On January 27, 2024, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, concentration camp survivor Siegi Hirsch was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the Crown at a ceremony

held at the Egmont Palace in Brussels.

Siegi Hirsch, a Jew of German origin, escaped to Belgium with his family shortly before Kristallnacht. Deported to Auschwitz at the age of 17 in 1942, he returned from the concentration camps and played a crucial role in organizing homes for Jewish children orphaned by the war. As a pioneering psychologist, he dedicated his life to supporting young people facing difficulties.

Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, who presented Hirsch with the title, praised him as a "great humanist and free thinker" whose influence stemmed from his unwavering faith in humanity. She emphasized the collective duty to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and the 6 million Jews who perished during World War II.

A day prior to the ceremony, a memorial was established in Brussels for Suzanne Kaminski, the youngest Jewish victim deported from Belgium to the death camps. A "stolperstein" brass stone was placed on the pavement outside 8 Rue de l'Etuve in her memory.

Suzanne, born on March 11, 1943, was deported to Auschwitz from the Dossin Barracks in Mechelen on April 19, at the tender age of six weeks. The ceremony, attended by German Ambassador Martin Kotthaus and students from various Brussels schools, aimed to solemnly pledge not to forget Suzanne and emphasized the significance of remembrance amid the rise of far-right politics and increasing antisemitic acts.

In addition, the House of European History launched a walking tour, "Hidden Children: Holocaust Survivors in Brussels," connecting the stories of Michel, Sonia, Helene, and Gilbert to locations in the city. The tour, featuring seven stops along a 2 km route, is designed to bring historical events to the present day and highlight the resilience of individuals who not only survived the Holocaust but carried their stories through the decades.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed annually on January 27, commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. Photo by charles lecompte, Wikimedia commons.