Are we a product of our past ?

If so, do we have an obligation to that past?

A SURVIVOR: 

When I was 26 years old, my mother told me, "Your father is a survivor, I am a survivor, you will be a survivor!"

MY FATHER’s PAST

RIGA GHETTO: “…I was 13 years old when it started. They came in with guns and dogs and loud speakers: "All citizens of the Jewish faith must vacate their homes"...We all live in apartments, when I say apartments I don't mean like 5th avenue but it was still home. And they placed us in what we called a ghetto, where nothing new existed and all of us lost our civil rights. They erected an electric fence, a huge fence. I was only a child but the adults lost their jobs and were taken on commandos on highways. That wasn't too bad yet, we still had the resemblance of family life. Even before they put us into concentration camps, we couldn't walk on the sidewalk…”

AFTER 4 YEARS OF BEING in THE CAMPS, MY FATHER WAS RESCUED BY THE ….

250th Engineer Combat Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Andrew J. Nehf of Terre Haute

Vienna, 2/19/1946

Frankfurt, Germany

3/23/1946

LT. COL. NEFF MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR MY DAD TO…

My father went to Indiana State University ….where his P.E. Teacher was Coach John Wooden

In 1997, Coach Wooden returned to Indiana State University to be honored and was greeted by his PE student from 1948.

NOW…

MY MOTHER is FROM PORTZ, RUMANIA in 1934.

SHE HAD TWO OLDER SISTERS AND WAS BORN AS A TWIN .

In April of 1944, she was taken with her family to Auschwitz, Poland.

WHY WAS SHE NOT SENT TO

GAS

CHAM-BERS ?

BECAUSE SHE IS A TWIN, SHE (WITHOUT CONSENT) IS PART OF MENGELE s

LABS.

WHAT WAS REASON FOR THE EXPERIMENTS ?

AFTER 10 MONTHS AT AUSCHWITZ, THE TWINS WERE LIBERATED ON JANUARY 27th, 1945. 

WHERE WILL SHE GO ?

THEY LIVED IN ROMANIA… THEN WENT TO ISRAEL in 1950

On the beach & in the Israeli army

THEN in 1960 , my uncle (Shlomo) introduced my dad & my mom. They were married in 1960 & I was born in 1961.

OTHER TOPICS:�

1. My Childhood
2. Growing up in Terre Haute
3. Playing Sports as a child
4. Anti-Semitism/Halloween

OTHER TOPICS:�

1. My Childhood
2. Growing up in Terre Haute
3. Playing Sports as a child
4. Anti-Semitism/Halloween

Life in Terre Haute was relatively normal until…�

4. Anti-Semitism/Halloween

In 1978, NBC aired the mini-series, “Holocaust”, and this changed everything for me, & my parents.

HOW DID MY MOTHER AND FATHER COPE LIVING IN TERRE HAUTE ?

HOW DID MY MOTHER AND FATHER COPE LIVING IN TERRE HAUTE ?

CANDLES is an acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors. CANDLES, Inc. was founded in 1984 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by Eva Mozes Kor with help from her twin sister, Miriam Mozes Zieger, to launch an effort to locate other surviving Mengele twins. As a result of their efforts, Eva and Miriam were able to locate 122 individual Mengele twins living in ten countries and four continents

1985- 1^st trip to Auschwitz

May 7^th, 1986, Washington, DC

June 6^th, 1993: My aunt passed away in Israel

WHERE DID THIS IDEA COME FROM ?

Three to four months after my aunt passed away, my mother met Dr. Hans Muench in Germany.

CANDLES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM OPENS in 1995.

My mother was still working as a real estate agent so my father reluctantly lectured one day/ week.

My mom lectured … and lectured …and made multiple trips to Auschwitz.

Over the years, I have been to Auschwitz ~ 20 times.

My mom had an incredible sense of humor.

Late in life, she had some interesting friends.

My mom’s basketball friends

My dad has enjoyed his life, too.

My father’s lessons to me:

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1. Be honest
2. Be hard working
3. Be humble
4. Always say “Thank you” and be polite
5. Be tough

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My mother’s lessons to me:

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1. Never give up,
2. Prejudice by judging people only on their actions and the content of their character,
3. Forgive your worst enemy- It will heal your soul and set you free,
4. Give your parents an extra hug and kiss for us children who had or have no parents,
5. Each of us has an important part to play in repairing our world. Be the change that you wish to see.

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HOW HAS MY PAST AFFECTED ME IN :

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1. BEING a SON,
2. BEING a PODIATRIST
3. BEING a TENNIS PLAYER
4. BEING a BROTHER
5. BEING a SURVIVOR ??

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So, yes I have an obligation to my past!!!

Is this obligation a blessing or a burden?

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In speaking to middle school, high school and college students , I would ask:

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1. Remember my parents
2. Remember their life lessons

At the end of award-winning documentary (“Eva: A-7063”) by Ted Green and WFYI, my mom looks to the heavens and says, "Mom. I hope that you are proud of me. I will tell your story!" 

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Now, standing here today, I look to the heavens and say:  

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"Mom and Dad:  I hope that you are proud of me. I  will tell your story." 

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Link to iWitness

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THANKS…

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Alex Kor,DPM,MS

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akisok15@hotmail.com