Holocaust survivor story kicks off roundtable
Eva Mozes Kor is not only a Holocaust survivor but an example of formidable forbearance.
After suffering grave atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime in 1944 at the Auschwitz concentration camp, she was able to grieve, heal and forgive those who tormented her.
"She was liberated in 1945, but she wasn't free until she forgave in 1995," said Kiel Majewski, executive director of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute.
Majewski gave a presentation Thursday morning on the Holocaust and life of Kor — marking the beginning of this year's Veterans Roundtable at Indiana Veterans' Home in West Lafayette.
"We want to keep history alive," said Carolyn Johnson, director of volunteer services at Indiana Veterans' Home.
Kor founded CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) in 1984 and opened the museum in 1995 in Terre Haute, which became her home after she immigrated to the United States in 1960.
Born in 1934 in Portz, Romania, Kor had a twin sister, Miriam.
That they were twins saved the 10-year-old girls during their time in Auschwitz, Majewski said.
Dr. Josef Mengele used twins as human guinea pigs in genetic experiments, he explained.
Kor lost her parents in Auschwitz, where she became deathly ill.
Although the twins survived, they later had health complications. Kor eventually lost Miriam to the side effects of the Auschwitz experimentation.
Kor, who reunited more than 120 Mengele twins, became the subject of the 2006 documentary "Forgiving Dr. Mengele."
Fritz Cohen, a Holocaust survivor who lives in West Lafayette, was among the audience.
"It brings back memories that will never leave me," he said. "I'm thankful to this country for saving my life."
RELATED:
If you go
The Veterans Roundtable meets the first Thursday of every month in MacArthur Auditorium at Indiana Veterans' Hospital, 3851 N. River Road, West Lafayette.
Refreshments served at 10 a.m. Program begins at 10:30 a.m.
Future program topics include:
•Oct. 1: Surviving the Siege of the Khe Sanh
•Nov. 5: National Security Issues
•Dec. 3: Growing up Female in the Days of King Arthur
•Feb. 4: Surprising Facts about World War II
Roundtable presentations are free and open to the public.
For more information or spring programs, call volunteer services at 765-497-8020.