Survivors' Reflections: Auschwitz's Enduring Echoes

Teresa Regula and Janina Iwanska, survivors of Auschwitz, recount their harrowing experiences. Teresa, a Jewish survivor, recalls her first pain as her hair was shaved, while Catholic survivor Janina remembers the smell of burning bodies. Both reflect on their childless lives and the horrors they endured, as Auschwitz's liberation anniversary approaches.

As the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation by Soviet forces approaches, survivors Teresa Regula and Janina Iwanska recount their harrowing ordeals. Teresa, now 96, remembers the pain of being shaved upon her arrival at the Nazi death camp as a teenager.

Regula's journey from Krakow to Auschwitz was marked by tragedy as her mother was executed at Plaszow, and she later learned her father was mistakenly killed by Russian forces. Now a retired sociologist, the memories she once repressed have resurfaced, shaping a life with profound scars.

At 94, Janina Iwanska reflects on her time in Auschwitz, recalling the pervasive odor of burning bodies and her childlessness. Arrival on a freight train marked the start of her grim tenure, yet hope prevailed as U.S. forces liberated her from Ravensbruck on May 2, 1945. Her story resonates as she prepares to speak to an international audience, including notable political figures.

(With inputs from agencies.)