Last modified: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Holocaust survivor Eva Kor to speak at Indiana Memorial Union March 31
WHAT: Union Board presents "Eva Kor: A Story of Forgiveness"
WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Alumni Hall, Indiana Memorial Union
TICKETS: Free and open to the public
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Holocaust survivor Eva Kor will speak at Indiana University Bloomington, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the Indiana Memorial Union's Alumni Hall.
Eva Kor
The event is presented by the Indiana Memorial Union Board, Hillel, the Office for Women's Affairs, the IU Departments of Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, Russian and East European Studies, and the Medical Sciences Program.
Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were separated from their family during World War II and forced to join a large group of other twins under the care of a man known as the "Angel of Death," Dr. Josef Mengele, at Auschwitz concentration camp.
This group was the subject of countless sadistic and tortuous medical experiments. Kor and her sister managed to survive until they were liberated by the Russian Army, but their lives were irrevocably changed.
After the war and after meeting her husband, Kor moved to the United States and eventually founded the Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors, an association for Holocaust survivors. In 1995, Kor opened the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Ind. The museum houses artifacts from Auschwitz and documents relating to Mengele for the purpose of educating future generations.
An unknown arsonist set fire to the building and destroyed most of its contents in 2003, but the resulting news coverage helped raise $300,000 in donations for rebuilding efforts.
Through her work, Kor has managed to identify 122 survivors of the twin experiments. In her book Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz, Kor shares her experience, recovery and remarkable decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Her message has informed and inspired countless others to maintain hope and find peace in the midst of suffering.
"Forgiveness is really nothing more than an act of self-healing and self-empowerment," Kor has said. "I call it a miracle medicine. It is free, it works and has no side effects."
Kor traveled back to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz with a group of 51 in January for the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The Indiana Memorial Union Board has brought thousands of events to the IU community for 101 years. Union Board is comprised of 16 student and four non-student directors responsible for campus programming that entertains and educates the IU community. The Indiana Memorial Union Board offices are located in room 270 of the Student Activities Tower in the Indiana Memorial Union. For more information about Union Board, call (812) 855-4682 or email lecture@indiana.edu.
Media interested in interviews with Eva Kor should contact Catherine Gibson, Union Board public relations director, at (812) 855-4682.
