Victor Perahia, a prominent Holocaust survivor and president of the French Union of Auschwitz Deportees, has died at 91. His death in Saint-Mande, a suburb of Paris, was announced by the union without revealing the cause. Perahia, deported as a child to Bergen-Belsen, was praised as "one of its eminent figures" for his unwavering efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted Perahia's dedication to combating intolerance, noting his belief in the "limitless" nature of human cruelty and the vital necessity of fighting against it. Perahia's death is especially poignant with the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz camp's liberation, where millions, including his father, were lost to Nazi extermination efforts.
Born on April 4, 1933, in Paris to fairground merchants, Perahia was arrested in July 1942 with his parents and detained at Drancy before his deportation. He was liberated by Soviet forces in 1945, while his father and grandfather perished in Auschwitz. Perahia later became a vocal advocate against antisemitism, sharing his experiences in a 2015 memoir and with students across Paris. His contributions were recognized with France's Knight of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit. Joël Mergui, president of the Paris Consistory, emphasized the need to "take over the fight against antisemitism" as survivors like Perahia leave us. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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