Holocaust Survivor Albrecht Weinberg Dies at 101 After Decades of Remembrance Work

Albrecht Weinberg died peacefully in his sleep on 12 May 2026 in Leer, north-western Germany, a few weeks after his 101st birthday and the premiere of the documentary *Es Ist Immer in Meinem Kopf*. He had returned to his east-Frisian hometown in 2012 after decades abroad.

The Guardian

Born on 7 March 1925 in Rhauderfehn, Weinberg was deported with his two siblings to Auschwitz in 1943 at age 18. He survived imprisonment at Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen, endured three death marches, and described the camp at war’s end as “more dead than alive.” After liberation he emigrated to the United States, remaining silent about his German origins until a 1985 invitation prompted a gradual return, culminating in permanent relocation to Leer in his late 80s.

The Guardian

• 7 Mar 1925 – Birth in Rhauderfehn, Germany.

The Guardian

• 1943 – Deportation to Auschwitz with siblings.

The Straits Times

• 1945 – Liberation from Bergen-Belsen; subsequently emigrated to the United States.

The Guardian

• 1985 – Invitation to visit hometown Leer.

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• 2012 – Permanent return to Leer.

The Guardian

• 2017 – Received the Federal Cross of Merit.

The Guardian

• 2025 – Returned the award in protest of an immigration motion backed by the AfD and Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The Guardian

• 12 May 2026 – Death at age 101.

The Guardian

Weinberg lost more than 40 family members in the Holocaust, survived with two siblings, endured three death marches, and lived to 101 years.

The Guardian

Weinberg’s testimony linked personal memory to public education, shaping generations of students in Germany and abroad. His public return of the Order of Merit underscored concerns about far-right influence on immigration policy and sparked discussion about democratic values. The 2025 documentary and his memoir remain central tools for Holocaust education.

The Straits Times

Mayor Claus-Peter Horst said Weinberg’s return revived local commitment to remembering the Nazi era and warned against forgetting. Israel’s ambassador Ron Prosor called him a bridge between past and present and praised his encouragement of youth to seek truth. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the award’s return as painful but a reminder that citizens must fully commit to democracy.

The Guardian

In 2025 Weinberg returned his Federal Cross of Merit after a parliamentary vote, supported by the far-right AfD and led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, called for stricter immigration controls. He warned that the climate of exclusion echoed the dangers he experienced under the Nazis, expressing fear that “it’s happening again, that I have to pack my bags and go to another country that would take me in.” His act prompted public debate over Germany’s migration stance.

The Guardian

• “I sleep with it, I wake up with it, I sweat, I have nightmares, that is my present.” — Albrecht Weinberg, Holocaust survivor

The Guardian

• “When my generation is not in this world any more, when we disappear from the world, then the next generation can only read it out of the book.” — Albrecht Weinberg

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• “Since returning from New York to his east Frisian home 14 years ago, Albrecht recounted tirelessly and with incredible energy his terrible experiences during the Nazi era and warned again and again against forgetting,” — Claus-Peter Horst, Mayor of Leer

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• “a bridge – between past and present, between pain and hope, between the dead he could never forget and the young people whom he encouraged to seek the truth” — Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany

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• “He said Mr Weinberg’s decision to return his award was “painful, but in doing so he gave all of us the task of committing ourselves with all our strength to our democracy”.” — Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany

The Straits Times

• “that it’s happening again, that I have to pack my bags and go to another country that would take me in” — Albrecht Weinberg

The Straits Times

The documentary *Es Ist Immer in Meinem Kopf* will continue to be screened in schools and cultural venues across Germany. Weinberg’s memoir remains part of curricula in several German states, and Leer plans a commemorative plaque and an annual lecture series on Holocaust education.

The Guardian