The imminent passing of the last Holocaust survivors creates an urgent need to preserve their firsthand accounts for future generations, particularly as antisemitic incidents surge globally and misinformation spreads online. Eva Mozes Kor, an Auschwitz survivor who died in 2019, argued that Holocaust education typically begins too late in American schools, often around age twelve, after children have already begun forming worldviews that may include prejudice. Her memoir for young readers, I Will Protect You: A True Story of Twins Who Survived Auschwitz, co-written with author Danica Davidson, represents a direct response to this educational gap.
Kor believed children encounter conspiracy theories, extremist propaganda, antisemitic memes, and Holocaust distortion online at increasingly young ages, making early education essential rather than protective shielding from difficult history. Her book, published in 2022, has become a bestseller in three categories and is now used in schools, libraries, and homes nationwide. The narrative details how Kor and her twin sister Miriam survived Dr. Josef Mengele's medical experiments, starvation, and terror at Auschwitz, yet later advocated for education, healing, and forgiveness. Davidson first met Kor at Western Michigan University, where the survivor delivered a lecture on remembrance and resilience, after which Kor expressed her desire for a children's book that would reach young people quickly.
Davidson conducted multiple interviews with Kor, weaving personal narrative with historical context to make the story accessible for upper elementary and middle school readers without simplifying the history. The manuscript sold rapidly, but Kor passed away unexpectedly fifteen days later while traveling to Poland for educational work. Her book remains as a testament to her mission. This approach addresses concerning statistics showing many young Americans cannot name a single Nazi concentration camp, with some believing the Holocaust is exaggerated or fabricated entirely.
Davidson continues this educational work through additional projects, including a graphic novel co-created with another survivor and education advocate, Eva Schloss, titled What Lies Hidden, which is currently seeking publication. Schloss, who passed away recently, was known internationally as the posthumous stepsister of Anne Frank but maintained her own identity as a resilient advocate. The graphic novel highlights paintings created by her brother Heinz while in hiding, preserving his artistic legacy alongside her testimony. In her Holocaust Remembrance Day op-ed "Working with survivors to tell their stories, before it's too late" at the Jewish News Syndicate, Davidson emphasized how both Kor and Schloss understood their book projects as crucial components of broader Holocaust education frameworks.
Davidson further elaborated on the importance of early Holocaust education in her article "Holocaust Education Should Start in Elementary School" at Aish, noting that well-documented historical events like the Holocaust can teach children critical thinking, patterns in human behavior, how history shapes the present, individual agency, the dangers of us-versus-them mentalities, and empathy. These lessons prepare children for real-world challenges beyond historical awareness alone. With antisemitic incidents rising dramatically in recent years and online radicalization lowering barriers to hate, the need for proactive education has never been more pressing.
Kor spent decades returning to Auschwitz not to relive trauma but to confront it educationally, ensuring no child would inherit the world she once endured. Her message remains clear as the last generation of witnesses disappears: memory must be actively taught, empathy must be practiced, and education must begin earlier. Once survivors are gone, the world will remember only what current generations choose to teach, making materials like I Will Protect You and What Lies Hidden vital tools against historical distortion and hate.
