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Holocaust survivor shares story
Speaker fought for survival in death camp as young boy
Tim Pfarr
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: News
After escaping Auschwitz, Aigner dodged death during an air raid on his train where more than half of the passengers were shot to death.
Aigner also shared the experience of being liberated on April 29, 1945.
"[It was] the most glorious day of my life. We didn't know whether to laugh of cry," he said.
After the war, Aigner was reunited with what was left of his family: his father and his sister. Following a brief stint working in the communist Soviet Union, he escaped to Austria. There he was able to travel to the United States with the help of his stepbrother, a refugee who made it to Portland, Ore.
"For over 40 years, I didn't want to talk about these things," Aigner said.
The audience responded to Aigner's presentation with multiple standing ovations.
"I liked it," said Mitch Page, a sophomore majoring in university exploratory studies. "It was informative."
Heather Miska, a junior majoring in psychology, also enjoyed Aigner's talk.
"It made me thankful for being able to live humanely," she said. "It's humbling."
Holocaust Memorial Week wraps up Thursday with a speech by Stephanie Nyombayire about the human-rights crisis in Western Sudan. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Milam auditorium.
Aigner also shared the experience of being liberated on April 29, 1945.
"[It was] the most glorious day of my life. We didn't know whether to laugh of cry," he said.
After the war, Aigner was reunited with what was left of his family: his father and his sister. Following a brief stint working in the communist Soviet Union, he escaped to Austria. There he was able to travel to the United States with the help of his stepbrother, a refugee who made it to Portland, Ore.
"For over 40 years, I didn't want to talk about these things," Aigner said.
The audience responded to Aigner's presentation with multiple standing ovations.
"I liked it," said Mitch Page, a sophomore majoring in university exploratory studies. "It was informative."
Heather Miska, a junior majoring in psychology, also enjoyed Aigner's talk.
"It made me thankful for being able to live humanely," she said. "It's humbling."
Holocaust Memorial Week wraps up Thursday with a speech by Stephanie Nyombayire about the human-rights crisis in Western Sudan. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Milam auditorium.
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posted 5/20/08 @ 6:33 PM PST
the holocaust is a sad story no matter what way you out it, but i think that the creator of this article did a good job.
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