We cannot accept the press release that claims that Israelis were excluded from this year's commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen on 5 May. This is not and has not been the case: a child survivor of Bergen-Belsen from Israel will be present at the commemoration.
The date of this year's commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was proposed last autumn by the memorial together with the Association of Jewish Communities of Lower Saxony. It was confirmed by the responsible body, the Foundation’s Board (Stiftungsrat). Representatives of the Foundation's Advisory Board (Stiftungsbeirat), in which survivors' associations and civil society organisations and foundations are represented, were also involved in the decision.
This year, two child survivors are going to speak on Remembrance Day. There will also be a contribution from young people from the Hanoverian Jewish community and, of course, the prayers for the dead by the cantor of the same community.
The events of 7 October 2023 and their consequences have also fundamentally changed the work of the Bergen-Belsen Memorial. In addition to the sympathy for all those affected in Israel, they have made us realize that commemoration and remembrance work in Germany must take up more current references in order to develop greater social significance and to anchor advocacy e.g. against anti-Semitism more broadly in the public.
That is why we want to promote civic engagement and consolidate remembrance as a task for society as a whole and are also organising this year’s commemoration with actors from civil society. This was agreed in advance with the state of Lower Saxony, represented by the Ministry of Education, and the Association of Jewish Communities of Lower Saxony as co-organisers of the annual commemorative events.