By Mike Greife,
October 20, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor will bring her message of forgiveness
in the face of cruelty and evil to the University of Central Missouri in a free, public
presentation at noon Friday, Oct. 28, in Elliott Union 236.
A renowned public speaker and author, Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were the only
members of their family to survive the horrors of Auschwitz and genetic experimentation
of Dr. Josef Mengele in 1944-45. Eva has become a champion of human rights and an
educator of young people about the power of forgiveness.
In 1995 she founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute,
Ind., which honors the lives of the twin victims of medical experimentation at Auschwitz
by telling their stories to educate the world. Destroyed by arson in 2003, CANDLES
was rebuilt with the help of a generous public outpouring of support and reopened
in 2005.
Kor has delivered her message in locations around the world, including Germany, Poland
and Israel. She was the featured speaker at the 10th anniversary of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and her story has been documented in the
award-winning film Forgiving Dr. Mengele and the young adult book Surviving the Angel
of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin at Auschwitz.”
Kor will sign copies of her book, “Surviving the Angel of Death,” following her presentation.
The books may be purchased on site.
Kor’s presentation is made possible through financial support from the Department
of Government, International Studies and Languages, Department of Theatre and Dance,
Department of History and Anthropology and The Honors College at UCM.
Preceding Kor’s visit to campus will be a staged reading of the play, Auschwitz and
the Comedian, at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 in the BlackBox Theatre in Nickerson hall.
The play by Jill Szoo Wilson, a UCM adjunct instructor in communication, documents
Eva Kors’ journey toward forgiveness and the way in which her philosophy of “anger
is a seed for war; forgiveness is a seed for peace” changes the life of June, who
is struggling with perpetrators in her own life.
Equity actor Kathleen Warfel will read the part of Eva Mozes Kor, with Matt Williamson
as the male actor, Jessica Baxter as June, Sarah Bronson as the female actor and Dalton
Pittenger providing stage directions.
The staged reading of Auschwitz and the Comedian is made possible through a High Impact
Learning grant from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, with financial
assistance also provided by the Department of Government, International Studies, and
Languages.
