[Among 34,000 people in the town of Oświęcim is just one Jew – a young Israeli named Hila Weisz-Gut. The town is known for its proximity to the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, where at least 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, died between 1940 and 1945. Weisz-Gut’s grandmother’s family was among those who perished, but her grandmother survived Auschwitz III-Monowitz, which Weisz-Gut can see from her bedroom window.
Weisz-Gut moved to Oświęcim to join her Polish husband in 2023, despite knowing her family’s tragic history. She faces skepticism and even scorn from some Jews and Israelis for her choice of residence, but her neighbors in Oświęcim have been welcoming and kind. Weisz-Gut works at the Oshpitzin Jewish Museum, educating Israeli visitors about the region’s once-vibrant Jewish community.
As the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz approaches, a disturbing trend is emerging across Europe – the rise of antisemitism. Factors contributing to this include anger over the war in Gaza and a growing far-right presence in some countries. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has reported a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel.
Weisz-Gut feels a sense of responsibility to maintain a Jewish presence in the town, despite the challenges she faces. She believes that her presence is a statement that the Nazis failed to break the Jewish spirit and that she is here to say “you didn’t succeed. No more. Not again.”
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