Germany Praised by Top Jewish Group for Contributing Another 60 Million Euros to Preservation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Site

Germany said this week that it would provide an additional 60 million euros for the preservation of the remains of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, drawing praise from a top Jewish group.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Piotr M.A. Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and president of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, announced the funding allocation at a ceremony in Warsaw earlier this week.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said in a statement issued on Thursday, “I am extremely grateful to Germany for its recognition of the importance of the preservation of the memorial site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, a cause I have been supporting for many years.”

“[German] Chancellor [Angela] Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Mass understand the importance of Holocaust education to fight the surge of rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial,” he noted.

Over a million people Jews were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau — built in occupied Poland by the Nazis — during World War II.

The site, much of which is in ruins, is now home to a memorial and museum.

The new funds will bring Germany’s commitment to preserving the site to 120 million euros.