103-jährige Holocaust-Überlebende ist wieder Deutsche | DW Nachrichten

Feb 3, 2026 | In den USA wollen immer mehr Überlebende des Holocausts und deren Familien die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit. Die 103-jährige Holocaust-Überlebende Ruth Gruenthal stammt aus Hamburg. Die Nazis entzogen ihr einst den deutschen Pass, vor einigen Monaten bekam sie ihn wieder. Viele jüdische US-Bürger befürchten, dass die Demokratie in den USA in Gefahr ist und sehen in Deutschland einen Ausweg. Das Land, aus dem sie selbst oder ihre Vorfahren einst vertrieben wurden und das sechs Millionen Juden ermordet hat.

Auschwitz: Lessons for Today's US America + Germany | Berlin Briefing Podcast

Jan 30, 2026 | On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated, revealing the scale of Nazi atrocities. 81 years later, the lessons of the Holocaust remain urgent. In this Holocaust Remembrance Day episode, our Berlin Briefing panel asks: What warning signs of authoritarianism should we be watching for today? Together, they explore rising hate crimes in Germany and the US, the politicization of antisemitism, and the broader dangers of state power targeting vulnerable communities. Nina Haase (DW Berlin Briefing host), Shani Rozanes (DW Israel and Middle East expert), Ines Pohl (DW Washington Bureau Chief), and Michaela Küfner (DW Chief Political Editor) highlight how these threats go beyond antisemitism alone — and why it's not just Holocaust survivors who say that remembering Auschwitz is essential to protecting democracy now.

Related video here.

Horrific Human Experiments of the Holocaust

Jan 27, 2026 | Adolf Hitler's regime of terror and destruction inflicted brutal horrors throughout the Third Reich. Ideas of making Germany great again and establishing a pure race indoctrinated the German people to support him indefinitely. The Nazi Regime under Adolf Hitler imposed some of the most insane forms of eugenics and medical experiments the world has ever seen.

It’s only a small step from MaGGA (Make Germany Great Again) to MAGA (Make America Great Again). And Hiter’s calls to make Germans a “pure race” again immediately remind one of Trump’s multiple utterances about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of America, for by implication, if Americans’ blood has been poisoned, it is no longer pure. What went on in Hitler’s Germany is so reminiscent of what is going on in Trump’s America. It truly is alarming. — © Mark Alexander

The True Story of the Jewish Pianist and the Nazi Officer Who Saved Him | Władysław Szpilman

Jan 16, 2026 | Władysław Szpilman was born in 1911 in Sosnowiec and trained as a pianist in interwar Warsaw, a capital city marked by a vibrant cultural life and the presence of a large Jewish community integrated into urban society. After completing his musical studies in Poland and Germany, he established his career as a performer and composer at Polish Radio, where he achieved national acclaim. On September 23, 1939, while Warsaw was being bombed, he performed a Chopin piece live; the broadcast was interrupted when the building was destroyed during the siege that followed the German invasion of Poland.

With the establishment of the General Government, administered by German authorities such as Hans Frank under the directives of the Reich, the city was subjected to a system of total control. The Jewish population was progressively isolated, confined, and deprived of resources. In 1940, the Warsaw Ghetto was established, where overcrowding, food shortages, and deportations defined daily life. Szpilman lost his family during the major operations of 1942, when most of the ghetto's inhabitants were deported to Treblinka. From then on, his survival depended on forced labor, hiding, and the help of Polish civilians on the so-called "Aryan side."

In 1944, after the Warsaw Uprising and the systematic evacuation of the city, Szpilman remained hidden among the ruins. It was there that he met Wehrmacht Captain Wilm Hosenfeld, who decided not to betray him and provided him with food and shelter during the winter. The entry of Soviet troops in January 1945 brought an end to the German occupation. In the postwar period, Szpilman resumed his musical work in Warsaw, left a written record of the city's destruction, and continued his career as a composer and cultural organizer until the end of the 20th century.

The Auctioneers: How Jewish Property Was Sold Off under Nazism | Full Documentary

31 May 2025 | With the pogroms in 1938/39, the systematic antisemitism of the Nazis broke through. This led to incomparable violence and despotism towards Jewish citizens. The events, that reached their first peak in the Reichspogromnacht but continued for years afterwards, also led to a massive wave of expropriation. The vast monetary and material values taken from the Jews are beyond imagination. But they’ve been documented meticulously in the books of a then booming industry: the auctioneers.

They were the exploiters of Jewish property, from industrial enterprises to silver spoons: tax inspectors and bailiffs, pawnbrokers, and auctioneers. Especially the latter are among the major profiteers of the Holocaust. Their files, which in many cities only now have been made accessible, paint a new and more detailed picture of the persecution of Jews in Germany.

The accuracy, with which events have been documented, allows telling this story with the means of historical data journalism for the first time ever, putting private stories in perspective with the main developments in Nazi-Germany

“The Auctioneers” is a hunt for relics of the past that leads from private property to everyday life between 1938 and 1944, to those who’ve profited most from the property transfers, and finally to some sort of economic balance of the Holocaust.

Documentary: The Auctioneers: Profiting From the Holocaust (2018)
Directed by Jan N.Lorenzen
Production: Hoferichter & Jacobs, ARD, MDR


The currency exchange for the Reichsmark against the US dollar in the Thirties was as follows:

Around 1930 – 1931, there were approximately 4.2 Reichsmarks to the US dollar. (With one or two slight variations.)

From the mid to late Thirties, the Nazi regime implemented currency controls, so the exchange rate moved closer to 2.5 Reichsmarks to the US dollar. – Mark

The Path to Nazi Genocide | 2025 | Holocaust Education

Oct 20, 2025 | This 38-minute film introduces the history of the Holocaust. It begins by looking back at the major changes from 1918 to 1933 that created the political climate for the birth and rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. It explores the basis for the party’s support among ordinary Germans and the military, government, and business establishment before and after Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933.

After 1933, Nazi leaders used violence and intimidation, propaganda, laws and decrees, and parliamentary maneuvers to quickly destroy the remains of democratic rule. Having established a dictatorship, leaders began pursuing ideological goals. These included the purification and strengthening of the “superior” German “race” and the return of Germany to great power status through economic revival and the build-up of the military.

Jews, who were viewed in Nazi ideology as a separate and dangerous “race,” went from being German citizens with full equal rights to outcasts. They were pressured to immigrate and excluded from the racially based “people’s community” that gave many Germans, especially youth, a sense of belonging. Other excluded groups included Roma, persons with disabilities, gay men, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and political opponents.

During World War II, which began in 1939, German military conquests and alliances endangered Jews living in countries across German-dominated Europe. The German invasion of the Soviet Union in summer 1941, envisioned by Nazi leaders and the German military as a “war of annihilation,” was a key turning point on the path to the genocide of Europe’s Jews. The murder of 6 million Jewish men, women, and children required the active participation or acquiescence of countless Germans and Europeans from all walks of life.

The Death of Holocaust Studies (w/ Raz Segal) | The Chris Hedges Report

Sep 10, 2025 | Ray Regal confronts the question of whether Holocaust studies ever been about the true history of the event. In reality, the field has manufactured the exceptionality of the Jewish people and Israel.

The West Said “Never Again.” It Lied.

Jul 30, 2025 | “Never again” is ringing hollow as Israel continues to forcibly starve thousands of trapped Palestinians in Gaza with impunity. AJ+ Editorial Lead Tony Karon breaks down the West’s racist double standards.

Poland Urges Tesla Boycott After Musk's "Move Past" Nazi Guilt Comment | Firstpost Spotlight

Jan 29, 2025 | Poland Urges Tesla Boycott After Musk's "Move Past" Nazi Guilt Comment | Firstpost Spotlight | N18G

In Poland, outrage over Tesla owner Elon Musk's support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has now taken the form of a boycott call. After Musked called upon Germans to "move past" its Nazi history, Polish Tourism Minister Sławomir Nitras has called for a Tesla boycott. "There is no justification for any reasonable Pole to continue purchasing Teslas. A serious and strong response is necessary, including a consumer boycott," Nitras told Polish media. Last week, Musk virtually joined an official election campaign for the AfD, giving a speech in which he said Germany "focuses too much on past guilt," adding that "children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents or even their great grandparents."

Musk Tells Far-right German Party Event There’s ‘Too Much Focus on Past Guilt’

Jan 28, 2025 | Elon Musk made a surprise address at the campaign launch for German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as thousands of people gathered across the country to protest the rise of the far-right party. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on Musk's controversial comments.

King Charles: Remembering the Evils of the Holocaust Is Vital

Jan 27, 2025 | King Charles has spoken out against the "evils" of the Holocaust at the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow.

"To be in Poland on International Holocaust Memorial Day... is both a sombre and indeed a sacred moment," the King said.

He went on to say it is a time when we remember the millions murdered in "violence and hatred" by the Nazi regime, adding it is a "moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world."

The Pope and the Holocaust (Re-upload) | ARTE.tv Documentary

Jan 26, 2025 | Why was Pope Pius XII, head of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958 silent about the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis? Accused of a complacent approach to the fascist horror in Europe during the Second World War, present-day Pope Francis opened the Vatican archives from the time in 2020.

The Pope and the Holocaust | ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until 06/01/2025

Eighty Years after Holocaust: Jewish Life in Germany Still Faces Threats | DW News

Jan 27, 2025 | Today marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, recognized in Germany as a nationwide day of remembrance for the victims of the Nazi regime. But even now, Germany’s synagogues and Jewish institutions still require police protection due to antisemitic attacks and threats. The prospect of the far-right AfD performing strongly in German elections next month have only added to the sense of unease.

MAGA Wants You to Forget about Fascism | The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Jan 27, 2025 | While Donald Trump started his mass deportations and trade wars with Colombia, Elon Musk appeared at a German far-right rally with words about forgiveness and moving on. Steve Schmidt reacts to Musk's comments and explains why it's dangerous to forget about the crimes of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Among Monarchs and Presidents, Focus of Auschwitz Anniversary Is on 50 Survivors

THE GUARDIAN: Former inmates of Nazi concentration camp in Poland will speak at ceremony marking 80 years since its liberation

Kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers and dignitaries from 54 countries will assemble at Auschwitz on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the death camp’s liberation, but the world’s focus will be firmly on its few remaining survivors.

About 50 former inmates are expected to attend the ceremony at the complex in southern Poland where Nazi Germany murdered more than a million people, most of them Jews, but also Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war and gay people.

An audience including Britain’s King Charles III, King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, as well as France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will hear their voices. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Monday, January 27, 2025

Auschwitz: 80 years after its liberation, three survivors tell their stories »

THE TELEGRAPH:

King’s ‘deeply personal pilgrimage’ as he becomes the first monarch to visit Auschwitz: Charles III will pay Holocaust Memorial Day tribute ‘both as man and monarch’ to mark 80th anniversary of death camp’s liberation »

‘We have not learnt the lessons of the Holocaust,’ says British survivor »

Ein Besuch in Auschwitz-Birkenau: die Todesfabrik des Holocaust

Jan 26, 2025 | Der Besuch der Gedenkstätte Auschwitz-Birkenau führt in das dunkelste Kapitel der deutschen Geschichte: In dem Vernichtungslager – gelegen im von Deutschland besetzten Polen – wurden zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus mindestens 1,1 Millionen Menschen ermordet, die meisten von ihnen Juden. Am 27. Januar 1945 wurde es von der Sowjetarmee befreit. Wir zeigen euch den Ort, der heute eine vielbesuchte Gedenkstätte ist.

Papst Pius XII. und der Holocaust | Doku HD | ARTE

Oct 10, 2024 | Hat Papst Pius XII., der sich als moralische Instanz sah, zum Holocaust gesagt, was er sagen konnte? Dagegen getan, was er tun konnte? Konnte er so größere Übel für Katholiken und Juden verhindern? Der Historiker David I. Kertzer hat die Geheimverhandlungen zwischen dem Papst und Hitlers Abgesandten entdeckt. Eine Weltsensation.

Es war ein Schock. So empfand es der Historiker David I. Kertzer, als er Geheimdokumente von Pius XII. entdeckte. Hitler brauchte die katholische Kirche an seiner Seite – für den Krieg und für die sogenannte „Endlösung“ der Judenfrage. Seine Forderung für einen Burgfrieden mit der Kirche im NS-Staat lautete: keine Einmischung der Kirche in die Politik. Und: Ausklammerung der „Rassenfrage“. Als Vertrauensbeweis ließ der Diktator alle Verfahren wegen Kindesmissbrauchs durch Kirchenvertreter einstellen. Und er sicherte der katholischen Kirche finanzielle Unterstützung zu. Die Judenverfolgung war in diesen Jahren bereits in vollem Gange. Die Nazis überfielen das katholische Polen und ermordeten unter anderem polnische Geistliche.

Doch Pius XII. sicherte Hitler zu: „Wenn die Katholiken in Übereinstimmung mit ihrer Religion leben können, werden sie treu sein, mehr als alle anderen“. Und er hielt sich daran. Was aber hat der als moralische Instanz geltende Pius XII. konkret zur Judenverfolgung und zum Holocaust gesagt? Was hat er konkret dagegen getan? Sagte er, was er sagen konnte? Hat er getan, was er tun konnte? Hat er größeres Unheil abgewendet, wie oft behauptet wird? Und wie tief war der Antisemitismus in der Kirche und selbst im Vatikan verankert?

Im Jahr 2020 öffnet der Vatikan seine Geheimarchive für die Forschung. Wie nie zuvor geben Dokumente Antworten auf diese Fragen. Was der Historiker Kertzer im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv entdeckt, ist eine Weltsensation.

Dokumentation von Christel Fomm (D 2021, 53 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 23/04/2025

Hiding and Surviving - Growing Up under National Socialism | DW Documentary

Nov 6, 2024 | "Everyone who survived has a story that you simply can't believe.” Charlotte Knobloch survived the Holocaust - because farmer's wife Kreszentia Hummel passed her off as her own, illegitimate child and kept her hidden on her farm.

Charlotte Neuland was born on 29 October 1932. She was born into a dark time: Just three months after her birth, Adolf Hitler came to power. Once the National Socialists were in charge, years of terror ensued. Boycotts against Jewish businesses and professional bans on Jews, including Charlotte's father, the established Munich lawyer Siegfried "Fritz” Neuland, were just the beginning. As time went on, life for Jewish people became increasingly threatened. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 denounced and banned relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Charlotte's mother, Margarethe Neuland, left the family. She had converted to Judaism but could not withstand the pressure from the Gestapo. Charlotte's grandmother, Albertine Neuland, now became the girl's most important caregiver. On the night of 9-10 November 1938, six-year-old Charlotte witnessed the November pogroms: Jewish stores were destroyed and looted in front of her eyes, people were beaten, abused and taken away.

When the first deportations from Munich to the concentration camps began in 1941, Siegfried "Fritz” Neuland took his daughter to the deeply religious Catholic farmer's wife Kreszentia Hummel in Middle Franconia. With her help, Charlotte Neuland survived the National Socialist dictatorship.

Now Charlotte Knobloch, she’s President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria and former President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. In this film, she tells viewers about her own life - and a past that is full of fear and loss. Despite all her devastating experiences, she would go on to become one of the most important figures representing Jewish life in the German-speaking world. She has dedicated her life to the fight for peace, equality and democracy.

Papst Pius XII. und der Holocaust | Doku HD | ARTE

Oct 10, 2024 | Hat Papst Pius XII., der sich als moralische Instanz sah, zum Holocaust gesagt, was er sagen konnte? Dagegen getan, was er tun konnte? Konnte er so größere Übel für Katholiken und Juden verhindern? Der Historiker David I. Kertzer hat die Geheimverhandlungen zwischen dem Papst und Hitlers Abgesandten entdeckt. Eine Weltsensation.

Es war ein Schock. So empfand es der Historiker David I. Kertzer, als er Geheimdokumente von Pius XII. entdeckte. Hitler brauchte die katholische Kirche an seiner Seite – für den Krieg und für die sogenannte „Endlösung“ der Judenfrage. Seine Forderung für einen Burgfrieden mit der Kirche im NS-Staat lautete: keine Einmischung der Kirche in die Politik. Und: Ausklammerung der „Rassenfrage“.

Als Vertrauensbeweis ließ der Diktator alle Verfahren wegen Kindesmissbrauchs durch Kirchenvertreter einstellen. Und er sicherte der katholischen Kirche finanzielle Unterstützung zu. Die Judenverfolgung war in diesen Jahren bereits in vollem Gange. Die Nazis überfielen das katholische Polen und ermordeten unter anderem polnische Geistliche.

Doch Pius XII. sicherte Hitler zu: „Wenn die Katholiken in Übereinstimmung mit ihrer Religion leben können, werden sie treu sein, mehr als alle anderen“. Und er hielt sich daran.

Was aber hat der als moralische Instanz geltende Pius XII. konkret zur Judenverfolgung und zum Holocaust gesagt? Was hat er konkret dagegen getan? Sagte er, was er sagen konnte? Hat er getan, was er tun konnte? Hat er größeres Unheil abgewendet, wie oft behauptet wird? Und wie tief war der Antisemitismus in der Kirche und selbst im Vatikan verankert?

Im Jahr 2020 öffnet der Vatikan seine Geheimarchive für die Forschung. Wie nie zuvor geben Dokumente Antworten auf diese Fragen. Was der Historiker Kertzer im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv entdeckt, ist eine Weltsensation.

Dokumentation von Christel Fomm (D 2021, 53 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 06/01/2025


La version française de ce documentaire peut être trouvée ici.

Der Bundestag gedenkt der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus

Jan 21, 2024 | Im Bundestag findet eine Holocaustgedenkstunde statt. Als Gastredner sind die Holocaustüberlebende Eva Szepesi und der Publizist Marcel Reif geladen. | Bildrechte Thumbnail: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters