Bergen-Belsen survivors and liberators today met Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh as they visited the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.
Holocaust survivors Rudi Oppenheimer and Anita Lasker-Wallfisch met with the Royal Party and spoke to them about their experiences at the camp and how they survived. British liberators Bernard Levy and Captain Eric Brown also met Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Bergen-Belsen has a special significance for Britain, which was liberated by the 11th Armoured Division of the British Army on 15th April 1945. Thousands of Jewish people died of starvation, mistreatment and disease at the hands of the Nazis at the camp.
Chief Executive Karen Pollock MBE, said: “Today was a very special day, not only for the Holocaust survivors who met Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, but for all of those survivors who somehow managed to rebuild their lives in Britain and continue to feel so grateful for the safe haven they found. Bergen-Belsen has a central place in our history, and as the eyewitnesses grow older and frailer, we must all take on the responsibility to remember what happened there. That Her Majesty has visited Bergen-Belsen in such a significant year – 70 years on from its liberation – is particularly poignant and shines a spotlight on the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance.”
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