To the servicemen who liberated Bergen-Belsen, my letter of gratitude

I want you to know how much their sacrifice means to me personally. I want you to understand that what they suffered—the psychological damage they endured—was at least not suffered in vain.

My mother was just 11 years old when she was freed from Belsen, and she went on to have a happy life. She settled in Britain, married my Dad, had three children, made many friends and became a much-respected maths teacher. She never forgot what happened to her, but she was able to move beyond it.

If the British had not spent blood and treasure fighting the Germans, my Mum would not have survived to live this worthwhile and fulfilling life. In other words, in a very simple human way, your family brought joy and comfort to mine.

And I am grateful for it. I can’t put petrol in the car, or pass a stranger walking a dog, or reply to a letter from a reader, without appreciating that I am surrounded by people who cared enough to put their lives at risk in order to save mine. And even if this was done by a generation that is now passing, the costs and the scars were borne by everyone here—and I will never forget it.

But I reply not only to offer thanks. I also reply to say that you and I—we have inherited a duty. We each must do honour to our ancestors.

Because of what they went through, we know—perhaps more than others—how precious liberty is, and how difficult it is to restore once it has been lost. We see what comes from social breakdown, from conspiracy theories, from racial hatred, from a lack of respect for truth, from the erosion of the rule of law, from the rise of cult leaders, and from the suspension of democratic and moral standards.

We may differ in our political standpoints—or we may not—but on these basics we are united. And united, too, in our responsibility to speak of what our families experienced, and to share what we know of where a breakdown in liberal order can lead.

In my case (and perhaps you will feel the same), I have also inherited a responsibility to explain the case for a secure state of Israel. Those freed by your family often found there was nowhere for them to go. They needed Israel. Now, half the Jews in the world live there. They need to be safe.

We learned many practical lessons in the days after Belsen was liberated. Many people died because the army was simply overwhelmed and lacked the facilities and knowledge required. This was very distressing for the heroes of liberation, and it may have contributed to the mark it left upon them.

But the practical lessons are secondary to the political ones—the lessons that can prevent it happening again.

When people say that this isn’t a great country, or that we are too obsessed with the Second World War, you and I are in a position to respond that, on the contrary, we are not obsessed enough—and we underestimate this country’s greatness.

In any case, perhaps this reply was more than you bargained for. But your message is a chance for me to say thank you to you and your family.

​

Yours in solidarity,

Daniel”

​

Daniel Finkelstein is associate editor of The Times