Surviving history: From Auschwitz to modern conflict

Anastasia Hulej, who survived imprisonment in the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen camps, recounts her remarkable survival story. In an interview with Sestry.eu, she discusses her harrowing experiences during World War II and the current situation in Europe.

In 1943, at just 17 years old, Anastasia was forced into labour by the German occupiers. Despite efforts to hide, she was betrayed by her cousin's husband and sent to Katowice, where she worked unloading slag from railway cars. She soon attempted an escape, but it ended in failure. She was captured in Rzeszów and taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, she witnessed mass extermination and brutal repression. Despite hunger and hard labour, she never lost hope for a better tomorrow.

Dreams saved us. We dreamed of food and freedom – she recalls.

By war's end, she was transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she survived a typhus epidemic. In 1945, the camp was liberated by the Allies.

After the war, Anastasia returned to Kyiv, where she faced judgement and lack of acceptance.

My classmates didn't want to be friends with me because of the number on my arm – she says.

In time, she pursued her studies, started a family, and began a new life.

However, on February 24, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Anastazja had to flee once more. Travelling through Lviv and Poland, she reached Germany, where she was warmly welcomed.

I was no longer afraid of Germans – she emphasizes, adding that the younger generations of Germans are moved by her story.

Despite her challenging experiences, Anastasia Hulej remains hopeful for a better future.

We survived Hitler, we survived Stalin, so we simply must survive Putin – she states, emphasizing that in the modern world, there is no place for hatred.