Holocaust survivor speaks

Irving Roth shares a story of perseverance through the Holocaust’s hardships

Survivor — Roth speaks to students about how racial prejudice affected his life. Photo credit: Leah Stauffer

Survivor — Roth speaks to students about how racial prejudice affected his life. Photo credit: Leah Stauffer

Irving Roth, Holocaust survivor and coauthor of “Bondi’s Brother: A Story of Love, Loss, Betrayal and Liberation,” took the Liberty University Convocation stage Monday, Feb. 24, describing the horrors he faced as a Jew during World War II.

After laws were enacted forbidding Jews to go to school, participate in sports and own businesses, among other things, Roth said the Nazis took his parents away as they began the process of eliminating all the Jews of Europe. Soon after, the Nazis packed Roth, his grandparents and his brother in a cattle car and took them to Auschwitz, a concentration camp in the suburbs of Oswiecim, Poland.

“The hope and prayer (kept me going) that I would survive,” Roth said. “I was 15 years old, I (had not) lived yet … and so I wanted to live, and (I was) hoping that I would be able to live.”

Using this hope and prayer as his key to survival, Roth said the Nazis fled in 1945, and he was freed from Auschwitz. Now, he uses his experiences and memories to raise awareness about the importance of not repeating history. Roth pointed out how Iran could potentially follow in the footprints of the Nazis, and those watching this occur should work at stopping this dissention.

Roth takes part in Adopt a Survivor, a program that enables Holocaust survivors to tell their stories to younger generations, according to Roth.

Roth said the goal of this organization is for everyone involved to be able to stand up in 2045 and tell the story of at least one survivor from whom they learned.

“In 10 years from now, 20 years from now, there will be no survivors,” Roth said. “Who will tell the story? The stories can change history. … The effect of this will transfer not just the knowledge, but the soul of the survivor to the next generation. So you, the next generation, can see from the position of knowledge and understanding and soul.”

Roth has received various awards for his promotion of the need for education of the Holocaust, according to his Facebook page.

“(These awards are) a recognition of the organizations and people of what we’re doing … because that’s what’s important,” Roth said.

Roth encouraged students to understand and gain awareness for what is going on around the world in order to prevent another Holocaust.

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