Bergen-Belsen: Among graves, we were born

Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany was the only camp liberated by the British Forces in April, 1945. Prior to that, over 50,000 people were murdered there. After liberation, the British Forces, alongside the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC) set up another camp about 2 kilometres away - the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons (DP) Camp – the largest DP camp in Europe, where over 2,000 babies were born. Known as ‘Bergen-Belsen Babies’, Susan Schwartz and Karen Lasky were two of the many born stateless who gained citizenship after their families were eventually accepted and immigrated to Canada.

On the anniversary of the liberation, survivors, alongside Bergen-Belsen Babies gathered for the week, trying to fill in the gaps of what happened to their families and reflect on their childhoods.

Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

(Photo: A mix of old photos from a survivor of the DP camp. Credit: Andrew Schwartz)