A Century of Wisdom

"I am still grateful for life. Life is a present." This is the remarkable story of an amazing woman - Alice Herz-Sommer, at 108-years-old, the world's oldest living Holocaust survivor. This is a woman who suffered much heartbreak over the course of WW II - losing her beloved mother in the Shoah; being incarcerated by the Nazis in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp; losing her husband and...more

"I am still grateful for life. Life is a present." This is the remarkable story of an amazing woman - Alice Herz-Sommer, at 108-years-old, the world's oldest living Holocaust survivor. This is a woman who suffered much heartbreak over the course of WW II - losing her beloved mother in the Shoah; being incarcerated by the Nazis in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp; losing her husband and friends; and the one thing that kept her living all that time was her young son Rafi and her abiding love for music. Alice is a concert pianist, and this amazing talent kept her going through some of the most horrific times in the history of mankind. Whilst incarcerated in the camp, Alice played music for fellow inmates and provided piano lessons for the children of the camp. Alice believes that "Good and evil have been around since prehistoric times. It is how we handle it, how we respond, that is important." Her early education in philosophy and the humanistic school of thought has stood her well over the years - she takes to heart the teachings of the Greek stoic Epictetus, "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." This book highlights the significant encounters and moments in Alice's life, gleaned from interviews conducted from 2004 to 2011. In the book, Alice remembers people she met, those who inspired her, and who made an indelible impression on her. For example, she recounts her first meetings with the writer Franz Kafka, whom she remembers as an "eternal child." Kafka was always kind to her as a child and through her growing years, despite having had a difficult and conflicted life himself. Alice recalls her friendship with Golda Meir, long before she became Israel's Prime Minister. When Golda presses Alice to talk about her Holocaust experiences, Alice is firm - she wants to look forward not live in the past, and Golda understands this. There are many such anecdotes throughout this slim volume. It weaves back and forth between past and present - the years when Alice grew up, her piano education, etc. Through it all, what comes across clearly is Alice's zest for life, for living in the moment, and not regretting the past. There's much one can learn from Alice's life experiences, and I'm glad she chose to share some of these moments with us.   hide