From living in despair to a saving grace: Holocaust survivor Sara Moses shares her inspirational testimony
The tragedy of the Holocaust is something that the world should never forget. As time goes on, the number of survivors shrink, and their testimonies grow more important.
Sara Moses, an 84 year-old Holocaust survivor, shares her story at Colorado State University in honor of Holocaust Awareness Week. Hosted by Students for Holocaust Awareness at CSU, this event had hundreds of attendees who wanted to hear Moses’ testimony.
Multiple groups on campus helped organize this event, including the Chabad Student Organization and the Hillel Center at CSU. Adam Fox, Director of the Hillel Center, believes that everyone needs to experience this type of event to keep their stories alive.
“Whether you are young or young at heart, this event is for you,” said Fox.
Fox, like the rest of the presenters, hopes that people will keep the survivors' testimonies alive for generations to come.
“What you do beyond tonight, how you perceive everything you hear tonight, I hope that you use it for good,” said Fox. “As a collective, we can truly say ‘never again’. Never again would anyone witness the tragedy of the Holocaust.”
The event started off with different speakers and musical artists who performed to represent the Jewish community. After the introductions, Moses began to tell her intense experience.
“When I was only a year old, in 1939, Hitler invaded my town of Piotrkow, Poland,” said Moses. “It had a large Jewish population. First thing that the Nazis did: they took over our main place of worship, our synagogue. They brutally beat up the worshipers. They robbed our synagogue of our priceless artifacts.”
Moses goes deeper into her story, explaining how she survived the Jewish ghettos, displaced-persons camps, multiple concentration camps, severe famine and disease as a child.
“I was a terrified, little girl,” said Moses. “I had to hold my terror throughout the camps. Today, I am even grateful that during bad times, I can be free to cry and feel and express my pain.”
Towards the end of the war, Moses had been sent to the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, where disease and hunger almost took her life. While she was sick, a miracle happened: a troupe of Allied soldiers liberated the camp. One Allied soldier in particular took a look at Moses and put all of his energy into making her happy.
“I said, ‘I would like a doll and something to draw with please.’” Even though there were no stores open yet, this soldier came that day with a real doll for me and new things to draw with,” said Moses.
After the war, Moses was able to find her father and other family members quickly. Her father decided to take their family to America to start over, helping them escape from the terrors they lived through. Now, Moses does as much as she can to spread her message as a survivor.
“My dream is that all different individuals of our country, of our world, all different religions, races, nationalities, that they all live by the same standard of behavior,” said Moses. “Each person lives towards others with the same standard of behavior that they wish towards themselves.”
Kathleen Boschetti, a student at CSU and an attendee at the event, was extremely moved by Moses’ story.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to witness and hear her story,” said Boschetti. “I am so lucky to have had this experience, and I think that everyone here feels the same way.”
Moses ended her testimony with a powerful statement, informing the audience of what she wants everyone to take away from her story.
“Love your neighbor as yourself,” said Moses. “Only then will we have a world free of genocide. A world free of wars and violence. A world of loving compassion and a world of peace.”
