Holocaust survivor Irene Butter dies at 95

Holocaust survivor and peace activist Irene Butter has passed away in the United States at the age of 95. Born in Berlin in 1930, Butter fled to Amsterdam with her family in 1937 to escape rising antisemitism, living in the same neighborhood as Anne Frank.

Following the German invasion of the Netherlands, her family was deported to the Westerbork transit camp and later to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her family's survival was aided by Ecuadorian passports her father had secured, which allowed them to be included in a prisoner exchange. Although her father died during the journey to freedom, Butter eventually emigrated to the United States.

In the U.S., she became an economics professor at the University of Michigan and dedicated much of her life to testifying about her experiences to educate others about the Holocaust. She was previously awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her work as a witness to history.