- Simon Toncman (57†)
Returned to his homecountry the Netherlands, started a family and became a successful businessman.
He refused to talk about this photo till the day he died. - Mel Mermelstein (81)
Born in Hungary, today he lives in America.
During a spectaculair trial against people claiming the Holocaust is a lie he provided evidence about gas chambers where he lost his entire family.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Mermelstein - Naftali Fürst (75)
Born in Bratislava, found his new home in Haifa in Israel.
After 60 years of silence he published his memoirs.
www.furststory.com - Paul Argiewicz (82)
Lost his Polish father and Bavarian mother in Concentration Camps.
In 1950 he left for the USA, where he talks about the war in schools.
www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/news/1220679,no-holocaust-1... - Elie Wiesel (79)
Fought for the right of Israel to excist.
Wrote books about the Holocaust.
For his fight against violence, opression, and racism he received the 1986 Nobel price for peace.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel - Heiman Leefsma
According to Buchenwald documentation he was born on 11th of july 1924 in the Netherlands.
He was an electrician.
Nothing is known about what happened to prisoner 130 305 after the end of the war. - Max Hamburger (88)
Before his arrest he was active in the Dutch Resistance in Amsterdam.
He only survived Auschwitz because he could work as a medical assistant.
Today he lives in Belgium and has talks about his war experiences.
Dutch wikipedia page;
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hamburg - Nikolaus Grüner (80)
Born in Hungary, when this photo was taken he was suffering from tuberculosis.
Moved to Australia but since the 1960s he is living in Sweden.
Here is a video interview; videos.modbee.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1974502&...
Buchenwald Concentration Camp Prisoners identified
Buchenwald prisoners as they looked when found by allies during the
liberation of their Concentration Camp.
Some of the people in this photo have been identified, click on their
faces to learn of their fate.
Comments and faves
stevelewalready, alison scarpulla, albertcampion, rakkasan69, and 31 other people added this photo to their favorites.
janbrush2008 (55 months ago | reply)
¡qué foto tan conmovedora!
richard thomson (55 months ago | reply)
Thanks, juffrouwjo.
crispinhj (55 months ago | reply)
Thanks, juffrouwjo, it's very moving to be givan a little insight into the people in this photo
Cryptik (55 months ago | reply)
Nooit geweten dat Eli Wiesel op die foto staat.
Bedankt voor de info!
zusjes weblog (55 months ago | reply)
De info erbij maakt het nog indrukwekkender.
cameramercenary [deleted] (55 months ago | reply)
It frightens me that mankind can be this cruel to another.
I just can't understand it.
drewzel (54 months ago | reply)
Thank you for the detail on this. Fascinating.
rosewithoutathorn84 (46 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Jewish People and History - Ancient and Modern, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Dudy Braun (43 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Yiddish, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
emmaziva1 (42 months ago | reply)
Thank you juffrouwjo for sharing these photos and getting the identities of some of the prisoners in the photo especially the well known Eli Wiesel, thank you again. B.t.w. I volunteer with Holocaust survivors.
froter (30 months ago | reply)
Thank You for remembering. The follow up is very healthy for the survival of Israel and Her people. Good for you!
rebecca43c (30 months ago | reply)
I have a copy of this photo in a frame to remind me that we must never be silent. Thank you for this update to the photo... Many times I have wondered about the others along with Elie Wiesel who faced such horror.
Fani1995 (28 months ago | reply)
I feel bad for this people:(
weggum (23 months ago | reply)
Vond deze foto toen ik op zoek was naar Block 56 in Buchenwald. In deze barak is Ben Biallosterski overleden, twee dagen nadat hij uit Sachsenhausen hier was aangekomen.
Ben probeerde joods kinderen te redden door ze naar onderduik adressen te vervoeren.
Hij was 20 toen hij overleed.
4tzion18 (23 months ago | reply)
Paul Argiewicz, the young man pictured on the third bunk from the bottom, the third person from the left (with two soup pots) is the subject of a biography written about his four and a half year experience in the camps (he was in SEVEN of them). He was only eleven years old when he was arrested for stealing bread for his starving family in the ghetto (he used to sneak out through the barbed wire) and was not yet fifteen when he was liberated by the American troops. He survived a 150-mile death march from Blechhammer to Buchenwald (in sub-zero temperatures) and escaped his scheduled execution date by nine days (he was to be killed on April 20 along with hundreds of Jews as a birthday present to Hitler). This book - Number 176520 - is one of the most moving and miraculous stories I have ever read. You can get it online (www.paulsstory.com) or just visit the website to learn more about Mr. Argiewicz. Keep the memories alive. Don't let the world forget.
84hasnovideos (15 months ago | reply)
Argiewicz and Wiesel are MOST DEFINITELY - NOT - in this picture.
you do not have to be a facial recognition expert to realize this.
(pictures of argiewicz taken in 1946 absolutely demolish this claim)
furthermore, Wiesel claims in (i believe it's "Night") his book, that he was hospitalized 3 days after the liberation(11th), which would make it impossible for him to be in this picture (taken on the 15th), not even taking into account that he should've been in block#66 (orphan block) and not block#56 (where the picture was taken)
remembrance is fine and commendable, fraud is not.
hfrydman1 (12 months ago | reply)
The picture of argiewicz is DEFINITELY not him. It is in actuality my father, David Frydman. I am searching for pictures of my father and will post them soon. He passed away in 2000. I know this is him. You will see when I post pics of him
Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse (9 months ago | reply)
okierunner67 (4 months ago | reply)
I met an Auschwitz survivor here in the States several years ago. I do not know if that is his given name. He was able to escape Auschwitz because he was a tailor for the Germans. Wonderful man and when my eldest daughter was about 12 (7 years ago) we met with him and he told her his story (we have him on video - or should still have it). I have not seen him since and I do not know if he is still alive. Thank you so much for these wonderful photos and insight into life during WWII I wonder if he knew any of these men.
sakatlaw (3 months ago | reply)
I have a book purchased in Auschwitz in 1997 that shows this historic picture on its cover. Sadly, that picture does not show the tall man, Simon, in the picture. Nor does this tall man appear in the same picture that appeared in the NY Times archaive photo published in May 1945. As such, this photo is highly suspect as doctored and may be completely fraudulaent as to who is in it. Be vigilent as to who claims to be in the photo and ask why. I have learned that some 5 million people have claimed to have attended Woodstock, yet we all know that at most only 450,000 were in fact there in attendance.
Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse (3 months ago | reply)
Most serious historians feel the same and it seems that only the holocaust deniers and revisionist websites give it a lot of attention.
The tall man was in the picture that was published even before it was shown in Time, if there is any kind of tampering going on it is that someone removed the tall man for this one publication in stead of adding him for all the others.
There are countless photos that show much more horrific pictures of the holocaust, but those who like to believe it all didn't happen are clutching at straws because they find one they think may have been doctored, even if this proofs nothing.
Until some proper historians come up with some decent evidence, stay away from the dodgy websites that claim lots of nonsense about the holocaust.