King Charles has paid a heartfelt tribute to Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg, who has died aged 95.
Manfred, who was born in Kassel, Germany, met the King at Buckingham Palace earlier this year. His death marks the passing of a remarkable man whose life embodied resilience, courage, and a lifelong commitment to Holocaust remembrance.
Born in 1929, Manfred was deported by the Nazis to the Riga Ghetto in Latvia at the age of 11, alongside his mother Rosa and younger brother Herman. In August 1944, as the Red Army advanced, the family was transferred to the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk, Poland.
He spent eight months as a slave laborer in Stutthof and its subcamps, Stolp and Burggraben, where tens of thousands of Jews were murdered. When British forces liberated the camps in May 1945, Manfred was just 15 years old.
In 1946, he and his mother moved to the UK, where they reunited with his father, Baruch, who had escaped Europe before the war began. After learning English, Manfred studied engineering and built a life devoted to education and remembrance.
In 2018, he returned to Germany to lay a memorial stone for his brother Herman, who was murdered in the Holocaust. Manfred went on to marry and raise four children, later becoming a grandfather and great-grandfather.
Earlier this year, he met King Charles at Buckingham Palace for Holocaust Memorial Day. In September, he was made an MBE by the King for his services to Holocaust education and remembrance.
Following the news of his d:eath, King Charles released an emotional statement expressing his sorrow and admiration.
“My wife and I were most deeply saddened to hear the news of Manfred Goldberg’s recent death and, together with everyone present, mourn his great loss in our hearts and souls,” the King said.
“Above all, it meant more to me than I can ever say to have been able to wish the fondest of farewells, a few weeks ago, to a truly special human being, in whose eyes shone the light of true redemption and humanity.”
Reflecting on Manfred’s extraordinary life, he added:
“As a survivor of the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, I am so proud that he found refuge in Britain, where he would later tell the world of the unimaginable atrocities he had witnessed as a young boy — an enduring reminder for our generation, and generations as yet unborn, of the depths of depravity and evil to which humankind can fall when reason, compassion and truth are forsaken.”
The King continued:
“Indeed, I was profoundly moved to hear Manfred’s recollections at this year’s reception to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and, more recently, during his investiture ceremony. Together with other Holocaust survivors, he became an integral part of the fabric of our nation; his extraordinary dignity, resolve, and courage an example to us all, which will forever be remembered.”
King Charles concluded his tribute by saying it had been “the greatest privilege and joy to have known him,” adding that his “prayers are with his dear family and those who grieve with them.”
RIP, Manfred Goldberg — a man who turned unimaginable suffering into a lifelong mission of remembrance and hope.
