International concentration camp committees are organizations composed of former inmates of the various Nazi concentration camps, formed at various times, primarily after the Second World War. Although most survivors have since died and those who are still alive are generally octogenarians, the committees are still active.

Committees' history and purpose During the Nazi era, there were active, underground resistance organizations at several of the camps, such as those at Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald and Dachau. After liberation, these groups became the foundation of post-war survivor organizations for their respective camps."65 years since liberation of Buchenwald" (April 12, 2010). Retrieved April 17, 2010.

The concentration camp committees are international organizations because their members come from and live in many different countries. The purpose of the committees is to educate the world about what was done under the Third Reich regarding the arrest and deportation of religious, political and social groups considered "undesirable" by the National Socialists. They also serve to care for the survivors of Nazi brutality, and finally, the committees facilitate communication and cooperation among survivors.History of the International Auschwitz Committee Retrieved April 17, 2010Description of the International Sachsenhausen Committee, official website. Retrieved April 17, 2010 Letter about the establishment of the International Sachsenhausen Committee, written by Pierre Gouffault, late president of the Committee. Retrieved April 17, 2010

The committees' efforts have resulted in the establishment of numerous camp memorials and commemorative events and displays.Comité International de Dachau History of the organization. Retrieved April 17, 2010 Description of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site City of Munich official website, tourist information. Retrieved April 17, 2010

Appeal in the new century Held under the auspices of the International Auschwitz Committee in Berlin, there was a meeting of the presidents of the international camp committees from January 24–27, 2009."The Survivors’ Bequest” International Auschwitz Committee official website. (January 25, 2009) Retrieved April 17, 2010

A document was produced under the auspices of the International Auschwitz Committee that was signed by representatives of ten different Nazi concentration camps in Berlin on January 25, 2010. It refers to the pledge taken by survivors to work for peace and freedom, to remember the past and work to keep fascism from gaining ascendancy and noting the thinning ranks of their own members, it calls on young people to take up the work for future generations."Preserve Remembrance — Conserve Authentic Places — Assume Responsibility" (PDF) Document signed by representatives of 10 Nazi concentration camp committees. (January 25, 2009) Berlin, Germany. Retrieved April 17, 2010

List of international concentration camp committees International Auschwitz Committee World Federation of Bergen-Belsen Associations International Buchenwald Committee International Dachau Committee International Dachau Sub-Camps Committee International Flossenbürg Committee Comité International de Mauthausen International Committee Mittelbau-Dora International Neuengamme Committee International Ravensbrück Committee International Sachsenhausen Committee KLB Club International Natzweiler Committee

Notable members of camp committees Jean-Aimé Dolidier (1906–1971), a French trade unionist and survivor of Neuengamme. He was president of the Amicale Internationale de Neuengamme and a member of the memorial site commission, that established a monument there in 1953. Hermann Langbein (1912–1995), an Austrian resistance fighter against Nazism and a historian. While in confinement, he led groups of resisters at several concentration camps. After 1945, he was the General Secretary of the International Auschwitz Committee and later the secretary of the Comité International des Camps. In the mid-1960s, he and Fritz Bauer played an important role in the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. Edmond Michelet, 1962 to 1964, President of the European Documentation and Information Centre. Served under De Gaulle and others as Ministre des Anciens combattants (Minister for War Veterans). Oskar Müller, Lagerältester in Dachau, later first Minister of Labor in Hesse. Harry Naujoks (1901–1983) – Lagerältester and chronicler of Sachsenhausen.Werkstattaustellung in der Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen Marcel Paul, (1900–1982), French trade unionist, member of the French parliament and survivor of Buchenwald. He and Henri Manhès founded a French organization, the Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes in October 1945. Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier, Résistance, resistance at (Auschwitz-Birkenau), witness at Nuremberg Trials.

See also Elie Wiesel Kurt Julius Goldstein Max Mannheimer La Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation List of Nazi concentration camps

References

External links Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Foundation Official website for Buchenwald Memorial and Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial. Retrieved April 17, 2010 Association Française Buchenwald Dora et Kommandos Official website for French Association Buchenwald Dora and Kommandos. Retrieved February 11, 2011 Fritz Bauer Institute Official website. Retrieved April 18, 2010 Council of Survivors at the Fritz Bauer Institute . Retrieved April 18, 2010 Wollheim Memorial Official website with commemoration for victims of Buna-Monowitz concentration camp. Retrieved April 18, 2010 The Friends of the Sachsenhausen Memorial Museum e.V. Official website. Retrieved May 5, 2010