DACHAU, Germany — U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial on Thursday, walking through the solemn grounds alongside a group that included Holocaust survivor Abba Naor, who was once imprisoned at the site of immense suffering and mass murder.
Vance’s visit to this powerful symbol of World War II comes as he arrived Europe for critical discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has persisted for three years. The vice president’s trip to Germany is part of a five-day overseas visit to France and Germany, marking his first international travel since taking office last month.
As a light rain and sleet fell, Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, addressed a gathering of dignitaries near the camp’s entrance. The couple listened intently as museum officials, including the camp’s director, provided insights into the harrowing history of Dachau. Among the attendees was 96-year-old Abba Naor, who shared his personal experiences of being held at the camp.
“I’ve read a lot about the Holocaust in books,” Vance remarked. “But being here, and seeing it up close in person, really drives home what unspeakable evil was committed and why we should be committed to ensuring that it never happens again.”
The vice president and his wife then moved inside to the camp’s administrative room, where they viewed a large map detailing the locations of various concentration camps. They also visited the intake room, which displayed personal belongings of former prisoners, including watches and government ID cards.
“That’s where you started?” Vance asked Naor, highlighting the personal connection to the history being shared.
During his visit, Vance laid a wreath adorned with a red, white, and blue ribbon at the International Monument, a large sculpture inaugurated in 1968 to honor the victims of the Holocaust. The monument was designed by Nandor Glid, a Jewish artist who was persecuted by the Nazis and later joined the resistance against their occupation.
“I really am moved by this site,” Vance stated in his remarks following the wreath-laying ceremony. “It’s very important that it’s here, and it’s very important that those of us who are lucky enough to be alive and can walk around, can know what happened here and commit ourselves to do everything to prevent it from happening again.”
Vance’s visit to Dachau comes at a time when discussions about the current conflict in Ukraine are intensifying. He and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting at this year’s Munich Security conference to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vance said the U.S. seeks a “durable” peace, while Zelenskyy expressed the desire for extensive discussions to prepare for any end to the conflict.
“We want the killing to stop, but we want to achieve a durable, lasting peace,” Vance said. “Not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road.” U.S administration working on the urgent need for negotiations to end the ongoing conflict, which has become Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
The juxtaposition of Vance’s visit to Dachau—a camp established in 1933, the year Hitler rose to power, where over 200,000 people were imprisoned and more than 40,000 perished—against the backdrop of the current geopolitical landscape underscores the lessons of history. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of inaction in the face of rising authoritarianism, antisemitism and religious persecution.
As the vice president continues his journey through Europe, the weight of history remains a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for freedom and human rights around the world.