Horgau

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"It was just sheer luck. But in order to get to the point of sheer luck and in order to survive to that particular point, you needed besides physical support, you needed what I would call spiritual and emotional and intellectual support. And that came from people, from examples by certain people, by the nobility of their spirits. They were able to rise above the existing norm in the camps by their willingness to give of themselves, by the willingness of sacrifice, sometimes their lives, in order to save other people’s lives. Those particularly rare instances are what gave us the strength, the moral impetus, to keep going. We still were worth something. There was a world outside. There was a humanity outside. If you came across very difficult conditions and somebody was willing to share with you his ration of bread when you were in bad shape or give you a spoon full of soup, your esteem, your faith in man, you know, was reinforced. And if you yourself found the strength to give of yourself and share what you had and give it to others, in your own esteem, you felt you were a more worthy person. And you should try to fight and get through it and survive."