80 years on: the men who escaped Auschwitz to warn the world

Eighty years since two Slovak Jews, Alfred Wetzler and Rudi Vrba, escaped from Auschwitz to warn the world about the deportations of Hungarian Jews, the national charity supporting Holocaust refugees and survivors living in Great Britain brought together experts, descendants, and stakeholders, to honour their heroism and discuss how their story is remembered today.

The panel discussion at the Slovak Republic Embassy included contributions from renowned journalist Jonathan Freedland, whose book The Escape Artist, relates Vrba’s life and story.

Panellists also featured noteworthy speakers, the director of the Holocaust Museum in Sereď, Dr Martin Korčok and relatives of Wetzler and Vrba, including director of AJR Refugee Voices, Dr Bea Lewkowicz, who shed light on lesser-known strands of history about these remarkable men.

The event unearthed details of the groundbreaking Vrba–Wetzler report – an early attempt to throw light on the numbers of victims murdered in the gas chambers in Auschwitz.

The panel also emphasised how the pair’s bold actions is credited with helping to persuade the Hungarian regent, Miklós Horthy, to eventually halt the deportation of Hungary’s Jews to Auschwitz and highlighted that Allies had known since November 1942 that Jews were being killed en masse in Auschwitz.

His Excellency Dr Róbert Ondrejcsák, Ambassador of Slovakia to the United Kingdom said: “Today, as we reflect on the legacy of Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, we are reminded of the power of resistance in the face of tyranny, and the importance of bearing witness to injustice wherever it may occur.

“We are proud to partner with The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) to honour the legacy of these two courageous men-  ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten, and that the voices of the victims continue to resonate across the generations.”

Michael Newman, chief executive officer, AJR said: “It is a great pleasure to be partnering with HE Slovak Ambassador again following the event we organised to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023. The AJR is hugely proud that among our Refugee Voices archive of almost 300 testimonies, we have a precious interview with Gerta Vrbova, an extract of which will be screened and analysed as part of the event.

“I am grateful to my colleague Dr Bea Lewkowicz, the AJR RV Archives director, for organising this special commemorative event during which she will also be sharing her own memories of meeting Alfred Wetzler and Rudi Vrba.”