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Holocaust survivor tells moving story
 Media Credit: Jason Risberg Dr. Robert Fisch, a Holocaust survivor, artist and professor and doctor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, spoke to students Monday night in Atwood Little Theatre. He used his art to help convey the troubles he has faced throughout his life.
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Dr. Robert Fisch has witnessed horrors that most humans will never be able to comprehend.
Fisch, a Holocaust survivor, shared his message of love and hope with SCSU faculty and students Monday night in Atwood Little Theater.
Fisch spoke on the subject of, “Light from the Yellow Star: A Lesson of Love from the Holocaust.”
His story offered shock, wisdom and hope as essential messages. Although the Holocaust is a memory almost too terrible to describe, Fisch still revealed his story.
“The Holocaust is like being sick,” Fisch said. “You don’t want to talk about it.”
When Hitler rose to power, Fisch was a Hungarian citizen. Because of his Jewish background, he eventually was forced to join a work group of 280 men. The group was stripped of its humanity and forced to engage in hard labor.
The herding, forced labor, and cruel treatment of the Jews led Fisch to believe that fate was dim. He knew that he had to struggle to survive.
“These are not people who don’t like us; these are people that are going to kill us,” Fisch said of his first impression of the Nazis. His prediction became true with the passing of each day.
Near the end of the war, the Nazis forced Fisch and his group on death marches spanning days without rest. People who fell or tired were shot.
“Sometimes we walked four to five days without any food or water,” he said.
When they were given food, it consisted of moldy bread and watery soup.
The march led to a concentration camp where conditions remained hopeless.
Somehow, Fisch managed to survive the camp until American soldiers liberated it.
Out of the original group of 280 men, 120 survived the long and grueling journey.
Fisch said the most important thing he took away from the entire tragedy was the light he saw in random people.
“Even in the worst circumstances, there were beautiful people,” he said. “Always someone unexpectedly wanted to help.”
Fisch illustrated his example of human kindness with a story of a woman trying to help his group during the death march. Whether she foresaw her own death, she rushed to throw the marchers some apples when they passed by. The grateful marchers swarmed to eat the food. However, the woman was shot on the spot and the men were forced to continue the march.
He gave another example about stranded Russian soldiers.
A few Russian soldiers who managed to escape a camp where Fisch was imprisioned sought food and shelter in a nearby town. The German families of those who aided the Russians ran the risk of being shot without question. Still, eight of the Russians who escaped were taken in by their German “enemies” and safely hid from German patrols.
Fisch emphasized that people must treat each other with dignity and respect no matter what the scenario.
“We have to look at each other on an equal base,” he said. “In order to be respected, you have to respect other people.”
St. Cloud resident, Judy Hill, said Fisch’s speech was very touching.
“I thought he was extremely honest,” she said. “I think I was around a wise person.”
Courtney Hill-Youngquist, director of operations for the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Education, said the presentation offered an extremely applicable message.
“He calls people to action,” she said. “It’s about how we treat people today. He uses examples of love and hope.”
Associate Editor Eric O’Link contributed to this story.
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