Forgiveness Brings Together Holocaust Survivor & Survivor of Abuse

Eva Kor (The Forgiveness Project) - Photo: Grant Stapleton

This past summer I wrote an article highlighting people who are advocates regarding the power of forgiveness. The article highlighted and mentioned Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a woman named, Eva Kor. I've never met Eva Kor (or any of the other people I mentioned in my article), but I read about how she was a champion of forgiveness. One day out of the clear blue I received a call from her. Of course this surprised me and I wondered how she even knew about the article and further more how she tracked me down. In our first conversation she said she was honored to be mentioned in such company.

For those that may not be familiar with Mrs. Kor, she is a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust and Auschwitz. She also has a twin sister and they were victims of Dr. Josef Mengele a Nazi doctor who did experiments on twins in Auschwitz. Mrs. Kor is the founder of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indianapolis. The museum's acronym stands for "Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors. The museum teaches the importance of respect, equality, the power of forgiveness and peace. She believes, "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing."

My initial discussion with Eva Kor really surprised me and we actually talked for quite some time. Since that first call we've had a few conversations and we've exchanged some emails and written notes. During our conversations we talked about the work we both do that's centered around forgiveness and how wonderful it would be if we could meet and have an open dialogue. As I sit and write this article, my daughter and I are preparing to board an airplane in less than 24 hours to head to Indianapolis to meet her.

What's interesting about all of this is I come from German heritage and I'm third generation American born on my mother's side. To have an opportunity to meet and talk to Mrs. Kor about the power of forgiveness across ethnic, cultural, and generational differences is very powerful. I look forward to what will come out of our journey and I plan to keep everyone posted! Forgiveness truly is a powerful weapon that can turn a mess into a message and the destiny of one into the hope for many.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." -Mahatma Gandhi.

Healing Without Hate: It's a choice. It's a lifestyle. Pass it on!

Visit www.WendyGladney.com & www.forgivingforliving.org. You can email her at wendy.gladney@gmail.com. Wendy is featured on Radio Free 102.3 KJLH on Dominique DiPrima's Front Page Friday Mornings @ 5:00am.

"When Did Having Character & Integrity Go Out Of Style?"

My grandmother used to always say pay attention to your first mind. She would also say when someone or something crosses your mind, pay attention to what your conscience is saying to you. Recently the two words I can't seem to get out of my head are "character" and "integrity." It seems as if those two words don't carry much weight in our society today. What happened?

When I looked up the word "character," it's described as the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another. It also deals with one's mental and moral qualities. The word "integrity" is described as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles and moral uprightness.

It seems like we are more interested in someone like Miley Cyrus and her "twerking" and whatever else she stands for, instead of the life and death of UCLA football player, Nick Pasquale, who was killed by a car a couple of weeks ago. When I heard about his death, although he was not a "star," so to speak, on the football field, he was a light when it came to how he lived his life off the field and how he influenced and touched almost everyone he came in contact with in a positive way.

The common thread or chord that the words "character" and "integrity" have in common is one's morals. The dictionary describes morals as, "a person's standards or behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do." I think that explains it right there. As a society (and in some families) our standard of what is acceptable has slipped. We've allowed the world to slip in and corrupt the very core of our judgment on what is good verses bad when it comes to human actions. Are we more concerned about fame and money or a strong foundation for our youth to have a solid future?

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." I know we live in a society where the color of our skin can still cause someone to judge us in a certain way, but I challenge all of us to look at our own lives and see how character and integrity line up. Is your "content" positive or negative?

Healing Without Hate: It's a choice. It's a lifestyle. Pass it on! 

Visit www.WendyGladney.com & www.forgivingforliving.org. You can email her at wendy.gladney@gmail.com. Also follow her blog: Wendygladney.blogspot.com. Wendy is featured on Radio Free 102.3 KJLH on Dominique DiPrima's Front Page Friday Mornings @ 5:00am.