“Don’t believe all that crap about the birds never singing at Auschwitz. It was a day like this when we first came here. A warm, sunny day, blue sky with cotton wool clouds. Birds were singing and butterflies were fluttering between the lines. The Holocaust did not happen in dark corners hidden away. The Holocaust happened in broad daylight, in plain sight – with the world watching.” These words from Holocaust survivor Ivor Perl resonate with us today as we remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Outgoing Secretary-General Kathrin Meyer and Chair Eric Pickles are attending the official event at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation this evening. Photo: Ivor (left) with his brother Alec. Alec died in 2003 – without him, Ivor says he would never have survived. Photo courtesy of Ivor Perl.
