The Blog of
Holocaust and Antisemitism Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand
“Father knew things would become very bad for Jews..."
‘Father knew things would become very bad for Jews. He wanted to leave for America. But mother said, “No, my brother is here. I want to stay with family.” So, in the end we were sent to a camp in Ukraine.’
Survivor to ex-Nazi camp guard: ‘You’ve lived 100 times longer than baby Erika’
Hearing that testimony in Hebrew in a German courtroom was an unforgettable experience and one which I found extremely moving.
The Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz
“…the one and only aim of the military operations was to hold back the inevitable victory by the Soviet Union and the Western Allies long enough to complete the extermination of the Jews.”
“We were Jewish so we were taken.”
In 2015 I travelled to Israel to attend the Global Forum For Combatting Antisemitism. While there Dr Efraim Zuroff introduced me to Lydia Brenners, a survivor living in Rishon Letzion. With a colleague I visited Lydia at her home and photographed her while she told her story of survival. Born in Novi Sad, in then Yugoslavia (now Serbia), she survived the 1942 Novi Sad massacre. Watch Lydia’s story of survival.
How long before we can forgive? Nazi-Hunter responds
Lana Hart's op-ed "How long before we can forgive?" raised many important questions regarding the justice system and the attitude toward criminal offenders, among them the recently-deceased former Waffen-SS officer Willi Huber, who achieved hero status among local skiers for his contribution to the establishment of the skiing facilities on Mt. Hutt.
Times of Israel: NZ not opening files on ‘resettled’ alleged former Nazi emigres
“Our history was patchy at best,” said Trotter. “In the period between 1933 and 1939 a paltry 1,100 Jews were permitted into New Zealand — and those under the most stringent requirements. The policy was harsh and punitive.”
NZ Green MP’s Genocidal Cry Against the Jewish State
NZ Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez recently tweeted an image of himself and fellow Green MPs Chloe Swarbrick and Golriz Ghahraman at an anti-Israel protest in Auckland. The text accompanying his tweet: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
Holocaust Memorial Day 2021, Botany, Auckland
Over 260 attended the Yom HaShoah 2021 and “Auschwitz. Now.” opening event held at Elim Christian College. Guest speakers included H.E. Ambassador Ran Yaakoby, survivor Robert Narev OMNZ, Dr Sheree Trotter, Dame Lesley Max and Elim’s Murray Burton MNZM and Ps Steve Green. Rebbetzin Deb Levy Friedler MC’d the event.
An 80-year search for ‘the student K,’ murderer of Jewish babies
This is a story about a Nazi war crimes investigation that began in 1945 and continued intermittently until 2021. It is a good example of why, even today, it is still important to try and achieve justice.