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.
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.
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 episode 1: A Holocaust survivor in Saskatchewan
At just 15 years old, Klara’s world was shaken and irrevocably changed by the horrors of the Holocaust.
She arrived at the Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen, where she would endure five months of unimaginable suffering. But unlike so many others, Klara survived.
In episode two, 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.
Listen to episode 2: From Bergen-Belsen to Saskatchewan
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 episode 3: A cello’s perilous journey to Canada
About the author
Brittany Caffet is the feature reporter for Rawlco Radio, bringing more than a decade of experience in talk show production and audio engineering.
Known for her love of creative storytelling, Brittany is the voice behind the chart-topping podcast The Shell Lake Massacre.
Originally from Leoville, Sask., she now lives in Warman with her husband and their three young children.
Have a story idea? Reach Brittany at bcaffet@rawlco.com.
