All There Is with Anderson Cooper Irene Weiss: The Soul Never Forgets
Oct 30, 2024
Irene Weiss, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, shares her profound journey of survival and resilience after being deported to Auschwitz at just 13. She reflects on the deep grief of losing her family, emphasizing how storytelling helps cope with unimaginable loss. Irene discusses the emotional scars of her experiences and the challenge of reconciling personal pain with the larger narrative of human suffering. Her insights highlight the importance of community and perspective in healing, as well as a warning against societal divisions.
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Separation On The Arrival Platform
- Irene Weiss recounts being deported to Auschwitz at 13 and separated from family during selection by Dr. Mengele.
- She watched her mother and younger brothers taken to the gas chambers while she and some siblings were chosen for labor.
Working Beside The Crematorium
- Irene describes working next to a crematorium, speaking to victims who believed they were going to a bathhouse.
- She watched those same people half an hour later see the chimneys belching smoke and realized the truth repeatedly.
Surviving The Death March And Selection
- During the evacuation as Soviets advanced, Irene survived a death march and later endured another camp near Hamburg for five months.
- She volunteered to go with her sister when selections happened, and both survived because a truck never came that day.