a legacy for the future

Dora Eiger Zaidenweber has spoken frequently about her experiences in the Holocaust. Her testimony is partof the Shoah Foundation Institute, Yad Vashem, and her story appears in the book Witnesses to the Holocaust. Dora has made it her mission – “her obligation” – to tell her story.

“Having survived, I have an obligation to tell my story. That responsibility is based on the fact that I am still here.” She feels that it is her duty to remember and honor those who have no one to remember them. Dora started telling her story shortly after she arrived in Minneapolis in 1950.

Dora states that in the early days people weren’t so eager to hear of wartime horrors. Someone said, “Why not just forget it and live a normal life? There is no normal life after the Holocaust.”

Today, in her 80’s, Dora continues her mission by speaking to student and adult groups about the Holocaust. She teaches all who will listen about what can happen when people choose to turn away and not get involved. Dora’s children and grandchildren have taken up her mission by sharing her story to ensure that future generations will not forget the lessons of the past.