Holocaust To Compassion - Alex Hershaft - Warsaw Survivor - Animal Rights - Tel Aviv University 2015
HolocaustToCompassion.org
How does a Holocaust survivor cope with grief? guilt? depression? Is it by cultivating hatred for his oppressors? By oppressing others? By downing anti-depressants? Here’s the story of a survivor who has found a more constructive, more meaningful, more compassionate way.
Dr. Alex Hershaft survived the Warsaw Ghetto and many months in hiding at the ripe age of 11. Most of his family, along with 400,000 other Ghetto inmates perished from starvation, disease, or the Treblinka gas chamber.
When survival was no longer a daily challenge, guilt and a quest for meaning set in. Why was he spared, when so many deserving people, including his dad, perished? Would the downfall of the murderous Nazi regime mark the end of genocide in the world? Would the world become kinder and more compassionate because of the Jews’ supreme sacrifice? And, most important, how could he repay society for the gift of his life.
Dr. Hershaft came to the U.S. in 1951, gained a science PhD, and engaged in a long and fruitful career in research, teaching, management consulting, and social justice advocacy. Eventually, he found the answers to those dreaded questions and a meaning for his survival by working to save animals, the most oppressed beings on earth.
He is currently on a speaking tour to share his ordeal and his happy findings with receptive audiences. His presentation “From the Warsaw Ghetto to Compassion for All” is gripping, evocative, yet deeply fulfilling.
Dr. Hershaft lives in Bethesda, Md. His travel expenses are covered by a foundation, resulting in no charges to the host. To check his availability for your open dates, please use this contact form or call 301-825-5383.
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