One of the last living Sobibor survivors dies in Israel aged 97
Israeli prime minister pays respects to Semyon Rosenfeld who died on Monday in hospital
One of the last living survivors of the Nazi death camp Sobibor has died.
Semyon Rosenfeld died on Monday at a hospital in central Israel at the age of 97. He moved to Israel from the Ukraine in 1990, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Sobibor was built and operated by the SS during World War II near the railway station of Sobibor in Poland. At least 200,000 Jews were murdered in the gas chambers at Sobibor though some have put the number as high as 350,000. The camp was destroyed by the Germans at the end of 1943.
Rosenfeld, who was born in Ukraine, was drafted into the Red Army in 1940 to fight the Nazis. He was captured and taken as a prisoner of war in 1941.
He was transferred to Sobibor in 1943, and participated in the Sobibor uprising in September of that year. He was one of the 300 prisoners that managed to escape the camp, and one of only 47 who survived in the days after the uprising. He hid in the woods with a small group of prisoners until spring 1944, when they were liberated by the Red Army, which he rejoined and participated in the capture of Berlin by the Soviet forces, according to Ynet. He was demobilized in October 1945.
סמיון רוזנפלד, ניצול השואה והשורד האחרון מסוביבור, הלך לעולמו.סמיון רוזנפלד נולד בשנת 1922 בכפר קטן באוקראינה. הוא…
פורסם על ידי Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו ב- יום שני, 3 ביוני 2019
He is survived by two sons and five grandchildren in Israel and the United States.
Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said: “We are saddened to hear that one of the last survivor of the Sobibor death camp uprising, Semyon Rosenfeld, has died in Israel. The heroism that he and his fellow prisoners showed, in the most unimaginable circumstances is a shining example of bravery and resistance in one of the darkest times of human history.
As we come to terms with the sad reality that the number of eyewitnesses of the Holocaust are dwindling, it is even more important that Semyon’s legacy, and all survivors’ stories, live on through the generations.
Our thoughts are with his family. May his memory be a blessing”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
