At the age of sixteen, Dr. Edith Eger, a trained ballet dancer and gymnast, was sent to Auschwitz. Hours after her parents were sent to the gas chamber, the “Angel of Death,” Nazi officer Dr. Josef Mengele forced Edith to dance for his amusement and her survival. He rewarded her with a loaf of bread that she shared with her fellow prisoners, an act of generosity that would later save her life.
On May 4, 1945 a young American soldier noticed Edith's hand moving slightly amongst a number of dead bodies. He quickly summoned medical help and brought her back from the brink of death. Today, Edith is a prolific author, a clinical psychologist, and holds a faculty appointment at the University of California, San Diego.
Every story I've heard on Slo Mo has left an impact me, but Edith's is the first to make me openly cry while recording. Listening to what happened to her and her family at Auschwitz is unimaginably heartbreaking. And yet, taking in Edith's words on how she moved past the pain both during and after the heinous events, showing almost impossible levels of compassion for her inmates while herself starving, and later forgiving the evils of her captors, hit me like a spiritual experience. I love this woman, and this may just be the most powerful episode of our podcast yet.
In Part 1, we discuss:
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Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy