Charles Gottlieb, Auschwitz survivor and for several years an outstanding ambassador of memory to younger generations, has passed away. He was 90 years old and had been ill for some time.
The son of Jewish refugees who had chosen eastern France to escape the prevalent anti-Semitism in Poland, at seventeen he joined the ranks of these young French determined to fight the invader.
Arrested on July 25, 1944, in Lyon, he endured torture, then on August 11 he was sent on the penultimate convoy heading to Auschwitz.
In January 1945, with the Red Army approaching, he was evacuated by the SS and endured the death march to the Mauthausen camp, and was then transferred to the Ebensee camp. He was liberated on May 7, 1945, and repatriated to France on May 23.
After reuniting with his family in Haute-Marne, he discovered for the first time, while convalescing, the city of Nice which was to become his place of refuge.
He had undertaken around thirty Memory Trips, organized by the Alpes-Maritimes Department, accompanying thousands of middle school students to Auschwitz and sharing with them his personal testimony about life in the camps.
Each time, he moved, educated, and transformed these adolescents, who thanks to him became ambassadors of peace, tolerance, and respect for humanity.
What greater tribute than the gratitude of these true young soldiers of the duty of memory that he formed?
