Students Interested In Holocaust Survivor's Message
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor gave 200 to 300 lectures in 2013 about her experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II and how she learned to forgive the Nazi doctors who experimented on her and her twin sister, Miriam. Tuesday, she spoke twice at the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center, including a morning session to 3,000 students from Wawasee, Tippecanoe Valley and Warsaw Community Schools. Students said afterward they liked listening to Kor’s lecture. “I really enjoyed it. It was really inspiring, to say the least,” Leesburg sixth-grader Logan Greer said. He said the most profound part of her talk was “definitely how she forgave the Nazi doctors.” Leesburg sixth-grader Armando Vargas stated, “I think it was really great. It brought up some really inspiring things.” Janae Jimenez, Edgewood Middle School eighth-grader, said, “I thought it was really good, really touching. I thought I was going through her story myself when she was telling it.” She said the part of Kor’s story that most affected her was hearing about the suffering Kor and her sister experienced. “They only had each other,” she said. Jimenez also commented, “She went through a lot. It’s cool she’s not holding a grudge against people that hurt her. She’s forgiven everyone.” Edgewood teacher Veronica Helser said her students read Kor’s biography, studied the Holocaust in literature and read “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Her students were excited to meet a survivor of the Holocaust. “I thought the presentation was outstanding. It was not only informational, but the message was powerful. It gave our students an opportunity to have a one-to-one account with history. It’s something they will remember for the rest of their lives,” Helser said. “I thought it was very inspirational and I thought a lot of people could learn from her experiences about how to handle bullying,” Edgewood eighth-grader Kevin Daley stated. He said the part of her story that most affected him was how Kor was able to forgive the doctors and everyone who tortured her. Madison Elementary sixth-grader Jarred Taylor said, “It was really good because she survived the Holocaust. It was good we could see her.” Her ability to forgive the Nazis was what Taylor said affected him most. Asked if he could have forgiven the Nazis like Kor did, Taylor said, “I would be able to forgive them because I’m a forgiving person.” Bringing Kor to the community was a dream of Leesburg Elementary teacher Teresa Jordan. She told the students in the morning session that it started about two years ago when she was working on a Holocaust unit for her sixth-graders. While she realized she couldn’t take her students to the Holocaust Museum Kor founded in Terre Haute, she began working on bringing Kor to the community. With help from supporters like the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Jordan was able to make her dream a reality. “My personal message to everyone, especially students, is to keep perservering,” she said. CANDLES, Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which Kor founded, is at 1532 S. 3rd St., Terre Haute. For more information, visit www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org, call 812-234-7881 or 812-232-6044 or email evakor@abcs.com
