In Oświęcim, a Polish town historically known as Auschwitz, a single Jewish resident remains among its 34,000 inhabitants—Hila Weisz-Gut, a young Israeli. Her choice to live in a place so closely tied to Holocaust history is deeply personal, as her grandmother survived Auschwitz III-Monowitz, a site visible from Weisz-Gut’s bedroom window.

Weisz-Gut moved to Oświęcim in 2023 to join her Polish husband, despite the tragic history her family endured there. Nearly all of her grandmother’s relatives perished upon arrival at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. “If my grandmother knew my address,” she told CNN, “she would turn over in her grave.” Yet, she feels welcomed by the town’s residents, who have shown curiosity and kindness, often greeting her with “Shabbat Shalom.”

As Europe grapples with rising antisemitism, Weisz-Gut sees her presence as vital. She works at the Oshpitzin Jewish Museum, educating visitors about the town’s once-thriving Jewish community, which comprised nearly 60% of Oświęcim’s population in 1939 before the Nazis decimated it.

Antisemitism across Europe has surged in recent years, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions like the war in Gaza. Monitoring groups report alarming increases in incidents since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights cited reports of a 400% spike in antisemitic incidents, and France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, recorded a 284% increase since October.

The rise of online hate amplifies the issue. “The digital world is the Wild West,” said Derviş Hızarcı of ENCATE, a Berlin-based network combating antisemitism.

For Weisz-Gut, the escalation of prejudice hits close to home. In the wake of October’s attacks, her mother, living near Israel’s Lebanese border, sought refuge from strikes by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Weisz-Gut prayed alone in Oświęcim’s last active synagogue, reflecting on the chilling parallels between past and present.

Despite the challenges, Weisz-Gut remains steadfast in her commitment to a Jewish life in Oświęcim. “For me, it’s a statement that they tried to break us and exterminate us, but they failed,” she said. “We are here to say, ‘You didn’t succeed. No more. Not again.’”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is running for a seventh term in office, facing sharp criticism over what many are calling a sham election. The vote, held in the middle of a harsh winter, has been widely condemned by international observers and opposition figures as undemocratic and predetermined.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, previously claimed victory in the 2020 election with 80.1% of the vote amid an 84.4% voter turnout. However, the results sparked mass protests across the country, with tens of thousands of Belarusians accusing the government of electoral fraud. The regime responded with a brutal crackdown, detaining thousands of protesters and relying on Russian support to suppress dissent.

This year, Lukashenko has taken measures to prevent a repeat of the 2020 unrest, including moving the election to January and barring opposition candidates. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in 2020 after her husband was jailed, criticized the election as a farce. Tsikhanouskaya is among approximately 600,000 Belarusians who have fled the country since 2020, leaving them unable to vote.

The European Commission has denounced the election as undemocratic, with spokesperson Anitta Hipper describing it as a “total sham.” She called for the release of around 1,300 political prisoners currently held by the regime, as reported by the human rights organization Viasna.

Opposition voices have expressed a mix of anger, frustration, and resignation. Belarusian artist and exile Lesia Pcholka said the elections are meaningless under Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule. “This will be the seventh presidential election, and nothing has ever changed,” she said. Pcholka compared the protests of 2020 to those in Hong Kong, reflecting on the sacrifices made by demonstrators.

Journalist and activist Andrei Gnyot, who has faced imprisonment and exile, dismissed the vote as a “mockery of the country.” He warned that recognizing the election’s results would only embolden Lukashenko’s regime, which he accused of holding its citizens hostage through fear and repression.

This election marks the first since the mass protests of 2020, a watershed moment for Belarus that has forced thousands into exile and drawn international scrutiny. However, with no opposition candidates and Lukashenko’s grip on power tighter than ever, many Belarusians fear the outcome is already decided.

As Belarus heads to the polls, the international community faces renewed calls to reject the election as illegitimate and hold Lukashenko accountable for alleged human rights abuses and the erosion of democratic principles in the country.