Friday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Eva Education Day for the state of Indiana. Staff at the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute encourage the public to remember and honor the memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.
“As we witness a rise in global antisemitism and intolerance, it is more important than ever to listen to or read the stories of Holocaust survivors, like our museum’s founder, Eva Kor, and reflect on their experiences, and retell their stories,” said Troy Fears, executive director of the museum.
Eva Mozes Kor was a Romanian-born American survivor of the Holocaust. Along with her twin sister Miriam, Kor was subjected to human experimentation under the direction of SS Doctor Josef Mengele at the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland during World War II. Her parents and two older sisters were killed in the gas chambers at Birkenau; only she and Miriam survived.
Kor founded the organization CANDLES (an acronym for “Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors”) in 1984 and through this program located 122 other survivors of Mengele, with an aim to educate the public about eugenics, the Holocaust, and the power of forgiveness. After meeting Hans Münch, Kor received international attention when she publicly forgave the Nazis for what had been done to her. This story was later explored in the 2006 documentary Forgiving Dr. Mengele. She authored or co-authored six books, and took part in numerous memorial services and projects.
Kor had been a featured guest speaker in Montgomery County and a resource for local educators before her death in July 2019.
Educators across the state are encouraged to visit the CANDLES website for educational resources. Visit www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org for more information.
CANDLES will host a grand opening of their new Eva’s Scarves exhibit 6-7 p.m. today. This event is free to the public. Alex Kor, Eva’s son, will be in attendance.
CANDLES is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 students. Veterans and ISU students are free.
In addition, the Indiana Historical Society will be hosting “Eva Education Day” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Participants will be exposed to educational activities, book signings, talks, a documentary screening and can explore the Eva Kor from Auschwitz to Indiana exhibit and USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony. All activities are included with regular museum admission.
