#60 Life After Auschwitz: Choosing to Keep an Open Heart | Dr. Edith Eger

Dr. Edith Eger is one of the most impressive people I have ever met.  Edie was born in 1927 in Hungary. In her teens, she was an Olympic-level gymnast but, because she was Jewish, was not allowed to participate on the Olympic team. Shortly after, she and her family were sent by cattle train to the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. In addition to losing her mother and her father there, she endured a version of hell that few of us could ever know. Nearly 15,000 Jews from her town were killed in the Holocaust; Edie was one of just 70 to survive.  Afterward, she made it her mission to live life with an open heart. She moved to the United States with her husband, raised three children, and worked first as a factory worker and later as a teacher.  And then, with the encouragement of Dr. Viktor Fankl, a fellow Auschwitz survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, she earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at 50 years of age and became a licensed psychologist. She is the author of two bestselling books, The Choice and The Gift, and both chronicle her experiences at Auschwitz, her life afterward, and her work as a psychologist.  I consider them two of the finest books I have read, and I am hardly alone.  The New York Times Book Review writes, “I can’t imagine a more important message for modern times. Eger’s book is a triumph, and should be read by all who care about both their inner freedom and the future of humanity.” Sadly, the people who survived the Holocaust are dying and their voices become scarcer by the day. This makes this episode all the more precious. It is my sincerest hope that you will be as positively affected by Edie as I have been. And do you remember how I mentioned that Edie was an Olympic-level gymnast?  Neither Auschwitz nor age has been able to take that away from her and, to this day at an age north of 90 years old, she concludes all of her presentations and public talks with a kick. Book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/150113079X/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_GBBCVV49QF0SWY3JBDFG?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 and https://amzn.to/3X7W3vx This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).