Esther Bejarano, one of the last survivors of Auschwitz women's orchestra, dies aged 96

Esther Bejarano, who played accordion in the women's orchestra at Auschwitz camp's orchestra, had dedicated her life to music and to the fight against racism and anti-Semitism.

Esther Bejarano seen performing during an Auschwitz-Committee event in Hamburg on 24 January 2010.

Esther Bejarano seen performing during an Auschwitz-Committee event in Hamburg on 24 January 2010. Source: AAP

Esther Bejarano, one of the last survivors of the women's orchestra at Auschwitz, has died at the age of 96, the head of the Anne Frank Education Centre said.

Ms Bejarano, who played the accordion in the Auschwitz orchestra, died in the night from Friday to Saturday, Meron Mendel, head of the Frankfurt-based organisation, said.
"Esther Bejarano survived Auschwitz because she played accordion in the camp's orchestra. She dedicated her life to music and to the fight against racism and anti-Semitism," he wrote.

"An important voice in the fight against racism and anti-Semitism has left us," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted.

Paying tribute to her "vitality and incredible story, we'll miss her voice," Mr Maas wrote.
Born in Sarrelouis in 1924, Ms Bejarano was deported to the Nazi extermination camp in April 1943, before being transferred to another camp in Ravensbrueck in November of that same year.

Her parents and her sister were murdered by the Nazis.

After World War II, Ms Bejarano lived in Israel for nearly 15 years before returning to Germany, where in recent years she was warned about the rise of the far-right.
"For those who lived through that, it is impossible to describe how serious is" the rise of Germany's far-right AfD party and the anti-Islam movement Pegida, she said.

Ms Bejarano also wrote a number of autobiographical novels and worked for the International Auschwitz Committee.

She was recruited for the Auschwitz women's orchestra knowing only how to play the piano, but not the accordion.

The orchestra played for camp prisoners and for deportees as they arrived there on trains.

Speaking to Deutsche Welle radio in 2014, she said: "You knew they were going to be gassed and all you could do was stay there and play."


Share
Published 10 July 2021 9:24pm
Updated 10 July 2021 9:28pm
Source: AFP, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world