Albrecht Weinberg, a centenarian who lived through the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and dedicated his later years to sharing his testimony, passed away Tuesday in Leer, Germany, at the age of 101, according to local officials.
The survivor had experienced unimaginable suffering during World War II, imprisoned in multiple concentration camps including Auschwitz, Mittelbau-Dora, and Bergen-Belsen, and forced to endure three death marches. Weinberg’s passing occurred just weeks following his 101st birthday celebration and the debut of a film documenting his experiences, titled “Es ist immer in meinem Kopf” (“It Is Always in My Head”), which attracted hundreds of viewers.
Weinberg entered the world on March 7, 1925, in Rhauderfehn, a community close to Leer. As a young man, he was taken into custody for forced labor and managed to survive some of the most infamous facilities in the Nazi camp system. The Holocaust claimed the lives of most of his relatives, including siblings Dieter and Friedel, based on records from the Claims Conference’s survivor testimony project.
According to Leer Mayor Claus-Peter Horst’s public statement, Weinberg devoted his remaining years to continuously sharing his survival story. “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,” Horst said.
During Germany’s struggle with both the declining population of living Holocaust witnesses and rising concerns about far-right political movements, Weinberg established himself as a regular presence in educational institutions and community events. Though he was honored with Germany’s Order of Merit in 2017, he made the decision in 2025 to return the award following a parliamentary migration vote that received backing from the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD). This legislative action shattered a decades-long postwar tradition of avoiding dependence on far-right support for parliamentary majorities.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, honored Weinberg’s memory, describing him as “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,” according to The Associated Press.
