Alex Kor, son of Holocaust survivors Michael and Eva Mozes Kor, gave a guest lecture Monday, reflecting on inherited trauma, resilience and the legacy of forgiveness passed down through his family.
Titled “Reflecting on My Parents’ Holocaust Journeys: Finding Forgiveness and Celebrating My Family’s Legacy,” the lecture took place in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall. The evening opened with a warm welcome from a senior history student.
Kor acknowledged the emotional gravity of the topic early on.
“This is not an easy subject for you to listen to,” Kor said. “This is not an easy subject for me to talk about. But my parents had this incredible sense of humor. And I truly believe what got them through difficult times was that humor. So don’t be surprised if here and there you laugh—because I think my parents would want you to.”
He admitted that this role was not something he ever imagined for himself.
“Six, seven, eight years ago, I never expected to be doing this,” Kor said. “I was—and still am—a full-time podiatrist. But things change in life.”
He hoped to leave the audience inspired.
“Hopefully, you’re going to feel that you should be motivated,” Kor said. “Hopefully, you’re going to be inspired.”
Kor began with the story of his father, Michael Kor, who was born in Latvia.
“My father was the youngest of four boys,” Kor said. “My grandfather was on his way to work… They killed him right away. Shortly after, they found out my dad’s oldest brother was Jewish. They were in the Baltic Sea—they killed him and threw him overboard.”
Michael Kor was forced into a ghetto with barbed wire, poor shelter and little food.
“My dad could see his apartment from the ghetto, but he couldn’t go back,” Kor said.
He was later moved to three concentration camps: Kaiserwald, Stutthof and Buchenwald by April 1945.
“My father decided to make a go for it,” Kor said. “He started running from the bullets like Edgerrin James dodging tackles. He came up with his hands up. Two American GIs—one from Oklahoma City—gave him a Coca-Cola. This was April 15, 1945.”
Michael Kor eventually emigrated to Terre Haute, Indiana.
“My dad looked at Mr. Nehf and said, ‘I’m going to go where you’re from—this place called Terre Haute,’” Kor said.
Turning to his mother, Kor shared that she was raised in a religious Jewish family in Romania’s Transylvanian Valley.
At Auschwitz, Eva Kor and her twin sister were separated from their mother.
“My mom remembers her mother’s arms stretched out, crying, screaming,” Kor said.
Eva Kor was one of 3,000 twins used in Nazi medical experiments. She was liberated Jan. 27, 1945.
In closing, Kor recalled her words during his cancer diagnosis: “Your dad’s a survivor. I’m a survivor. You’re going to be a survivor. This is your Auschwitz.”
He left the crowd with a challenge.
“Tomorrow, think of one thing you could do to make the world better,” Kor said.
Books were available for purchase and signing. An upcoming lecture by Dr. Salma Sultana was also announced.
