New Exhibit at Indiana Historical Society Explores Life and Legacy of Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS)’s newest exhibit, Eva Kor from Auschwitz to Indiana, opens March 12 at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.

The exhibit tells the remarkable story of Eva Mozes 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.

Exploring how Kor’s life and legacy teach us about the horrors of the Holocaust, the realities of antisemitism and the power of an individual to make change, the exhibit includes never-before-seen artifacts and images, original film footage from award-winning documentarian Ted Green and several dynamic interactive elements, like a virtual reality experience that transports visitors to Auschwitz and includes Eva’s own voice recounting her experiences there.

The exhibit is open through January 2024. It is presented by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, supported by the Old National Bank Foundation, OneAmerica, Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation and Abrams EyeCare Associates, and is in partnership with WFYI and Ted Green Films.

“The Indiana Historical Society is able to tell stories that no other organization in the state can. That’s part of our mission — to share the history of all Hoosiers,” said IHS President and CEO Jody Blankenship. “This exhibit tells the story of Holocaust survivor and educator Eva Mozes Kor, giving visitors an unparalleled interactive experience in which visitors can take a virtual reality tour of Auschwitz with Eva.”

On July 4, 2019, Eva Kor died at the age of 85, but her legacy as a survivor, activist and fighter continues to serve as an inspiration to millions. On Jan. 25, 2022, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb declared Jan. 27 to be “Eva Education Day” — a day of recognition throughout the state.

Also opening at IHS on March 12 is another new exhibit, Dimensions in Testimony. Brought to IHS in partnership with CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, this groundbreaking project from USC Shoah Foundation 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.

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