Holocaust survivor publicly forgives 93-year-old Auschwitz guard during his trial

Thursday, April 30, 2015

On Friday, Eva Mozes Kor, a 81-year-old Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, publicly forgave and embraced 93-year-old former SS guard Oskar Gröning, who is currently on trial in Germany as an accessory to 300,000 murders of Jews at Auschwitz.

Kor, who was among many Jews medically experimented on at Auschwitz, has thanked Mr Gröning for answering to the crimes he aided during his time as an Auschwitz guard.

Kor is amongst a number of Auschwitz survivors attending the trial who have joined the prosecutors as co-plaintiffs in the case against Mr Gröning. While Kor has forgiven Mr Gröning, she still holds him liable for his involvement during the Holocaust, as she did last week when she testified against him. Other survivors have recently spoken out about the trial; survivor Eva Pusztai-Fahidi said on Tuesday the trial itself against a former SS guard matters more than the end punishment.

During the first day of Mr Gröning's trial, he denied any direct role in the killings, though he did admit to having witnessed them. Mr Gröning said he shared "moral guilt" for the crimes, regardless of whether his actions make him criminally guilty.

The prosecutors have argued that serving as a concentration camp guard is legally accessory to the act of murder. Mr Gröning is reportedly one of three remaining former SS guards that have been identified for trial. If found guilty, the former SS Guard could reportedly face up to fifteen years in prison.

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Sources

AP. "Auschwitz survivor says trial of ex-Nazi guard is ‘a kind of satisfaction’" — Global News, April 28, 2015
Dominique Mosbergen. "Former Nazi Guard Oskar Groening Kisses Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor During His Trial" — The Huffington Post, April 27, 2015
Sarah Kaplan. "An Auschwitz survivor’s radical forgiveness as she hugs Nazi guard" — The Washington Post, April 27, 2015
David Rising (AP). "Auschwitz guard tells court he shares moral guilt, witnessed how Jews were led to gas chambers" — Times Colonist, April 21, 2015

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