going to be over the next few decades to keep this intensity. And you're right, next door in Poland, to say the least, the government's policies have engendered more controversy. The government that has decided that this issue of the Holocaust is an issue that can be used for its own political benefit. Again, trying to win its mind, defend Poland's good name against attacks from the outside. And again, the debate is so tired, Ellie. On one hand, everyone agrees that individual Poles committed crimes during the Holocaust, including the government. On the other hand, everyone agrees that the Polish state is not responsible. It didn't essentially exist, certainly not on the territory of Poland. During the war and then this vexing question of whether the Polish nation is responsible for the Holocaust, I'm not sure how on earth one would come to an answer to that question. Certainly it shouldn't be the object of legislation as it has been. Then we've also seen over the course of the past year this question about restitution for Holocaust property and the law that the Poles have passed. So certainly Holocaust memory distortion or alleged distortion of Holocaust memory may not be controversial in Germany, but they certainly are in other parts of Europe. Poland is not the only place there have been controversies in places like Lithuania, Ukraine, you ask experts, and they say the situation in those countries may be even more serious than it is in Poland, even if Poland has gotten more attention. So certainly this issue of Holocaust memory, while in Germany it is a matter of consensus, we're seeing that before our eyes on the screen. Obviously the idea of remembering the Holocaust is a consensus everywhere, but exactly what should be remembered and how and who is responsible has become the subject of intense debate. And speaking of that topic exactly, Owen, it's part of the events today. We're seeing a massive campaign flooding the streets of Poland, saying this is not a story, this is history, this campaign by the Chasdeinomii organization which supports Holocaust survivors was kept under the radar until it's begun veiling using deep faith technology to highlight the dangers of falsification of reality rather. Aim that awakening Holocaust remembrance in light of the attempt of Poland, of the government to deny its part in the atrocities. And we are seeing Israeli parliament speaker Micky Levy taking the podium in Berlin and the German parliament there. Let's take a listen. Gwirti Nsiada Bundestag, Agwer-et-Bass, Abbas, and Bundespräsident Steinmeier, Bundeskanzler Germania, Schultz, Frau Inge Auerbacher, Tochter meines Volkes, Überlebende des Holocaust, Vereerte Ehrengäste, Besucher, Werte Damen und Herren, Zutif Bevyk, und froh la Diemut, Stich heute am international holocaustach koordin. I stand in front of you today excited and humbled on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I am proud to represent the Jewish state, the only Jewish democratic state in the world, the state of Israel, the role as parliament speaker, the beating heart of Israeli democracy. The beginning I would like to thank you, Bundestag Chairwoman, Ms. Bass, for inviting me to take part in this plenary session on this day, the day in which the Auschwitz-Birkenau-Kamp was liberated, Universal Remembrance Day, the horrific atrocities, the most horrific atrocities in human history. Here of all places, this historic building, the German parliament, you can comprehend even a bit the ability of humankind to utilize democracy in order to beat it. This is a place where humanity has stretched the borders of evil, a place where the loss of values have turned the democratic infrastructure into a discriminatory racist regime. So here of all places between the walls of this house, standing in stone and still, we learn anew how fragile is democracy, and we are called once again to protect it of all guards. Dear crowd, maintaining the memory of the Holocaust is a heavy duty task, a task which stands upon every generation in commemorating the events of the past, the horrific events of the past to the next generations. Often, the memory of the Holocaust deals with numbers, big numbers, statistics, unprecedented statistics, but can you even comprehend such a number as six million? The rule of big numbers adds a layer of alienation to an extent that is unjust towards the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust when it narrows their humanity level into numbers. Six million Jews that were murdered in the Holocaust are also six million stories, stories of life that could have been stories of those who are gone. So I am full of gratitude to you, Ms. Inga Obache, for creating this human voice standing out, unique in the description and molding of Holocaust memory, a voice which defines the strength of a human story to carve hearts, to infiltrate any perception, to demonstrate or portray the message. Otherwise, it is incomprehensible that a child that was only seven years old before she was taken to a concentration camp, it is inconceivable taking a child, taking from a child her childhood, her family, her humanity. Thank you, Inga. Thank you for doing, for succeeding in conveying the incomprehensible into a vital vivid memory. Thank you for sharing with us and with the world your personal touching story for the memory of the Holocaust in future generations. Ladies and gentlemen, the decisions that changed Inga's life were made 80 years ago, 80 years and seven days ago, not far away, when I stood yesterday in front of this glorious villa, it was stunned. I felt the incomprehensible gap between the beautiful scenery of flowers and lakes in the background to the cruelty that was planned at this place, this destruction mechanism of European Jewry. Trans-Zegon conference, the chilling conference with coordinating all the different tentacles of this supermission of the Nazi regime to completely diminish any memory of the Jewish people, massacring and destructing and destruction well planned ahead based on fearless hatred committed in a clear mechanism by a regime that was formed in a legal democratic fashion. 80 years and seven days that are a blink of an eye in terms of history and opposing that the wounds cannot be healed. Many are still bearing the scars that will not heal, some that will never fade away. Dear ladies and gentlemen, the memory is finding us, our nations, the Israelis and the Germans alongside the memory, the strength. In 80 years and seven days we've succeeded both nations to stand anew, to emerge from the trauma, the national historic trauma and build ourselves anew courageously and peacefully. Two nations that between the death and life choose every day, they choose life. Two nations that have been through a remarkable journey on the way to peace the foundation of ties and strong friendship between us. Germany and Israel build a bridge seeing eye to eye the strength of democracy and its importance alongside the necessity to work together to protect it again and again, day in, day out. We have engraved and promoted ties between the nations in culture and art, technology and innovation, trade, research and development, medicine, science and academy. We've created cooperation of security and intelligence, cooperation that are deep and profound between our parliaments, Germany took upon itself the responsibility to the security of Israel to one of the pillars of German foreign policy. Germany stands strong in face of anti-Semitism even when they emerge as anti-Zionism. Germany proves time and again on the bilateral arena and on the international arena is one. Its commitment, its moral obligation, historic obligation to the existence and security of the state of Israel. We have built relationship of trust, honesty, solidarity and mutual interest that are facilitating and allowing us to stand together in face of the mutual challenges between the countries and also in face of humanity as a whole. These challenges like dealing with a raging corona pandemic on all its variants and with a climate crisis knocking on our door threatening our future and the future of the universe. On all of this I wish to thank again outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel who just concluded his reign long-standing reign which solidified the strength of Germany and did it tirelessly and worked rather tirelessly for the relationship between our countries. Dignitaries, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz, the State of Israel trusts you and knows that you will continue in this long-standing decade and that together we will continue to do more for the ties between the countries and between the nations. Ladies and gentlemen as much as we have done the responsibility to do more still lies upon us that we are committed to remember to secure commemoration for the future, for the eternity of mankind but alongside the memory we are also required to build a vision out of it to look at the hope and plant together a future relying on mutual values and mutual dreams to connect and empower the younger generation our grandchildren and grand-grandchildren the third and fourth generation and generations to come after them to direct them to connect between the powers and brains to promote a future full of inspiration a future based on the values of democracy, of liberty of tolerance, of freedom which Israel and Germany share to infuse into the young men and women the kindness in mankind to warn them of hatred just because someone is different to convey this eternal warning of the Jewish Holocaust in Europe never again the ladies and gentlemen years ago in seven days the Jewish people were facing alienation since then we have we have seen the rise of our people of our nation, of the state of Israel today we ask to remember to always remember and to build together a future a moment before I conclude I would like to raise the memory that passed away here at this place I will read apart from the Kadish the Jewish prayer for their soul I will read it out of a Jewish schedule, a Jewish prayer notebook that was landed to me from the Holocaust Museum of Yad Vashem especially for this day was used by a German youngster in Hezbollah mitzva celebrations on the October 22nd 1938 a minute before the crystal knocked events before the life he destined to live got shattered by the reality in Germany this prayer book which stood still like those walls of stone and steel in this building in face of the atrocities of the Holocaust this prayer this prayer this prayer well thank you all very much what can I say little words if any what an emotional speech and emotional ending what the hug there at the end between parliament speaker and the Holocaust survivor who spoke before him the special plenary session is about to come to an end at the same time we're seeing multiple events throughout the globe Israeli Foreign Ministry is currently in Austria participating of local dignitaries Daniela Shek we've been watching the ceremony for the past hour or so I can say that I'm a bit hopeful when we're talking about the memory of the Holocaust and the legacy we can only hope will resonate into policy yes it's a tremendous moment and it shows that not everything is just politics there's national affairs there's human dimension and there's emotion and Miki Levy delivered a speech that maybe in its content is the obvious speech that an Israeli political leader on German soil in the Bundestag will hold but the human dimension of Miki Levy elevated this moment into something very out of the ordinary and I think he deserves a lot of credit for it, for not shying away from showing emotion and he left a huge impression I think on the on the crowd there I second the sentiment and sometimes the obvious needs to be said and no need to be innovative or to look for novelty sometimes to talk about what exists I'm sorry but I will add another personal note I know my father was a diplomat himself he was one of the founders of the Israeli foreign ministry and a survivor of Theresienstadt and Auschwitz and he volunteered to join the Israeli delegation for the establishment of diplomatic relations with Germany an extremely courageous thing to do and when he was asked about it he said I didn't go there to garden the Germans or God forbid to forget I went there because you can't change what is written on the pages of history but you can fill the empty pages of the future with something better than the past and I think what we saw today in a sense is an incarnation of what he had hoped for the full pages of the past and the empty pages of the future and I think it's a great moment and definitely what a brave move on behalf of your father again to go back to this place and build the future thank you very much for sharing this with us Ambassador Sheik Owen kind of speechless there right now any thoughts as we conclude this special broadcast here shortly we have a German post-holocaust culture ceremony after ceremony who can forget by the way the three foreign ministers just a few years ago the Israeli, German and Emirati foreign ministers making a visit to a Holocaust memorial in Berlin but here is another one and just when you think there's nothing more than you can learn and you can see you see that speech by Mickey Levy and Daniel Sheik put it beautifully again the text was the standard text that one would expect on occasion like this but Daniel Sheik beautifully said we also should remember this was the building the very building that the Nazis let's say the Nazis burned down in 1933 assisting in their rise to power and literally what was burned down has risen up with the reunification of Germany in 1990 and now has been enlivened if you will with this ceremony a ceremony remembering death but also affirming life and again those pages of history being filled with the text that we've seen today with the notes we're hearing again on our screen with the words of the Khadish that are a prayer and if I'm not mistaken Ali the words of the angels in a sense being brought down and put into life in that very building in Berlin another poignant memory another poignant moment in the post-Holocaust trajectory of Germany and of Israel together as Mickey Levy said together indeed thank you Ohan Paulina Garay for us the brief time we have still a long row of ceremonies ahead whether the highlights are still ahead of us Well I don't think that we'll hear or see something as emotional impactful as both the speech by Inge-Aubach and of course that powerful moment by Mickey Levy but we will of course hear the word the Holocaust being mentioned multiple times today and also in the coming days and of course we can't forget the challenges that this is something that Ohan already mentioned it's of course it's still an ongoing struggle to remember the Holocaust to convince the young generation that even though they don't feel responsible for the crimes of the Holocaust they do have a responsibility to remember and to most importantly search for where those lessons are found in reality and specifically when we're talking about the criticism of Israel and how that intersects with the memory of the Holocaust that is definitely an ongoing challenge we've seen this the past summer during the escalation in the Gaza Strip where alongside demonstrations against Israel we also saw attacks on synagogues we saw calls death to the Jews this is something that Germany is still dealing with and not always successfully Yes still many challenges ahead again I think we can all derive some hope from today's event and in the Bundestag Polina Garav in Berlin Ohan Altman in Tel Aviv thank you very much for this and Ambassador Daniel Schek I would once again like to sincerely thank you for sharing your insight