Holocaust witness Abba Naor at Landheim Ammersee

At the age of 98, Abba Naor is one of the last surviving witnesses of the Holocaust. He visited the Landheim Ammersee for the third time and told the middle and upper school pupils about his Jewish life story:

From his early, carefree and integrated childhood in Lithuania to the arbitrary and steadily increasing marginalisation, stigmatisation, life in ghettos and camps, the loss of many family members and the direct experience of unimaginable atrocities.

For almost two hours, he spoke - in his impressive and calm rhetoric - to the noticeably concentrated students. But he was not only concerned with remembering. His central message was and is an urgent appeal to the present: to actively live democracy, to take responsibility for each other, to be careful with language and actions, to resolutely oppose hatred and exclusion and to show courage "when it matters". Again and again he emphasised: "Just be human." A sentence that sounds simple, but carries the essence of his life testimony: compassion, respect, moral clarity and the unconditional commitment to peace and human coexistence. He reminded the young people that the future can be shaped - and that every generation decides anew whether freedom, tolerance and openness will endure.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Abba Naor for this moving encounter - and to the FRISTO Foundation for making it possible.

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