Seder Night 1945

Reb Yonah Emanuel z"l was a Talmid Chacham/Optician in Yerushalayim for many years. He was also a survivor. Here is what he said at his grandson's bris in 1985 [translated by ACE from Hamayan Nissan 5770]:

I want to tell you what happened to me on this date 40 years ago. This story I have not been able to relate until today. I haven't told my wife, I haven't told my children , I haven't told anyone. I couldn't. For the first time I feel now at the bris of my grandson Aharon Chananel that I can tell the story of what happened on that day.

On erev Pesach 1945 I went out early in the morning for a day of back breaking labor in Bergen Belsen, as I had gone out every day for the last 2 years. I came back at night, the night of Pesach, broken down, as I had returned from work every day for the last 2 years. I was 19 years old. My father was no longer alive. My eldest brother Elchanan was no longer alive. My little brother Shalom was no longer alive. My little sister Bisyah was no longer alive. Bergen Belsen was not a death camp but a work camp but still, the Jews died from the hard labor, from the cold, from starvation and disease. Hundreds of Jews died daily during this period.

I went to my mother's bunk, she was very sick. I sat down next to her and started to say the hagada. We didn't have wine. We didn't have matzos. But one thing we had and a lot lot lot of. Maror. A lot of Maror in our hearts. I said the hagada silently as my mother may or may not have been listening to what I was reading. But when I got to the words "So Hashem our G-d and the G-d of our fathers will bring us to other holidays in peace, happy with the building of Your city and joyous in Your service" [כן ה' אלקנו ואלקי אבותינו יגיענו למועדים ולרגלים אחרים הבאים לקראתנו לשלום שמחים בבנין עירך וששים בעבודתך] - I felt for the first time that I didn't believe what I was saying. Is someone here going to enjoy other holidays? Is someone here going to see the building of Yerushalayim? Is someone here going to be happy again? I broke out into tears and in the middle of the bracha I stopped saying the hagada.

If I could have imagined then on seder night 1945 a little bit of what is going on here today, if I could have imagined that I would merit coming to Eretz Yisrael with my sister and two brothers, that I would merit to live in a Jewish State, that I would merit to raise a family, that I would merit having 7 children, that I would merit to be sandak at my grandson's bris 40 years later, if I could have imagined all that - maybe I would have been able to finish saying the hagada that night.