April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Holocaust survivor to speak at Hauser Monday
By By Jenn Willhite-
The 81-year-old Terre Haute resident has spent nearly 40 years traveling around the country speaking about her experience at Auschwitz and her life after her liberation.
"I always speak about the same thing," she says. "I say, 'My name is Eva Kor. I am a survivor of Auschwitz. A survivor of medical experiments by Dr. Josef Mengele. And now I'm trying to survive old age.'"
Mengele was a Nazi physician infamous for his experimentation on prisoners, particularly on twins.
A native of Portz, Romania, Kor was one of four daughters born to Alexander and Jaffa Mozes. By age 6, Kor's village was occupied by the Nazis and, in 1944, she and her family were taken to Simleu Silvaniei before being transported to Auschwitz.
Despite the horrific trauma of losing her parents and two siblings and experiences in the camp, Kor and her twin sister Miriam managed to survive the atrocious genetic experiments conducted by Mengele before being liberated at age 11.
Sadly, Kor's sister passed away several years later as a direct result of the effects of Mengele's testing.
Kor says she discovered the true liberation came when she learned to forgive.
Her determination and ability to take a step back and truly examine her experience led her to realize some valuable lessons she hopes to pass on to others. The key, she says, is to never give up; especially in the face of such ugliness as prejudice and hate.
"Prejudice was one of the reasons Hitler used and was successful in rising to power," she says. "It is still with us today. What we are learning from that is we have to treat people with fairness and respect."
Kor says she hopes that those who come to hear her speak are helped by her message of forgiveness, tolerance and peace.
"Forgiveness is freeing," she says. "It doesn't cost anything and has no side effects. It works."
Nancy Banta, music aide with Hope Elementary School, says she reached out to Eva Kor at the end of last school year. She views the opportunity to hear speakers from various backgrounds as a way to expose students to "other ways of thinking."
It's important to let students know they can become whoever they want to be, she says.
After reading Kor's life story, Banta was all the more determined to make Kor's visit happen. She describes the holocaust survivor as a "force to be reckoned with" who has a "pretty awesome message."
Banta hopes to make Kor's visit a starting point for a year-long lesson that focuses on the holocaust, which may culminate in a field trip for elementary students to the Candles Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute later this year.
In preparation for Kor's visit, 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students have been studying the holocaust and particularly Kor's story. Banta says the students watch Kor's podcasts during class time one day each week. Her intention with exposing students to Kor so in depth is twofold. Students are able to see Kor and listen to her speak, which isn't exactly easy due to her heavy Romanian accent.
Banta says the students are captivated by Kor and her message about forgiveness. When the podcasts are playing you could almost hear a pin drop the students are so quiet.
"These kids are so enthralled with the thought of going to listen to her," Banta says. "She's like a rock star to them."
Kor's 1 p.m. presentation is open to the public, Banta says.
Banta recognizes opportunities like this are rare and hopes community members are able to participate.
"This is a chance of a lifetime," Banta says. "It will probably never happen in our small burg again."[[In-content Ad]]
