Anger is the Seed for War, Forgiveness is the Seed for Peace

We were able to go listen to a Holocaust Survivor speak on Monday. We went as our Family Home Evening activity (every Monday night we do a family night with an activity, treat, and spiritual message).

Eva at Auschwitz 2014

Eva Kor is a twin who was a survivor from Auschwitz and the angel of death experiments. She told her story survival and the horrible things that happened to them. In the end she talked about 3 life lessons she wanted to share.

1. Never give up on yourself or your dreams. She said that when they first entered the barracks her first image in her mind was of her and her sister walking out of the camp together, alive. The power of the human brain is amazing. If we can envision the goals we have in life and the successes that we want to make happen, we can live them out in our life.

Both Eva and her sister, Miriam walking at Auschwitz hand in hand, right before being set free

2. Everyone has prejudices, we need to know them and understand them. She talked about the 5 reasons she thought Hitler rose to power and the Holocaust happened. She also talked about her prejudices of people who dress like slobs etc. She said the world would be a much better place if every child grew up with a loving mother and father. I think we need to just keep the fact that we are all children of God in our minds so we will treat everyone that way.

The twins at age 9 just before they were put in the concentration camp.

3. Forgiveness... This woman is amazing to be able to forgive these people who literally ripped her away from her mom, dad, and older sister on the sorting platform. She never saw them again. She was demoralized and brought to near death, yet she has forgiven all her perpetrators.

The gates of Auschwitz, "work will set you free."

She told a story about going to visit one of the "angel of death's" partners in Germany. She said she wanted to bring him a gift and a card so she went to the Hallmark store. She spent hours reading all the cards and couldn't find one that would fit the occasion. One of the workers came up to her and asked if she could help her find the right car. Eva said, "No, I don't think so." Eva decided that the best gift she could give him would be a note of forgiveness. She then also decided to write "the angel of death," a letter of forgiveness. She read it out loud and forgave him on the other side of the grave. She said "forgiveness is the best revenge because then the perpetrators don't have any power over you."

People ask her if the doctors etc were put on trial. She said that she hates that question and that "if we paid more attention to healing the victims than punishing the perpetrators, than it would be much better for the victims. She went back to Germany and to Auschwitz with 300 other survivors and most of them were still bitter and unforgiving and had passed that sentiment to their children.

The twins

There was so much to be learned from this amazing example of forgiveness. She walked out alive with her sister, but after 3 kids her sister passed away from complications from the experiments preformed on them at Auschwitz.