Eva Kor, Holocaust survivor and founder of CANDLES, a Holocaust museum
NEW ALBANY, Ind. (Jan. 22, 2014) – Eva Moses Kor, a Holocaust survivor, will speak in the Richard K. Stem Concert Hall in the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at IU Southeast on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, at 6 p.m.
Kor will give a lecture about the Holocaust and the benefits of forgiveness. Immediately following her lecture, she will be available to sign copies of her book, “Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz.”
In 1944, Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp with the rest of their family. After arriving in Auschwitz, Kor and Miriam were forced to join a group of twins used in genetic experiments led by Dr. Josef Mengele.
Most of the twins subjected to Dr. Mengele’s experiments did not survive, but Kor and Miriam survived and stayed in Auschwitz until the camp was liberated in 1945. Kor married her husband, Michael, in 1960, and she became a U.S. citizen in 1965.
In 1978, Kor and Miriam began to search for other twins who had survived genetic experimentation in Auschwitz. Kor founded Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors (CANDLES) in 1984. CANDLES reunited 122 individual twins across 10 countries and four continents.
Kor returned to Auschwitz 50 years after its liberation. There, she announced her decision to forgive the Nazis to improve her personal well-being. Kor’s decision inspired her to allow CANDLES’ core to include peace on personal and societal levels.
In 1995, Kor opened CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Ind. to educate people about the genetic experiments, the Holocaust and forgiveness. Arson destroyed CANDLES Museum in 2003, but the museum reopened in 2005 and has welcomed thousands of visitors.
Kor’s upcoming lecture is the third event in a series of events that the IU Southeast Common Experience Committee and the IU Southeast Office of the Chancellor will present. The Common Experience series is titled, “Facing the Unthinkable: Perspectives on the Holocaust.”
Before Kor’s lecture, a documentary, “Forgiving Dr. Mengele,” will be shown in Stiefler Recital Hall in the Ogle Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. “Forgiving Dr. Mengele” tells the story of Kor and Miriam’s suffering in Auschwitz. The documentary also focuses on Kor’s decision to forgive Dr. Mengele and the Nazis.
Additionally, Dr. Angelika Hoelger, IU Southeast history and international studies professor, will present a lecture, “Understanding the Holocaust,” in the Hoosier Room on campus, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, at 6 p.m. Hoelger will discuss the background, history and significance of the Holocaust.
Admission and parking are free for all three events.
For more information about the events, visit the Common Experience website or call 812-941-2525. To learn more about Kor and the CANDLES Museum, visit the museum’s home page or view her biography.