Auschwitz Liberation Commemorated
Lottie Weiss showed a hushed audience at the Sydney Jewish Museum the “2065” tattooed on her army by the Nazis as she gave her personal account of the war years.
Lottie Weiss shows her tattoo p. Henry Benjamin
Her address highlighted one of many similar meetings taking place within the Jewish communities throughout Australia and New Zealand commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Russian forces.
The function at Sydney’s Jewish Museum was packed to standing room only capacity.
The 66th anniversary commemoration was M.C.’d by Anna Berger, the president of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants who told the crowd that “Auschwitz-Birkenau is “a place whose name has become part of every day language as a synonym for unspeakable evil.”
She acknowledged that the United Nations had chosen January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
Anna Berger thanks Lottie Weiss
Lottie Weiss took the stand following the lighting of candles by her granddaughters Keren and Amy and by Diana, the granddaughter of Isaas Borinski who spoke to the audience in Russian.
Isaac Borinski
The memorial prayer was read by Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence followed by a message from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered by U.N. representative Christopher Woodthorpe.
But it was Lottie Weiss’s story which brought memories from a distant past flashing to life as she spoke in great detail of her childhood years in Bratislava and the horrendous path her life was to take at the hands of the Nazis.
At one point in her talk, she raised her arm to show the “2065” tattooed by her captors in an attempt to dehumanise the life of Lottie Weiss and all others incarcerated in concentration camps.
Lottie Weiss is living proof of the ultimate downfall of the Nazi regime. The “2065” is with her for the rest of her life…but to her countless friends and families this larger than life character has and always will be Lottie.
Telling her story is a regular affair for Lottie Weiss…she is a survivor guide at the Sydney Jewish Museum.
The “2065” remains, however, testimony of Man’s inhumanity to Man.
If this beautiful woman, Mrs Lottie Weiss, isn’t already recognized as an Australian Living Treasure, then our government and those who issue these honours have been remiss. Ms Anna Berger should also be honoured for her work as President of the AAJHSD, a position that requires enormous courage and strength, compassion and empathy. Who would like to join me in seeing that these wonderful women get the honours and recognition they so richly deserve?
Lottie is not just a ‘survivor’, she has a fortitude and strength of character that is an inspiration and a model for the community at large – Jewish and non-Jewish. I have had dealings with Lottie’s (cheeky) grandson, Ben, and he has become a man of substance, knowledge, and loving compassion which he doubtless gets in truck-loads from his Bubba. All I can say to Lottie is:
Khazak! Khazak! Venishazeik! (Be strong! Be strong! And may we be strengthened!)