staying in Israel and Eva moving to Indiana with her
husband. At this time, the sisters started a foundation to
educate the world about Auschwitz and about the power
of forgiveness. This foundation is called CANDLES, an
acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab
Experiments Survivors, and was begun to help surviving
twins all over the world cope with the many issues they
were left with after liberation.
She told us that special morning in Krakow, “Hatred is
like a poison and can kill you. To save yourself, you must
forgive. Write a letter. Say whatever it is that you want
to say to whoever it is that you have a hatred for, good
things and bad things. Say I forgive you. Then put the
letter in your drawer. Don’t mail it. Just leave it in your
drawer. That act of forgiveness will heal your soul and set
you free.”
She has spent her life giving talks to many, many
people, especially young people, and has travelled back
to Auschwitz each year giving lectures there as well. She
always tells young people that they should give their
parents an extra hug and kiss for those children, like
herself, who had or have no parents.
We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to have had this
chance encounter with such an amazing person, who had
suff ered so much as a young child and still could urge
forgiveness!
Later that day, we left our hotel and travelled to Venice,
still marvelling at our experience and wanting to tell
others about it. The next day after a full day of being
tourists, we were having dinner at an outdoor café and
started telling a British couple at the next table about
meeting Eva. Three ladies at the next table overheard us
and said how fascinated they were by our story. One of
the ladies said, “We just looked her up on our phones. Do
you realize she died today?”
My husband and I were stunned! We had just talked
with Eva the day before and had come away from our
meeting enthralled with her and her story. Were we now
the bearers of the last words spoken by a remarkable
woman who suff ered so much as a child and had spent
her life travelling the world preaching forgiveness?
Her words that morning made me realize that if she
could forgive the person who was the perpetrator of those
concentration camp horrors and was responsible for her
suff ering, then I could forgive anyone! I also learned
that whatever forgiveness I am willing to give will save
me from the poison of hate. I hope that I can spread her
message, and practice what she said.
After emailing Linda, Eva’s nurse, and sending our
condolences, Linda thanked us for being the audience
for Eva the day before in Krakow when she wasn’t feeling
very well. She also assured us that Eva died a peaceful
death surrounded by her family, both immediate
and the family that travelled with her
spreading the CANDLES message. We
feel so blessed that we were part
of her last day and look forward
to being witnesses to her words
of love and forgiveness for
those we meet each day . ●
Sandy Fildes and her
husband Leo Bruseker
enjoy travelling in
their retirement and
often talk to strangers.
Eva’s obituary
appeared in The New
York Times in July
2019: www.nytimes.
com/2019/07/07/
obituaries/eva-kor-
dead.html.
news&views WINTER 2019 | 21