Trauma. Survival. Torment. Forgiveness. Healing.

Join us to hear Dr. Alex Kor share the extraordinary survival stories of his parents, Eva and Mickey Kor, as well as the lessons of their lives: resilience and the power of forgiveness.

Forgiveness of Nazis may not be a concept associated with those who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust, yet Eva Kor did just that. It was not easy. Dr. Kor finds his mother’s ability to forgive to be one of the most striking aspects of her life, and is committed to carrying on her legacy.

Eva Mozes Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were born in 1934 in Portz, Romania. In March of 1944, their village was taken over by a Hungarian Nazi armed guard. The family lived under occupation for 2 months. They were forced into the Simleu ghetto and then sent to Auschwitz in May of 1944. Eva’s family was taken away, and she and Miriam never saw them again. Because they were twins, they were taken to be used as human guinea pigs in Dr. Mengele’s horrific experiments.

Dr. Kor’s father, Mickey Kor, was born in 1925 in Riga, Latvia. Mickey endured four years in multiple camps and was liberated by Ltn Colonel Andrew Nehf from Terre Haute, Indiana and the 250th Engineer Combat Battalion, in 1945.

After the war, Mickey and Eva met, married and moved to Terre Haute, Indiana (where Mickey had been living since he was liberated by Nehf). Dr. Kor and his sister were raised in Terre Haute. Children of Holocaust survivors often grow up in homes marked by sorrow and trauma. Alex’s parents took a different approach, not shielding him and his sister from the hard truths of their lives, while emphasizing the power of forgiveness. His parents had enabled him and his sister with strength and positivity.

Eva dedicated much of her life to teaching about the Holocaust and forgiveness. She maintained a busy speaking schedule, and in 1995, she opened the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute. ( Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors.)

Later in life, due to the experiments performed on them, many of the twins began having medical issues. Eva donated a kidney to her sister Miriam. For the health of the Survivors, it was important to learn about what happened at Auschwitz. Eva met Dr. Hans Munch, who had been at the camp with Mengele. Dr. Munch shared his story and his valuable information. She convinced him to share his knowledge in order to combat Holocaust deniers. She asked him to sign a document confirming the horrors that had occurred at Auschwitz.

She wanted to thank him—there is not a greeting card available for this—and realized that she had the power to forgive. So, she forgave him in her name only, and soon realized what a gift she had given herself. 

Forgiveness is not forgetting. Justice is separate from forgiveness. Forgiveness impacts you; it can take the anger out of your life. It took Eva Kor 50 years to rid herself of the pain caused by others.

We are so grateful to Dr. Kor for sharing the stories of his remarkable parents and the journey to forgiveness with us, please join us! Dr. Kor will have three public speaking events, listed at left, at Kirkwood Community College, Coe College, and Cornell College, and will also be speaking at three local high schools.