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My Nazi grandfather sent Tomi Reichental to Bergen-Belsen death camp
🇮🇪 Ireland /Culture & Society

My Nazi grandfather sent Tomi Reichental to Bergen-Belsen death camp

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • A Holocaust survivor and the grandson of a Nazi official who signed deportation orders met and formed a profound connection.
  • The survivor, Tomi Reichental, whose grandmother died in the Bergen-Belsen camp, embraced the grandson, who had publicly confronted his grandfather's guilt.
  • Their meeting, filmed for a documentary, highlights the possibility of bridging historical divides through dialogue and shared grief, passing the message to the next generation.

The train journey from Vienna to Bratislava in 2014 was fraught with anxiety for the author. He was meeting Tomi Reichental, a Holocaust survivor, and Gerry Gregg's film crew for the documentary "Close to Evil." Reichental, deported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a boy, had lost 35 relatives, including his grandmother who died before his eyes. The author's grandfather, Hanns E. Ludin, was the Third Reich's envoy to Slovakia and signed the deportation orders that led to Reichental's family's suffering. Ludin was convicted as a war criminal and executed.

But surely not to commemorate him?

— Tomi ReichentalAsked by the author if he would accompany him to his grandfather's grave.

Fearing a hostile encounter, the author's daughter Magda, then 19, reluctantly accompanied him. Upon arrival, however, Reichental's embrace dissolved their fears, a gesture of generosity that deeply moved them. Later, when the author asked Reichental to accompany him to his grandfather's grave, Reichental questioned the intention. The author explained it was not to commemorate but to share the visit, having become estranged from his own family for publicly confronting his grandfather's denial of guilt.

I wanted to share this visit with him in a way I could not with my own family.

— AuthorExplaining his intention to Tomi Reichental about visiting his grandfather's grave.

Standing at the grave, the author wept as Reichental recited the names of his murdered relatives. This shared grief forged an extraordinary connection, bridging the abyss of the past through dialogue. Magda's interest in history was sparked, making it tangible. On their last day, Reichental, in tears, asked Magda if she would remember him. "I will, Tomi," she replied firmly, equally moved. This passing of the message to the next generation, ensuring history would not be forgotten, was Reichental's life's purpose. He accepted the author and his daughter, not seeking forgiveness but breaking the spell of the past.

When he recited the names of his murdered relatives, I burst into tears.

— AuthorDescribing the emotional moment at his grandfather's grave with Tomi Reichental.

Reichental described their meeting as a "mitzvah," a good deed. The author believes their friendship had a healing effect. While not guilty of the atrocities, he feels responsible for speaking the truth about his grandfather's choices that led to crimes against humanity and the Holocaust. Many relatives of the author still deny this history.

Magda, will you remember when I am gone?

— Tomi ReichentalAsking the author's daughter, Magda, on the last day of filming.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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