Between 1941 and 1945, Hitler and the Nazis orchestrated an industrial-scale slaughter that wiped out two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population. Now approximately 200,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors remain alive today to give testimony, but their voices will soon forever fall silent.

According to a new report by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, within the next decade 70% of Holocaust survivors will be gone, with nearly half passing away within just six years. Currently, the median age of survivors is 87, with more than 1,400 over age 100. Many suffer from health issues compounded by the trauma they experienced in the ghettos and concentration camps. By 2039, only about 10% are expected to still be with us.

“We have known that this population of survivors would be the last, our final opportunity to hear their first-hand testimonies, to spend time with them, our last chance to meet a survivor,” urges Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference. “These are our final years to honour them, make sure they are living in dignity, care for them and provide for their needs.”

Israel currently houses about half of the world’s Holocaust survivors, with 110,100 as of October 2024. By 2030, this number is expected to drop to 62,900. The United States, home to 34,600 survivors, will likely see their numbers decrease to 21,100 in the same period. Countries in the former Soviet Union face even steeper declines, with projections showing a 54% reduction from 25,500 to 11,800 survivors by 2030.

When the final Holocaust survivor is gone, the responsibility to bear witness will fall upon the shoulders of humanity’s collective conscience. What we do with this enormous responsibility in the wake of rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial post-Oct. 7 remains to be seen.