Holocaust Survivor to Speak at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue

Eva Mozes Kor

This Tuesday, June 9^th, Eva Mozes Kor, Holocaust survivor and author of Surviving the Angel of Death and Echoes from Auschwitz, will be giving a talk at Shaarey Zedek synagogue in East Lansing.

Eva is widely known for her efforts to educate the world about The Holocaust and her advocacy for forgiveness as a healing method. She has been featured in the documentary “Forgiving Dr. Mengele," and in the more recent CNN production “Voices of Auschwitz.”

“[Eva has] a unique perspective…[she has] embarked on the path of forgiveness.” Says Shaarey Zedek board member Steve Goldstein, “Something quite unique coming from a holocaust survivor. [She] speaks about her very personal decision to forgive, in particular, Joseph Mengele, whose name is infamous for his medical experiments at Auschwitz on twins during World War II.”

In 1984, Kor founded the CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) organization in an attempt to locate other surviving Mengele twins, those that had been experimented on by Dr. Mengele. She and her twin sister, Miriam Mozes Zieger have managed to locate 122 individuals so far, and the search continues today.

The organization works to “create an empowered community of critical thinkers who will illuminate the world with hope, healing, respect, and responsibility.” The museum and education center is located in Indiana and aims to educate the public about the Holocaust.

Kor’s museum and organization are just two instances of her lifelong commitment to “prevent genocide on a global level and transform prejudice on a local level,” and to honor and celebrate the lives of the Mengele Twins by telling their stories and educating the world to prevent similar atrocities.

While Kor’s many achievements with the CANDLES organization and accomplishments in educational reform have been recognized as a true inspiration for all, her philosophy of forgiveness has proved to be widely controversial.

Eva insists that “Forgiving is not forgetting. It is in many cases impossible to forget events that deeply affect us. They shape our lives for better or worse. In the case of the Holocaust, it is important to remember and educate so it cannot happen again.”

Her decision to forgive Dr. Mengele and the Nazis who committed the heinous acts of the Holocaust has spurred various reactions and many philosophical conversations on the true meaning of forgiveness, something that has helped Eva move on with her life after her traumatic experience at Auschwitz.

“I think Eva’s message is that it's a very personal decision to forgive those people responsible for the horrors inflicted, and it may change perspectives and it may not,” says Goldstein.

“Getting even has never healed a single person.”

-Eva Mozes Kor

The talk will be held on Tuesday, June 9th, at 6:00 PM.

Congregation Shaarey Zedek is located at 1924 Coolidge Rd. in East Lansing.