Tomi Reichental

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, 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. 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. He served in the Israeli Army starting in 1953 and trained as an engineer. He moved to Ireland in 1959, and lived with his family in Dublin. Reichental became an Irish citizen in 1977.

While he did not speak publicly about his experiences for half a century, 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[.]

In a follow-up documentary, Close to Evil (2013–2014) by Gerry Gregg, Reichental attempt to interview a 93 year old female former SS guard from Bergen-Belsen concentrations came called Hilde Michnia. Although she declined to meet him, she did appear in the documentary. 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. A version of the book, for younger readers, was published by O'Brien Press in 2017.

, Reichental was one of only three Holocaust survivors residing in Ireland. 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. 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. 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:

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.

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

He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 Special Honours "for services to olocaust education, awareness and commemoration". 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. 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.” Martin said that Reichental left a “lasting legacy of dignity, courage and enlightenment”. 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.”

Autobiographical works