Benjamin Orenstein
Benjamin Orenstein | |
|---|---|
 Orenstein at Belzec extermination camp in 2006. | |
| Born | 4 August 1926 |
| Died | 10 February 2021 (aged 94) Lyon, France |
| Nationality | Polish |
Benjamin Orenstein (4 August 1926 – 10 February 2021) was a Polish Holocaust survivor.[1]
Biography
[edit]Orenstein was born in Annopol into a family of Polish Jews. In 1941, Annopol was transformed into a ghetto.[2] That year, he was sent to a labor camp and experienced Polish anti-Semitism.[3][4] His family was arrested in the autumn of 1942 and arrived at Auschwitz on 4 August 1944.[5] He was tattooed with the number "B4416".[6] In January 1945, he was forced to take part in a death march to Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. He was liberated by the United States Armed Forces on 11 April 1945.[7]
After he was liberated, he was sent to Thionville for medical treatment, then to the Jewish Agency for Israel in Uggiate-Trevano. He moved to Mandatory Palestine, settling in Alumot. He fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War before becoming demobilized and moved to Lyon to live with his cousin as an illegal immigrant. After a few months, he earned his naturalized citizenship and married a fellow Holocaust survivor in 1954.
Throughout the remainder of his life, Orenstein gave lectures at various primary and secondary schools on the Holocaust and accompanied them on trips to Auschwitz. On 26 January 2020, the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, he spoke at the memorial. He explained the importance of maintaining the memory of the horrific events, saying that "The Holocaust is in me, I live with the Holocaust on a daily basis!"[8]
Benjamin Orenstein died on 10 February 2021 in Lyon at the age of 94.[9]
Distinctions
[edit]- Knight of the Legion of Honour[10]
Works
[edit]- Ces mots pour sépulture (2006)
References
[edit]- ^ "Auschwitz survivor Benjamin Orenstein dies at 94". The Jerusalem Post. 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Benjamin Orenstein, survivant de la Shoah". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (in French). 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Benjamin Orenstein, rescapé d'Auschwitz : " Pendant quarante-huit ans, je me suis tu "". Le Monde (in French). 20 October 2018.
- ^ Perrin, Alban (2011). "Comment devient-on français quand on est juif et polonais ?". OpenEdition Journals (in French) (22).
- ^ "VIDEO. Benjamin Orenstein, rescapé d'Auschwitz, témoigne". Franceinfo (in French). 27 January 2015.
- ^ "Le témoignage de Benjamin Orenstein, matricule B4416, rescapé d'Auschwitz". United Nations (in French). 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Benjamin Orenstein, Holocaust survivor". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Lyon : une cérémonie officielle pour le 75e anniversaire de la libération du camp d'Auschwitz". France 3 Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (in French). 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Lyon : rescapé des camps de concentration, Benjamin Orenstein s'en est allé". Lyon Capitale (in French). 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Mort de Benjamin Orenstein, l'un des derniers déportés d'Auschwitz". La Croix (in French). 10 February 2021.
- 1926 births
- 2021 deaths
- Polish emigrants to France
- French people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Holocaust survivors
- Auschwitz concentration camp survivors
- Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp survivors
- Israeli military personnel of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
- People from Kraśnik County
- Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
- Polish recipients of the Legion of Honour