Max Mannheimer, Holocaust survivor who fought anti-Semitism, dies at 96

Chancellor Merkel: Dachau and Auschwitz survivor is owed ‘gratitude’ for dedicating his life to keeping memory of atrocities alive

By AP 24 September 2016, 6:10 pm

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In this Jan. 27, 2015 file photo Holocaust survivor Max Mannheimer arrives for a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Munich, southern Germany. (Andreas Gebert/dpa via AP, file)

BERLIN — Holocaust survivor Max Mannheimer, who dedicated his life in post-war Germany to fighting anti-Semitism, has died. He was 96.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel honored Mannheimer Saturday for his efforts to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive.

Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said on Twitter that Merkel is mourning his death and that “we owe him gratitude.”

Mannheimer spent two years being held in different death camps, including Auschwitz. Most of his family was murdered during the Holocaust.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, third left, and camp survivor Max Mannheimer, fourth from left in wheel chair, lay a wreath at the crematory of the former Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, southern Germany, May 3, 2015. (photo credit: Andreas Gebert/AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, third left, and camp survivor Max Mannheimer, fourth from left in wheel chair, lay a wreath at the crematory of the former Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, southern Germany, May 3, 2015. (Andreas Gebert/AP)

After the end of the Third Reich, Mannheimer dedicated his life to talking about the horrors he experienced. He also became the head of the community of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp.