On Saturday, January 27, the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) celebrates “Eva Education Day” in Indiana, an annual day of recognition honoring Eva Mozes Kor, Indiana’s most prominent Holocaust survivor, who was 10 years old when her family was taken to Auschwitz.
IHS invites guests to the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 27 to take part in educational activities, a documentary screening and explore two exhibits highlighting Kor’s life and legacy, Eva Kor from Auschwitz to Indiana and Dimensions in Testimony. Special programming concludes at 3 p.m., but IHS exhibits remain open until 5 p.m.
January 27 falls on the anniversary of Governor Holcomb’s first proclamation of “Eva Education Day” in 2020. Eva’s son, Dr. Alex Kor, will be present for remarks, and there will be a screening of the documentary “Eva: A-7063” by filmmaker and director Ted Green. Kor will also do a Q&A session after the one-hour screening.
A summary of the day’s activities is included below:
Garden of Hope (Lilly Hall): Eva has inspired thousands to make the world a better place. Help build a community garden by writing what you will do to make the world a better place.
Emotions Exhibit (Lilly Hall): Angry. Sad. Excited. Hopeful. You have the chance to respond to this interactive exhibit as we reflect on words and images of Eva’s story.
Strings of Identity (Lilly Hall): Our connections weave together to create a beautiful community in this interactive mural that shows we are not as different as we may seem.
Story Time (W. Brooks and Wanda Y. Fortune History Lab at 11:30 a.m.): Museum educators will lead families in learning through “How to Change the World in 12 East Steps” by Peggy Tierney.
Documentary Screening (Basile Theater at 1 p.m.): “Eva: A-7063,” the one-hour educational version of this documentary by Ted Green Media and WFYI
Kor dedicated most of her life to educating people about the holocaust. Educators are encouraged to use the documentary based on Eva’s life, “Eva: A-7063,” as a teaching tool during classes. The educational version of the documentary can be found and watched here.
All activities are included with regular museum admission. “Eva Kor Education Day” is presented by Old National Bank Foundation.
The exhibit Eva Kor from Auschwitz to Indiana tells the remarkable story of Kor, who survived Auschwitz as a child and the experiments of Dr. Joseph Mengele, and grew up to be one of the most influential Holocaust educators and activists in the world. She ignited a global manhunt for Mengele, organized other survivors, and educated millions about what happened during the Holocaust and about her vision of empowerment and forgiveness. This exhibit is presented by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, supported by the Old National Bank Foundation, OneAmerica and Abrams EyeCare Associates, and is in partnership with WFYI and Ted Green Films.
In addition, brought to IHS in partnership with CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Dimensions in Testimony is a groundbreaking project from USC Shoah Foundation that enables people to ask questions that prompt real-time responses from pre-recorded interviews with Holocaust survivors and other witnesses to genocide — including Eva Kor. It integrates advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies and next-generation natural language processing to create an interactive biography — allowing conversational interactions with these eyewitnesses to history.