Holocaust survivor

I attended a lecture from this woman, Edith Lowy.  One of the first things she did when she arrived was pull out the dress she wore in the concentration camps.  The war began for her at the age of 10 when "Jews and dogs" were no longer allowed in stores. She was liberated at 16.  Her mother was killed in a gas chamber. Her younger brother was shot and killed at the age of 11. She endured working camps, concentration camps and the death march.  Her story was unimaginable.

This is her message:

Don't take anything in your life for granted.

Cherish the people who love you and who mean much to you.

Appreciate the way you live and the freedom you have to make choices.

Remember that you are among the last ones to hear the story of the Holocaust directly from us, the survivors.

There are not many of us left to tell you about the evil, the pain, and the unbelievable suffering that man can inflict on man. Although it is not easy for us to speak about it, we feel that it is our responsibility to do so.  We feel that we owe it to the memory of those who were so brutally silenced.  We also owe it to the following generations which were born from the ashes.

As we honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and as we recall the unspeakable horrors, we must also remember those Gentiles who in a mostly silent world of terror and fear, sacrificed their own safety and security and risked their own, and often their families' lives, to help and rescue Jews.

We wish we could assure you that the world you live in today will always remain peaceful and safe, but we can not -- we can only hope that it will be.  You can help to make it happen.  By talking to you we hope that we can alert you not to close your eyes, your ears and your hearts to injustice, unfairness, intolerance and cruelty. We hope that you will fight them as soon as you see them, so that tragedies like the Holocaust will never happen again.

As survivors, who will soon be gone, it is our hope that you will continue teaching our lesson to others and to your children and that you will strive to make the world a better and safer place to live in.

Thank you for listening and good luck in your life.

Edith Lowy