Holocaust Survivor Reflects on Bergen-Belsen Liberation’s 80th Anniversary

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Lola Hassid Angel, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, spoke out about her harrowing experiences as the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945. Speaking from her home in Athens, Angel recounted the suffering she witnessed in the Nazi concentration camp, where disease and hunger claimed countless lives. “What happened there was an abomination,” she stated, recalling the conditions that contributed to the deaths of over 70,000 victims.

Bergen-Belsen, liberated by British forces, was notorious for its appalling conditions that deemed it a death camp through starvation and illness. According to historical accounts, approximately 60,000 prisoners were found at the camp, with over 14,000 succumbing to illness shortly after liberation. Angel, forced into the camp from Athens in 1944, emphasized the need to remember the horror to prevent history from repeating itself.

In her quest for remembrance, Angel has been actively speaking to students in Greece about the Holocaust, aiming to invoke a sense of awareness and vigilance against the resurgence of hatred and war. “My big fear is if another Hitler comes along,” she cautioned.

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