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Most of us are familiar with the story of Anne Frank: a young Jewish girl who, along with her family, hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II
After two years of hiding, they were betrayed. Anne was eventually sent to the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen in northern Germany.
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While Anne Frank was in one section of the Nazi camp, Klara Belkin was in another.
Klara and Anne were alike in many ways. They were both 15 years old when they arrived in Bergen-Belsen, both were born into Jewish families and both had their lives upended by the horrors of the Holocaust.
Yet, there was one major difference: Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated. Klara, on the other hand, survived.
The cello she brought with her from Hungary is long gone. But this dress — painstakingly handmade by Klara Belkin’s grandmother — remains. It is the only tangible connection to her life in Hungary. The only item left that links her to the past, to the home she once knew. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Today, Klara Belkin lives in Saskatchewan. She sat down with 650 CKOM’s Brittany Caffet to share her remarkable journey in her own words.
In this exclusive three-part series, Belkin opens up about her harrowing experience in a notorious Nazi camp, her courageous escape and her eventual journey to Canada.
Listen to part 1 here:
Read the transcript for Part 1 here.
In part 2 , the 95-year-old recounts the brutal reality of life in the camp — the overcrowding, the starvation and the constant proximity to death.
She also reflects on the quiet moments of humanity that offered brief glimpses of hope, even amidst the horror.
Klara’s story within the camp is a testament to the power of survival and a reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit can endure.
Listen to part 2 here:
Read the transcript from Part 2 here.
After liberation Klara attended the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world. She studied cello, completing two degrees. (Submitted)
In the third chapter of Klara Belkin’s extraordinary journey, we follow her out of the ashes of war and through the struggle of rebuilding her life in a world forever altered.
After surviving the horrors of Bergen-Belsen and the upheaval of post-war Hungary, Klara’s path led to a daring escape — a journey that would take her from Budapest to Vienna, and ultimately to Canada.
Her life would flourish in ways she never could have imagined — becoming a celebrated cellist, a professor and a mother.
But despite the years of success and happiness, Klara hasn’t forgotten the past that shaped her.
Listen to part 3 here:
Read the transcript of part 3 here.
— with files from Brittany Caffet
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