A lifetime of survival in one of history’s most significant moments has brought one woman, Edith Eva Eger, to Mississippi State University to discuss emotional survival and control.
Eger, a Holocaust survivor, will speak at The Union Ballroom at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The event is free and open to the public (hosted by the Campus Activities Board, as well as several other sponsors).
At 16 years old, Eger was taken from the arms of her mother and father and a life of ballet lessons and simple childhood. She was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi Germany where she spent 15 months.
“Life and death became as casual as flipping a coin,” Eger said.
While there, Eger experienced the power of evil, even dancing for the notorious doctor Josef Mengele himself.
At 17 Eger was discovered amidst a pile of corpses and was liberated from the death camp. When she arrived in a hospital in Czechoslovakia, she weighed only 40 pounds and had a broken back.
Despite her condition, she said she was determined to carry on. During her hospital stay, she fell in love with a tuberculosis patient and became pregnant while still in a cast. She had her first child despite the doctor’s warnings.
Though Eger had survived Auschwitz physically, her emotional journey was just beginning.
In 1990 Eger returned to Auschwitz to face her worst enemies and memories. She walked through its barracks and recalled the place where she danced for Mengele. There she assigned guilt to the oppressor. She learned she was not the one who needed sympathy. Though she had seen the worst times, she decided to take the experience and use it to her advantage.
“Contrary to popular belief, there are no victims in this world-only willing participants,” Eger said. “You can’t always control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. Everyone has the power to change at any time.”
As an inspirational speaker and a clinical psychologist, Eger has committed her life to helping others triumph over victimization and learn to take control of their own destinies. She believes people from all backgrounds can gain something from her story.
“I believe that college students are unique and special and can make a difference in the world.” Eger said. “They are the ambassadors of our future and must learn to choose freedom, though there is no freedom without responsibility. I am excited to return to Mississippi to experience that Southern hospitality again.”
Mississippi State is lucky to have the opportunity to see Eger and hear her story, CAB member Cori Wilkinson said. The initial price to have Eger speak is $10,000.
When the CAB expressed that there was not enough money in the budget, Eger offered to accept a reduced amount for her services.
“That is just the type of woman she is. She didn’t think twice about it,” Wilkinson said. “I think that Eger is a phenomenal person with an interesting story to tell.”
“I am excited for our students to get to listen to her amazing story. Not many people could survive what she has and turn it around like she has,” Wilkinson added.