From Buchenwald to Jerusalem: Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau’s Testimony Stirs Knesset and Nation

By: Fern Sidman

In an unforgettable moment of national reflection and historical testimony, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau—Holocaust survivor, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Israel Prize laureate—delivered a searing account of his personal survival during the Shoah in front of Israeli lawmakers, ministers, IDF soldiers, and distinguished guests at the Knesset in Jerusalem. The special event, titled “The Journey of His Life – From Buchenwald to Jerusalem,” was reported by Israel National News (INN) on Thursday as a poignant reminder of the enduring strength and unity of the Jewish people.

Standing before a packed hall of lawmakers and soldiers from the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, Rabbi Lau spoke with raw emotion of the horrors he endured as a child in Nazi Europe. His riveting testimony was not merely a recounting of suffering but a profound call for moral clarity and unity in the face of rising global hatred.

“The defeat of the Nazis was possible only because the entire world stood united against them,” Rabbi Lau told attendees, as reported by INN. “Alongside our gratitude to the Creator, we must thank His emissaries—most notably the Soviet Union, which sacrificed more than all, including a quarter of a million Jewish soldiers who fought in the Red Army. We also owe thanks to Britain, the United States, and all who stood against Nazism.”

In one of the event’s most emotional recollections, Rabbi Lau described how a Nazi officer threw him like a “sack of potatoes” toward a train bound for the death camps. “During the night,” he recalled, “my brother Naftali crawled through seven train cars to find me. Together, we sneaked into the car for ‘adults’—those still considered productive. When we reunited, we burst into tears and embraced.”

Rabbi Lau emphasized again and again that it was not strength alone, but unity that defeated Nazi Germany—and it is unity, he stressed, that will allow Israel and the Jewish people to overcome the existential threats of today. The report at INN highlighted how his message struck a chord in a time of renewed antisemitism and international polarization.

The event was spearheaded by key Knesset members, including National Security Committee Chair MK Boaz Bismuth, Education Committee Chair MK Yosef Taieb, MK Avi Maoz, Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Yevgeny Sova, and UTJ faction chair MK Yitzhak Pindrus. Also present were Deputy Ministers Uri Maklev and Moshe Abutbul, MKs Avichai Boaron, Yoni Mashriki, Ariel Kallner, and Tzvi Succot. Dozens of Netzach Yehuda officers, dignitaries, and Knesset staff attended as well.

Cantor Avi Miller led a moving prayer for the IDF soldiers and for the safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza—a solemn moment that further united the crowd in prayer and remembrance.

In his remarks, MK Yosef Taieb warned that although Nazism was militarily defeated, its ideology lingers. “Time and again, we see Jews afraid to wear a kippah in public,” he said, referencing incidents from his native France. “Nazi criminals are still honored in parts of Europe, while the barbaric Hamas attack on Simchat Torah serves as a chilling reminder that antisemitism is never far behind.”

The INN report emphasized Taieb’s deeply personal anecdote about the Russian soldier, Fyodor Mikhailichenko, who saved a young Rabbi Lau from death. “This soldier remained in contact with Rabbi Lau until his death. Rebbetzin Chaya Ita Lau still hosts his daughters when they visit Israel,” Taieb said. “This is not just a historical footnote—it’s a testament to the power of human decency and international solidarity.”

Rabbi Lau’s retelling of a post-war encounter in London underscored how deeply the trauma of the Holocaust continues to echo through the generations. “A man approached me, crying, and confessed that as a child hiding in the attic in Piotrków, he had stolen an apple from my mother in his starvation. He carried that guilt for decades and came to seek forgiveness,” Rabbi Lau recalled, visibly moved.

He also detailed his dramatic liberation from Buchenwald, where he survived by hiding among a pile of corpses as German and American troops exchanged fire near the camp gates. “I owe my life to Fyodor Mikhailichenko,” he reiterated, noting that the Russian soldier’s name has since been engraved at Yad Vashem’s Righteous Among the Nations memorial.

Rabbi Lau also spoke with emotion about Rabbi Herschel Schacter, the American military chaplain who found him after liberation. “When he asked me my age, I told him, ‘I’m older than you. I see you laughing and crying like a child — I haven’t laughed or cried in years.’”

The event closed with a haunting rendition of “Ani Ma’amin,” composed by Rabbi Azriel David Fastag z”l en route to the death camps—his lyrics still resonating with the Jewish people eight decades later.

As the INN report noted, the event was more than a commemoration; it was a call to conscience. The unity that once saved Europe from darkness is once again needed, this time to combat the ideological offspring of the same hatred.

For many in attendance, Rabbi Lau’s story was both history and prophecy—a living testament to survival, but also a dire reminder of what must never be allowed to happen again. Through his voice, the memory of the six million lives on, demanding vigilance, unity, and unwavering moral clarity.