Tomi Reichental

Tomi Reichental
BEM
Reichental in 2019
Born
Tomáš Reichental

June 1935
Merašice, Czechoslovakia
DiedMay 2026(2026-05-00) (aged 90)
Known forHolocaust survivor
Children3
Awards

Tomáš Reichental (June 1935 – May 2026) was a Slovak-born Irish Holocaust survivor. He moved to Ireland in the 1950s and, later in life, wrote and spoke about his experiences at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Early life

Reichental was born in Merašice, Czechoslovakia (today Slovakia), in June 1935,[6] to Jewish farmers and lived with his family on their farm until he was eight. After the Nazi invasion of the then Czechoslovakia in 1938/1939, when laws were introduced, prohibiting the movement and rights of Jewish people, the Reichental family went into hiding.[7][8] Reichental was caught alongside his mother, brother, and grandmother and taken to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944. They remained in the camp until it was liberated by the British in 1945. More than 30 members of his family were killed during the Holocaust.[9][8]

Later life and advocacy

Reichental briefly returned to Czechoslovakia before emigrating to Israel in 1949.[10] He served in the Israeli Army starting in 1953 and trained as an engineer.[10][11] He moved to Ireland in 1959, and lived with his family in Dublin.[12] Reichental became an Irish citizen in 1977.[13][14]

While he did not speak publicly about his experiences for half a century,[14][9] Reichental later became known for his talks about his experiences as a child during the Holocaust. From 2000 onwards, he gave talks in secondary schools, colleges and at events across Ireland.[15] His stated aim was to educate people about the Holocaust so its victims would be remembered and such atrocities would never happens again:

After all the horror, I am doing my best to keep the memory of those lost ones alive. We—you, me, your children, my children—must never forget[.][7]

In 2007, Reichental was approached by Gerry Gregg, Seamus Deasy and Oliver Donohoe about making a film about him and his experiences in Bergen-Belsen. He agreed, and later that year traveled to Germany with the filmmakers to record interviews at the site of the former concentration camp.[7] The resulting documentary was Till the Tenth Generation (2008/2009).[8] It follows him returning to Slovakia and recounting the history of Slovak Jews. The film is described as the first major Irish Holocaust documentary.[16][17]

In a follow-up documentary, Close to Evil (2013/2014) by Gerry Gregg,[18] Reichental attempt to interview a 93 year old female former SS guard from Bergen-Belsen concentrations came called Hilde Michnia.[19] Although she declined to meet him, she did appear in the documentary.[20][21] Following the film's release, Hans-Jürgen Brennecke, a Hamburg prosecutor, filied charges against Michnia after she was suspected of involvement in forcing prisoners on an evacuation march during which 1,400 women died in 1945.[20][21]

Reichental said that he had hoped to find signs of atonement in Michnia and was open to the possibility that she has become a "different person to the young woman who was convicted of war crimes in 1945". However, she declined to meet him and denied any personal responsibility for the Holocaust.[20] Reflecting on this, Reichental said:

That I did not meet Hilde was not the big letdown, but rather the fact that Hilde is still stuck in the 1940s, this is what disappointed me.

As Jews we have a tradition of atonement, it is a rich and noble concept. I am not a rabbi, nor am I a very observant Jew. But I am a product of my background and, for me, I understand atonement as a person's effort to acquire a new heart and a new spirit.

Atonement, as I see it, is about repentance and reparation. Hilde had no interest in any of this. By her action of not meeting, in denying the murder of inmates in Bergen-Belsen, she has chosen to justify and distort her own role during the Third Reich.[20]

In 2011, Reichental's book I Was a Boy in Belsen was published by The O'Brien Press. In this autobiography, Reichental recounts his experiences as a child prisoner in the Bergen-Belsen camp.[7] A version of the book, for younger readers, was published by O'Brien Press in 2017.[22]

As of 2014, Reichental was one of only three Holocaust survivors residing in Ireland.[23] Reichental, who celebrated his 80th birthday in Blanchardstown mosque, reportedly advocated that Ireland accept additional refugees from Syria during a period of escalation in the Syrian civil war in late 2015.[24] He received several awards for his efforts to promote tolerance and to educate young people about the importance of remembrance and reconciliation. In 2015, Trinity College Dublin awarded him an honorary doctorate.[25] He was also conferred an honorary doctorate by Dublin City University (DCU) in March 2016. Citing his advocacy at that time, a representative of DCU stated:[26]

In the past number of years Tomi Reichental has proven to be one of the most inspirational figures in modern Ireland. His effort to ensure that the important themes of remembrance, forgiveness, conflict resolution and reconciliation remain to the forefront of modern Irish thought is truly important. In an age where we see horrific pictures of refugees attempting to flee appalling regimes to find sanctuary in the West, Tomi Reichental is a vivid example of the positive impact refugees make to modern Irish society.[26]

A further documentary involving Reichental, directed by Gerry Gregg and titled Condemned to Remember, was released in 2017.[27][28]

In 2019, the Bar Council of Ireland awarded Reichental a Human Rights Award in recognition of his work promoting tolerance, remembrance and reconciliation.[9] At that time, he was one of the last two Holocaust survivors living in Ireland.[29]

He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 Special Honours "for services to [H]olocaust education, awareness and commemoration".[5]

Death and legacy

Reichental died on 31 May 2026, aged 90.[30] Tributes were paid by President of Ireland Catherine Connolly, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, members of the Irish Muslim Council and the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland.[12][31] President Connolly said that "Tomi made an exceptional contribution to Irish society, bringing his personal experience of Bergen-Belsen and of his family’s suffering in the Holocaust to public attention and, through his experiences, (he) made a very significant contribution to the causes of peace and understanding.”[32] Martin said that Reichental left a “lasting legacy of dignity, courage and enlightenment”.[8] A representative of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland described him as one of Ireland’s “most remarkable voices of remembrance, education, and humanity”, adding that “His contribution to Holocaust education and to the fight against antisemitism and racism leaves a lasting legacy.”[32]

Autobiographical works

  • Reichental, Tomi (2011). I Was a Boy in Belsen. O'Brien Press. ISBN 9781847172273.
  • Reichental, Tomi; Massey, Eithne (2017). Tomi: Tomi Reichental's Holocaust Story. O'Brien Press. ISBN 9781847179753.

References

  1. ↑ McMahon, Aine. "Dublin-based Holocaust survivor receives Order of Merit". The Irish Times.
  2. ↑ "Reichental wins a People of the Year Award". rte.ie. 6 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Maher, Rebecca (25 September 2015). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental among honorary doctorates". Irish Examiner.
  4. ↑ Hunt, Conor (28 November 2019). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental receives award". rte.ie.
  5. 1 2 "Honorary awards to foreign nationals in 2023". Gov.uk. 2023.
  6. ↑ Sheridan, Kathy (8 January 2016). "Tomi Reichental: 'We, as a human race, have to find ways to reconcile'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Reichental, Tomi (2011). I Was a Boy in Belsen. Dublin: O'Brien Press Ltd. ISBN 9781847172273.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Dooley, Hugh. "Campaigner and Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental dies aged 90". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Hunt, Conor (28 November 2019). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental receives award". RTÉ News. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 "News detail | Bergen-Belsen Memorial". Gedenkstätte Bergen-Belsen. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Riegel, Ralph (31 May 2026). "Tomi Reichental, Holocaust survivor and peace campaigner who made Ireland his home, dies aged 90". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2026. In 1949, Mr Reichental and his remaining family immigrated to Israel
  12. 1 2 McBride, Mike (1 June 2026). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental dies aged 90". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Lest we forget..." Bray People. Independent News & Media. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2026. [Reichental] has been an Irish citizen since 1977 and raised two sons here
  14. 1 2 English, Eoin (18 October 2014). "Holocaust survivor honoured for heroism and reconciliation work". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 June 2026. [Reichental], who came to Ireland in the late 1950s, raised a family and became a full citizen in 1977, remained silent about his experience for 55 years
  15. ↑ Fanning, Bryan (2016). "Jewish, Catholic and Collaborator Refugees in Ireland". Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review. 105 (419): 368. JSTOR 24871406. In 1977 Tomi became an Irish citizen. [..] Tomi did not speak of his experiences of the Holocaust until 2000, fifty-five years later. Since then he has been in hundreds of schools as part of a programme run by the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland (HETI)
  16. ↑ jewishfilmfests. "Till the Tenth Generation". Jewish Film Festivals. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Till the Tenth Generation". jewishfilm.org. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "CLOSE TO EVIL (DUBLIN PREMIERE)". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Munch, Leah (23 October 2015). "Mount Saint Vincent Hosts Presentation of "Close to Evil"". University of Mount Saint Vincent. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 4 McDonald, Henry (6 February 2015). "I wanted reconciliation, says Holocaust survivor whose biopic led to SS guard investigation". The Guardian.
  21. ↑ Reichental, Tomi; Massey, Eithne (2017). Tomi: Tomi Reichental's Holocaust Story. O'Brien Press. ISBN 9781847179753.
  22. ↑ Daly, Susan. "Remarkable journey of Irish-based Holocaust survivor to face traumas of past". The Journal.
  23. ↑ Sheridan, Kathy (8 January 2016). "Tomi Reichental: 'We, as a human race, have to find ways to reconcile'". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "Registrar : Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland". www.tcd.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  25. 1 2 "DCU honours acclaimed actor, Olwen Fouéré and Holocaust survivor, Tomi Reichental | News at DCU". dcu.ie. 4 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "Condemned to Remember". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "Condemned to Remember - a Holocaust survivor bears witness". rte.ie. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  28. ↑ Lucey, Ray (24 March 2020). "Tomi Reichental: 'It starts with whispers, then it's murder'". Changing Ireland.
  29. ↑ Conneely, Ailbhe (31 May 2026). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental dies aged 90". RTÉ News. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  30. ↑ Savage, Claudia (31 May 2026). "Tributes paid to Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental who has died aged 90". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  31. 1 2 Pepper, Diarmuid (31 May 2026). "Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental, who moved to Ireland in the 60s, has died aged 90". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
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