I saw Bergen-Belsen through the eyes of a 94-year-old survivor returning for the first time

Twenty-five years ago, as I left Auschwitz, I was certain I would never set foot in a concentration camp again. As the granddaughter of a survivor, I felt a duty to witness and to honour – but I knew that what I saw during those few days in Poland would remain etched in my memory forever. And I was right. I remember so clearly stepping into those cramped barracks, seeing the blue residue of Zyklon B on the gas chamber walls, walking the railway tracks that had carried thousands of Jews on a catastrophic one-way journey. Certain memories time cannot erode.
Yet fast forward a few decades, and I find myself visiting a concentration camp again – Bergen-Belsen. This time, my motivation is not to see, but to hear – from survivors themselves. The opportunity to visit the camps alongside those who lived through those dark chapters of history is becoming ever more rare. But to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation by British troops – and ahead of VE Day – survivors (as well as dignitaries including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis) have gathered at the former concentration camp.
Among them are Bergen-Belsen survivors Mala Tribich and Susan Pollack, both gravely ill with malnutrition and typhus when they were liberated in April 1945. Susan, 14 at the time, has never returned to Bergen-Belsen – until today.
She still remembers that moment of liberation in painful detail. 'I was starving, and I wasn't able to walk any more,' she tells me, her eyes watery with age and memory.
'So I crawled out [of the barracks]. I crawled out to die. There were so many rotting bodies to be seen everywhere.' Her tone softens: 'Then a pair of gentle hands lifted me up. And who was that? A British soldier.' Does she remember what went through her mind at that moment? 'It was a miracle,' she says.
At 94, she is still a walking miracle. When I first meet her, it is 6am and she is striding through Stansted Airport clutching a stick that seems to be struggling to keep up with her. She's resplendent, even at such an ungodly hour, in a pretty pink pullover and matching lipstick. We are flying to Hanover and then driving the hour-long journey to Bergen-Belsen as part of the UK delegation organised by Ajex (the Jewish Military Association).
Eighty years ago, when the British freed the people from that hell on earth, they didn't just bring skeletons back from the brink of death; they restored humanity and dignity. As a British Jew, it's a piece of history that fills me with both pride and gratitude. The first troops to enter the camp were from the 63rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, under the command of Lt Col Richard Taylor, accompanied by a loudspeaker truck from the Intelligence Corps.
Amongst them was Sgt Norman Turgel, a Jewish officer in the British army. His son, sitting alongside me at the ceremony today, tells the story of how Norman came across a young woman in the camp, who, despite her own unbearable grief and frailty, was helping to nurse other survivors.
'That woman was my mother,' he says. 'They formed a bond that turned into love, something almost unimaginable in a place built for death.' Six weeks later they were married – his mother, Gina, wearing a wedding dress sewed from British military silks, gifted from Norman's comrades.
Meanwhile, British veteran Stanley Fisher from the West Midlands, who was unable to make the journey (he's 100 years old), recalls his experience in a message. 'I fought through France and all the way to northern Germany, eventually stationed very close to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where I witnessed horrors that have stayed with me all my life.'
By the time Bergen-Belsen was liberated, around 70,000 people had already died there, mainly due to disease or starvation. Albrecht Weinberg, a 100-year-old survivor from Germany, remembers the moment British soldiers arrived. He had been deported to Bergen-Belsen on a wagon.
'Our bodies were tipped out,' he says. 'Two days later, a tank drove in. I thought, 'Now I'll finally be freed by death', but it was British soldiers coming to liberate us.' He was a 20-year-old man at the time, but weighed only 4st 7lb.
Over afternoon refreshments, Susan explains what perhaps needs no explanation – why she has never returned. 'Bergen-Belsen, for me, was a place of death,' she tells me, leaning in, her voice low, her words hesitant. 'Of suffering.'
Today, very little of the camp remains. The site is barren, save for a memorial obelisk, but grass mounds now mark the locations of mass graves, with thousands buried beneath each.
Susan shares a memory from her arrival here in 1944. Among the 'walking skeletons,' she recognised an old friend and neighbour from her hometown of Felsőgöd in Hungary. Susan's father had been taken by the Nazis early in the war, and she had been separated from her mother and brother while at Auschwitz. So the familiar face must have been a comfort to that teenage girl, and the memory still swirls in her mind more than 80 years later.
'She recognised me and asked, 'Do you think I'm going to survive?' The following day, I went back to see her, but she had lice all over her.' In the camp, lice spread typhus. A look tells me what I need not ask. 'Very few survived in Bergen-Belsen,' she says simply.
Susan (then Zsuzsanna Blau) was one of those who did – just – but she was alone. More than 50 members of her family had been murdered. She later discovered her mother had been gassed at Auschwitz. Her brother survived but never mentally recovered. He had been made to work as a Sonderkommando (work units made up of death camp prisoners), shovelling dead bodies from the gas chambers to the ovens.
Recalling those early years after liberation, Susan says: 'They were very difficult times. Here I am, a youngster. I don't speak English. I have no support and no financial help because I had no relatives.'
She was sent to Sweden to recover and was then taken to Canada, where she met fellow survivor Abraham Pollack. 'He liked me. Then we became friends. And we shared many similar experiences, so we understood each other.' Susan was 18 when they got married but says they didn't know many people; her husband had to pay two people at work to be their witnesses. 'I'm here now because of my husband. He used to work two shifts every day,' she says.
Her philosophy has always been to look forward. She had three children and in 1963 the family moved to London, where she worked as a librarian and eventually got a degree in history, aged 60. It was only later in life she started to work with organisations like the Holocaust Educational Trust to share her experiences and educate.
I know little of my own family's experiences, one generation always wanting to protect the next from their horrific memories, except that my grandfather Brian, originally from Pabianice in Poland, was in Buchenwald when he was liberated. He passed away when my father was 14, so I never had the chance to meet him. My grandmother, also from Pabianice, moved to London before the war, but her mother and sister survived Auschwitz, passing off as sisters.
One of the only details of their experience that I know is that they lived in relentless fear – not only day-to-day, but second-to-second. They knew any moment could be their last. My grandmother's other sister, Yadja, was gassed in a lorry, and most of the large extended family perished. But her cousin, Helen Aronson, was one of the few survivors of the Łódź Ghetto – she celebrated her 98th birthday last week. She survived by hiding underground when the Nazis came to 'liquidate' the ghetto.
Like Susan, every life to emerge from those camps was miraculous. Being part of that legacy means I will always feel gratitude for being here, but it also feels like it comes with responsibility – to ensure memories are kept alive and lessons are never forgotten.
As we file off the plane in London, I take a moment to sit with Susan, still perky at the end of an 18-hour day. With a warm smile and an invitation to pop over to her house for tea, she tells me she's happy she made the decision to go. I am too – and I hope to help keep the memories she's shared with me alive, as the collective voice of the survivors becomes ever quieter. Like that visit to Auschwitz 25 years ago, Susan's story will always be with me.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scotsman

2 hours ago

• Scotsman

My family history after the Battle of Culloden sent a 'shiver up our backs'

Heritage group's purchase of old church will help preserve tales from Highland glen for future generations Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... IT was Highland hospitality that may well have changed the course of history. At Crasg Sheumais in Strathnairn, just south of Inverness, soldiers searching for Bonnie Prince Charlie following his defeat at Culloden stopped for refreshments, with one local woman obliging them with a flagon of milk. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The woman served the men and, when she turned to enter her house, one of the soldiers thumped her on the back of the head with the jug. She complained to the officer it was no way to treat her hospitality and was asked to point the soldier out, with a promise that he would be flogged. She told him not to bother and went back indoors. READ MORE: The Jacobites who fought on after Culloden The ugly episode gives a sense of that dark post-Culloden period, when British soldiers marched through villages and glens, torching buildings and rooting out Jacobites as the manhunt for Bonnie Prince Charlie intensified. And that breach of hospitality - and the flagon of milk - possibly even played a pivotal role in aiding the escape of the Prince, who went on to evade capture after the battle for five months. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Alasdair Forbes, chairman of Strathnairn Heritage Association, whose ancestor served the milk, said the story of his relative, the milk and the flagon had been handed down through his family for generations. He said: 'Much later I read an account of this, which had appeared in a newspaper shortly after Culloden. 'It said that if the troops had not stopped off for refreshments, they would have been within touching distance of catching Prince Charles 'That sent a shiver up our backs. That was our story, our family story, and it had been verified by an historian.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Alasdair Forbes, chairman of Strathnairn Heritage Association, said stories of life in glen had been at risk of being "lost" given the passing of forebearers. | Contributed READ MORE: The mystery of the 150 Jacobites freed on a Caribbean island It is precious stories such as these that Forbes, whose family history stretches back 900 years in the glen, and fellow members of the association are so passionate about saving. As their forebears passed away and new arrivals started to outnumber the original families, the association was created given 'memories of the glen were at risk of being lost,' he said. The association has now bought Dunlichity Parish Church from the Church of Scotland to create a heritage centre after locals were left 'aghast' at its sale by the Kirk. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A place of worship has stood on the site since the 6th Century and, later, Dunlichity became linked to the Battle of Culloden in several ways. Soldiers gathered here before going into fight and sharpened their swords on the churchyard wall, where their marks can still be seen in the stone. Bonnie Prince Charlie would have passed here as he made his escape. The Battle of Culloden. Government troops marched through Strathnairn in the aftermath of the fight as Bonnie Prince Charlie made his escape. | CC Forbes said: 'The very idea that our church, which had been owned by the people of Strathnairn for about 1500 years, could now be sold off to a private owner so that we no longer could make use of the building at funerals and have to put up with an outside party being in residence for holiday or other reasons, left the locals quite aghast.' Since the association was set up in 1999, members have collected written material, photos and old documents. Forbes has for many years interviewed older locals using a video camera. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now, with the purchase of Dunlichity, they will have a premises to work from for the first time, where stories can be kept safe and shared. Lectures will be held and archives added to. Forbes added: 'Educating the local children will, we believe, give them a feeling of 'belonging' to this glen.'

Wales Online

6 hours ago

• Wales Online

Monty Don says today is the time to start cutting grass

Monty Don says today is the time to start cutting grass The 69-year-old said that he sometimes leaves grass mowing until mid-August Monty Don said nothing should be trimmed back until after June 21 (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto ) British horticulturalist Monty Don has explained why it's key to leave grass-cutting until after June 21 this month. While it may be tempting to mow your gardens ahead of summer BBQs, the 69-year-old said it's important to allow grass to flourish for as long as possible. "Nothing should be cut at all until after the longest day on June 21," Monty wrote in a blog last year. "This gives the foliage of the bulbs time to die back and feed next year's bulb and subsequent flowering. ‌ "The grass can then be cut if it has been hot and dry, although sometimes I leave this as late as mid-August." Although Monty's advice was written in 2024, the longest day of 2025, commonly known as the summer solstice, also fell on June 21 (Saturday). ‌ Monty Don shared his advice for gardening in June last year (Image: James Manning/PA Wire ) In the UK, grasses typically grow the most during April and May, amidst increasing temperatures and moisture from rain showers. Extending this growth period for as long as possible may help maximise its health during the upcoming spring. Monty usually plants spring bulbs and wildflowers alongside his grass, too, providing a beneficial habitat for insects and other forms of wildlife. Once the grass is cut, he stressed that it's important to collect any clippings and place them in a compost heap. Article continues below Leaving them on the ground might encourage 'lusher coarser grasses' to grow, but this would be at the expense of any flowers. Monty's thoughts come after a 2019 study from Plantlife unveiled that most gardeners cut their grass every two weeks, according to the Express. In the UK, grasses typically grow the most during April and May (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto ) The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has similarly suggested that allowing grass to remain uncut until August encourages a richer variety of plants, and it even supports a 'No Mow May' initiative for this purpose. ‌ However, it also acknowledged that you should consider mowing habits on a case-by-case basis. For instance, if weather conditions are unpredictable or grass growth is unexpectedly slow, it may be wise to reconsider. The RHS has advised: "In summer: with a conventional lawn, mow once a week on average, dropping to once a fortnight, or longer, during periods of drought. "Flower-rich lawns can be mown every four to six weeks. Long-grassed lawns are best cut once or twice over the summer, usually not before June." ‌ When mowing long grass for the first time in a year, it's important to set the mower to the highest blade setting. This helps avoid clogging from grass clippings. If the grass is particularly tall, the RHS recommends strimming it first to reduce its height. Be sure to collect any clippings before using the mower for the final cut. It also added: "While you can restart mowing in June, it's even better to leave the grass uncut until August to preserve the newly created habitat and encourage a greater diversity of plants." Article continues below What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below

Scottish Sun

10 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming

Friends have also praised the 'lovely' and 'caring young lad' for having a 'heart of gold' RIVER TRAGEDY Family pay touching tribute to 'beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham, is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Tributes have poured in for Jacob Rutkowski, 20, following his death Credit: North News and Pictures 2 The young man died after getting into difficulty in the River Tees at Gainford on Friday afternoon Credit: Alamy Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." At time of writing, Jacob's GoFundMe has already raised more than £1,650, helping it towards its goal of £4,500. At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. A British 45-year-old woman drowns at a Lanzarote beach Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."