PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A survivor of the Holocaust visited Rhode Island College (RIC) Thursday to give a first-hand account of her experience inside a concentration camp.
Eva Kor, 84, is hoping those hearing her story will inspire others to forgive those who have wronged them, and her life has been anything but easy.
“None of us can change the past, even though I have tried,” Kor said.
The auditorium at RIC was full within the first ten minutes of opening, with many intrigued to hear her story.
Kor was only 10 years old when she was ripped away from her family and forced into a world of Nazi experiments with her twin sister, Miriam. The two were subjected to human experimentation by the infamous Josef Mengele.
“Dying in Auchwitz was the easiest thing in the world, surviving was a full-time job,” Kor said.
She said she remembers the filth and the horror, but a part of her just knew she would survive.
“Somehow, I don’t even understand it today, we had a fierce determination to live one more day,” Kor remembered.
Kor said her goal was to prove everyone wrong and survive, because the mind has the power to do so much good.
“Here I am, 73 years later,” she said triumphantly.
Kor is now sharing her story with anyone who will listen.
“A victim does have the power to forgive, and you don’t need anybody’s permission, approval or acceptance,” Kor said. “And I’m not hurting anybody, so why can’t I do it?”
