For ten months I pondered this question. All kinds of ideas popped into my head until I finally thought: “How about a simple letter of forgiveness from me to him? Forgiving him for all that he has done?” I knew immediately that he would appreciate it, but what I discovered once I made the decision was that forgiveness is not so much for the perpetrator, but for the victim. I had the power to forgive. No one could give me this power, and no one could take it away. That made me feel powerful. It made me feel good to have any power over my life as a survivor.
I began writing my letter and came up with several versions, working through a lot of pain. Concerned about my spelling, I called my former English professor to correct my letter. We met a few times and she asked me to think about forgiving Dr. Mengele, as well. At first I was shocked, but later I promised her that I would, for I realized that I had the power even to forgive the Angel of Death. “Wow,” I thought, “it makes me feel good that I can do that. I have that power, and I am not hurting anyone with it.”
We arrived in Auschwitz in January 27, 1995. Dr. Munch came with his son, daughter, and granddaughter, and I came with my son, Alex Kor, and my daughter, Rina. Dr. Münch signed his document. Then I read my own personal statement of forgiveness, and I signed it.
Immediately I felt that a burden of pain had been lifted from my shoulders, a pain I had lived with for fifty years: I was no longer a victim of Auschwitz, no longer a victim of my tragic past. I was free. I also took that moment to forgive my parents, whom I had hated all my life for not protecting us from Auschwitz, for not saving us from growing up as orphans. I finally understood that they had done the best that they could. I also forgave myself for hating my parents in the first place.
Anger and hate are seeds that germinate war. Forgiveness is a seed for peace. It is the ultimate act of self-healing.
I look at forgiveness as the summit of a very tall mountain. One side is dark, dreary, wet, and very difficult to climb. But those who struggle up and reach the summit can see the beauty of the other side of the mountain, which is covered by flowers, white doves, butterflies, and sunshine. Standing at the summit we can see both sides of the mountain. How many people would choose to go back down on the dreary side rather than stroll through the sunny flower-covered side?
I have given over 3,000 speeches throughout the world, written two books, and contributed three chapters in three other books. I hope to teach young people the life lessons I have learned through all my pain and everything I have been through and survived:
1. Never ever give up on yourself or your dreams, for everything good in life is possible.
2. Judge people on their actions and the content of their character.
3. Forgive your worst enemy and forgive everyone who has hurt you—it will heal your soul and set you free.
When I look back on my teenage years, I would never have believed that anyone would want to listen to me or that I would have anything important to say. So I am saying to you, whoever is reading this book, to remember: never ever give up. You can survive and make your dreams come true.
And I would like to end with a quote from my Declaration of Amnesty read at the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz:
“I hope, in some small way, to send the world a message of forgiveness; a message of peace, a message of hope, a message of healing.
Let there be no more wars, no more experiments without informed consent, no more gas chambers, no more bombs, no more hatred, no more killing, no more Auschwitzes.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book came about through the efforts of many people. First and foremost, Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz is based on one person’s memory. Eva Mozes Kor is an eyewitness to a multitude of crimes against humanity. It was Eva who first expressed her wish to adapt her previously self-published memoir, Echoes From Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele’s Twins, The Story of Eva and Miriam Mozes into a form more suitable for young adults.
Katie McKy interviewed Eva extensively, asking many pertinent questions and getting Eva to open up and express herself in ways that young people could relate to.
Susan Goldman Rubin wrote an extensive, detailed outline, both meeting Eva in person and adding much valuable, insightful research to the materials drawn from. Without Susan, the writing of this book would not have been possible in the short time allotted.
Peggy Tierney, our editor at Tanglewood Books, has served as Eva’s cheerleader for years through several writers and too many drafts to count. She knew Eva had an important story to tell and she believed that it needed to be told. I want to thank Peggy for believing in my ability to take these materials and write this book in a way that both adheres to the truth as Eva recalls it and also brings her story to life so that young readers can relive it in the safety of these pages. I can only hope that those readers find this book worth all our efforts.
It has been my privilege to work on this important project, helping to pass on Eva Mozes Kor’s story to a new generation of readers. There are not many children of the Holocaust, much less many of the Mengele twins, who lived to tell their stories. Eva did. And this story is told in her voice, in the first person, as an adult looking back over sixty-five years, to a time when a little girl, clutching the trembling hand of her identical twin sister, showed up at the gates of horror—and survived.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Eva Mozes Kor is a resident of Terre Haute, IN. She founded an organization for surviving Mengele twins in 1985, and helped to pressure governments to search for Josef Mengele. In 1995, she opened a small Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, which has grown into the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, at which she continues to give presentations and tours, especially to school-aged children. She is a recognized speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics related to the Holocaust, medical ethics, forgiveness, and peace. She has been covered in numerous media outlets, including “60 Minutes” and “20/20,” and is the subject of a documentary, Forgiving Dr. Mengele. She continues to work as a realtor in Terre Haute. The website for the museum is www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org
Lisa Rojany Buccieri has written over 100 children’s books, including several award-winning and bestselling titles. She is also a publishing executive and editor with over 20 years of experience in the industry, and is the lead writer for Writing Children’s Books for Dummies. As well as spearheading four publishing startups, Lisa has simultaneously run her own business, Editorial Services of L.A. She has been Editorial/Publishing Director for Golden Books, Price Stern Sloan/Penguin Group USA, Intervisual Books, Gateway Learning Corp (Hooked on Phonics), and Intervisual Books. Lisa lives with her family in Los Angeles. She may be contacted at www.EditorialServicesofLA.com
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