On January 27, 2026, Germany commemorates the victims of National Socialism. Jehovah’s Witnesses were among the first groups to be systematically persecuted by the Nazi regime – because they refused to salute Hitler, stayed away from Nazi organizations and refused military service. More than 1,700 of them lost their lives and thousands were imprisoned and tortured in concentration camps.
An important sign of remembrance: on June 24, 2026, a memorial to the persecuted and murdered Jehovah’s Witnesses will be opened in Berlin’s Tiergarten – at a place where secret meetings were held during the Nazi era. The German Bundestag unanimously approved this memorial in June 2023.
Since September 2025, the “Never Alone” exhibition at the branch office in Selters (Taunus) has also been inviting visitors to learn about the history of the religious community before, during and after the persecution. Admission is free.
Further information: Press release of Jehovah’s Witnesses Germany
