Renowned Polish historian, journalist and Holocaust survivor Marian Turski passed away on Tuesday at the age of 98.
His death was announced by the Polish weekly Polityka, where he worked as an editor for over 70 years, heading the history section of the magazine.
Born Mosze Turbowicz on June 26, 1926, in Druskininkai, present-day in Lithuania to a Polish Jewish family, Turski experienced the horrors of the Nazi’s genocidal regime firsthand.
During World War II, the Nazis deported Turski and his family to the Łódź Ghetto, established in central Poland by the German occupiers. Crammed with 210,000 Jews, it was the second-largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe after the Warsaw Ghetto.
In 1944, he arrived at the Auschwitz death camp in one of the last transports from the Łódź Ghetto.
In January 1945, as Soviet forces advanced, Turski survived a death march from Auschwitz to Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, central Germany.
Four months later, he endured another march to Theresienstadt Ghetto in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, where he was suffering from typhus when Soviet troops finally liberated him.
Most of his family perished in the Holocaust.
Born Mosze Turbowicz on June 26, 1926, in Druskininkai, present-day in Lithuania to a Polish Jewish family, Turski experienced the horrors of the Nazi’s genocidal regime firsthand.
During World War II, the Nazis deported Turski and his family to the Łódź Ghetto, established in central Poland by the German occupiers. Crammed with 210,000 Jews, it was the second-largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe after the Warsaw Ghetto.
In 1944, he arrived at the Auschwitz death camp in one of the last transports from the Łódź Ghetto.
In January 1945, as Soviet forces advanced, Turski survived a death march from Auschwitz to Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, central Germany.
Four months later, he endured another march to Theresienstadt Ghetto in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, where he was suffering from typhus when Soviet troops finally liberated him.
Most of his family perished in the Holocaust.
‘A witness to history’
After the war, Turski settled in Warsaw and became deeply involved in journalism and historical research.
From 1958, he led the historical department of Polityka, where he remained a prominent figure till his death.
“In his mission as a witness to history, Marian Turski traveled, or rather pilgrimaged, around the world for decades,” Polityka wrote in its obituary.
It added: “A man of extraordinary kindness, sensitivity and warmth. He was always there.”
From 1958, he led the historical department of Polityka, where he remained a prominent figure till his death.
“In his mission as a witness to history, Marian Turski traveled, or rather pilgrimaged, around the world for decades,” Polityka wrote in its obituary.
It added: “A man of extraordinary kindness, sensitivity and warmth. He was always there.”
A life dedicated to remembering victims
Beyond journalism, Turski dedicated his life to Holocaust remembrance. He was involved in the Jewish Historical Institute, the Association of Jewish Veterans and Victims of World War II, and the International Auschwitz Council.
His work was recognized internationally, earning him numerous honors, including the Polish state order, the Order of Polonia Restituta (Order of Restored Poland) in 1997, the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007, and the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2020.
In January, Turski spoke at the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, reflecting on the dwindling number of survivors of one of history’s greatest atrocities.
He called on future generations to remember the millions of victims who “will never tell us what they felt because the Holocaust consumed them.”
His work was recognized internationally, earning him numerous honors, including the Polish state order, the Order of Polonia Restituta (Order of Restored Poland) in 1997, the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007, and the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2020.
In January, Turski spoke at the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, reflecting on the dwindling number of survivors of one of history’s greatest atrocities.
He called on future generations to remember the millions of victims who “will never tell us what they felt because the Holocaust consumed them.”
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