Eva Kor’s story of survival and forgiveness has inspired countless people. And now she has one more fan.
The seemingly unlikely friendship between Holocaust survivor Kor and rocker Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue was struck earlier this year when they met at the Indianapolis 500. Kor was serving as the race’s grand marshal:
Imagine being treated as sub-human 73 years ago-today being celebrated as an important member of my community-only in America-thank you all! pic.twitter.com/yTvzs21d0C
— Eva Mozes Kor (@EvaMozesKor) May 28, 2017
She’ll be traveling to Los Angeles this week to appear on Nikki’s radio show, “Sixx Sense,” to share her remarkable story. WTHI has this report about their first meeting:
It was at IMS Eva’s path crossed with rock-legend Nikki Sixx.
“A guy comes and puts his arms on my shoulder, and I see more tattoos on those fingers than I have seen in my life!” Eva recalls. “I look up, and I see bushy hair and a smile. ‘Hi, Sweetie!’ And I say, ‘Hi!’ I’m supposed to say ‘hi,’ right?”
Eva said she had no idea who was that mysterious man with the bushy hair and all the tattoos until people in the Pagoda filled her in. It was none other than Sixx, a member of Motley Crue.
“Motley Crue … I have no idea who Motley Crue is,” Eva told us. “Nikki Sixx … I have no idea who Nikki Sixx is.”
Still, Eva said he smiled very nicely to her, so she decided to thank him. Eva looked Nikki Sixx up on Twitter.
“It was very nice to meet you on the red carpet,” Eva said, recalling her tweet. “How do I become a rock star like you?”
Eva may not have known who Nikki Sixx was, but his reply to her shows he’s most likely well aware of Eva and her incredible story: “Eva, my sweetheart, you’ve been a rock star your whole life. Thank you for inspiring so many.”
@nikkiSixx it was very nice to meet you on the red carpet at Indianapolis 500. What could I do to become a rock star like you? Eva Kor pic.twitter.com/QgBznlYVdg
— Eva Mozes Kor (@EvaMozesKor) May 29, 2017
Eva my sweetheart you’ve been a rockstar your whole life.Thank you for inspiring so many. ❤️ https://t.co/Fo9MXVpLRF
— xxıS ıʞʞıN (@NikkiSixx) May 29, 2017
.@NikkiSixx from @MotleyCrue meets @EvaMozesKor…only at @IMS, what a pair! pic.twitter.com/kRmshuiB0q
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) May 28, 2017
Known for her sweet spirit and her remarkable story of surviving the Nazis’ worst death camp at Auschwitz, and then transcending that horror through the power of forgiveness, it’s easy to see why Nikki has fallen so hard for his new friend. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were subjects of the horrific experimentation program of Josef Mengele at Auschwitz, and they were the only members of their family to survive the death camp.
In this video for the Shoah Foundation, she describes their experience:
Surviving such terror is story enough. But Eva has gone well beyond that and become an example of something even more powerful and transforming. She has publicly forgiven her former Nazi torturers and those who murdered her family:
Her stance has made waves, even with some of her fellow Holocaust survivors. But no one can accuse her of running from her past. Instead, she’s been widely recognized for her life of service and the organization she founded, the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in her home of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Needless to say, Eva and Nikki will have plenty to talk about when she appears on “Sixx Sense” this Thursday, August 31.
And there may even be some shouting at the Devil.
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