Forgiving Dr. Mengele

Not all heroines wield a revolver and have a sixth degree black belt in Karate.
We tend to view view strength as the ability to hold one's own in a physical confrontation, forgetting the strength that lies within the heart and will.

When Eva Kor was a little girl, she and her twin sister, Miriam were sent to Auschwitz and put through research studies with Dr. Josef Mengele. The doctor, a former dentist, was a sadist. Now with a license to experiment on the helpless wrapped in the honorable title of medical researcher.

The girls were liberated and came to America. When Eva's sister died, Eva began to wonder if the Auschwitz experiments could have contributed to Miriam's illness. She tried to find records of Mengele's research to no avail. Mengele disappeared leaving a legacy of pain and nightmares.

Eva became a real estate agent in Indiana. Once she was told, because of her accent, none would work with her. She was different, so she might be singled out. It wasn't as though she hadn't heard it before. She went on with her plans anyway. In addition to becoming a real estate agent, she opened a Holocaust museum called CANDLES in Terra Haute.

The museum was vandalized, swastikas painted on the walls. Eva was interviewed on the news. She began to talk about forgiveness. Anger was like a cancer, and hate ate at the soul until nothing was left. She went on to make a movie documentary called "Forgiving Dr. Mengele" where she revisited Auschwitz and forgave the Nazi's.

The movie was deemed controversial and criticized. Some were outraged that Eva would suggest forgiving the Nazi's. She was attacked on all sides by scholars, survivors, even clergy. In the midst of all the criticism, she was able to say "Getting even has never healed a single person."
In a society where "don't get mad, get even" is the mantra of most movies, the idea of forgiveness flies in its face.

Eva admits the perpetrator must take responsibility for his own actions, while the victim is free to to keep the pain, forgiveness sets the victim free. Carrying the hurt inside will only keep the victim a slave to the pain.
Forgiveness means the perpetrator can no longer hurt you.

Eva believes forgiveness is the ultimate means of self healing and empowerment. Forgiving the Nazi's isn't something she did for them; she did it for her. She encourages all people to seek this gift for themselves. She warns "Pain and anger are the SEEDS for WAR. FORGIVENESS is the SEED for peace."

Hollywood can keep the guns, bombs and fancy fight scenes. Turn down the volume and take time to listen to a real heroine.

Jacob Deshazer

A day of infamy led to a crusade for peace spanning three decades.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a group of pilots known as the Doolittle Raiders assembled for a mission to Japan, none expected a return home. Bombs were dropped over Japan, (Tokyo and Nogoya) and the pilots made for China.

In an interview, Jacob recalls how hatred for the Japanese burned inside of him as they flew toward China. When the plane ran out of fuel, the men were forced to parachute into enemy territory. Deshazer remembers thinking the bitterness in his heart was more than he could bear when they were captured.

The Japanese made an announcement over the airwaves that American pilots were captured. They would be held for "inhumane acts." They mentioned four men by name, promising to put them to death if Japan were attacked again. They mentioned Bill Farrow, Dean Hallmark, Sgt. Harold Spatz, and Cpl. Jacob Deshazer. The first three were executed by firing squad while Jacob was spared.

Jacob was a prisoner for 40 months. It was easy to hate. He was forced to watch as a friend was starved to death slowly. He was beaten, tortured and starved. He stated in an interview, the hatred for his enemy nearly drove him crazy. He began to think about the causes for such hatred between members of the human the race and his personal hatred toward them.

In his book "I was a prisoner of Japan," Jacob recounts what he heard about Christianity turning hate into real brotherly love, and he began to yearn for an end to the hate. he begged his captor's for a bible. Finally he was given one, but only for three weeks. He took great comfort in the reading.

It wasn't long before he got to try out his new faith. His captor was a mean spirited man, who forced Jacob to serve food to the other prisoners. Jacob was kicked and slapped. When he re-entered his cell, the guard slammed Jacob's foot in the door, and then: stepped on his foot.
Jacob began to wonder if "love your enemies" might include some exceptions. Was it reasonable to love someone who went out of the way to be callous?
Jacob memorized the phrase: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." The next day he greeted the guard with a friendly "good morning" in Japanese.

After six days of this, the guard slid back the small opening in the door to give Jacob a sweet potato for dinner. The first decent meal he had in months.
10 Aug 1945 the atomic bombs were dropped, the war was over.

The tract "I was a prisoner of Japan" was popular with the Japanese. Among those inspired by Jacob's story was a pilot Mitsuo Fuchida. He was the pilot who lead the raid on Pearl Harbor. The two fighter pilots met and became friends after embracing a philosophy of peace. He became a missionary in 1950, like Deshazer, spent the rest of his life as a missionary in Asia.

Two friends healed and renewed by the never failing power of love.