Holocaust survivor Eva Erben's philosophy of life: Happiness despite trauma

Holocaust survivor Eva Erben's philosophy of life: Happiness despite trauma

We all have stories to tell, but some are more moving than others. Eva Erben, an impressive 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, recently shared her remarkable life journey on a trip to Jerusalem. Despite the terrible circumstances she experienced as a child, including the murder of her entire family by the Nazis and a 700-kilometer death march, she describes herself as a happy woman. “I learned to live life positively,” she says, and her philosophy brings light to the darkest corners of human existence. In this way, she reveals a piece of her soul while exchanging ideas with other survivors at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. In this emotional environment, her message is blunt: life is not just what we suffer, but also how we respond to it.

Erben emphasizes a philosophy of overcoming, inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche. “We have to ignore the blows of fate and appreciate the beautiful things in life,” she says, citing friendship and the beauty of flowers. Her life wisdom is not just personal strategies, but also instructions for anyone who wants to assert themselves in difficult times. Perseverance, tolerance and acceptance of the imperfection of life are central motifs in her thinking. She has a special recommendation up her sleeve: Rudyard Kipling's poem “If,” which gave her comfort in her hardest moments.

The family as a source of strength in dark times

The themes that Erben addresses are part of a larger picture that shows the Jewish community during the Shoah. The new 2025-2026 calendar from the Yad Vashem collection, titled “The Jewish Family during the Shoah: Artifacts from the Yad Vashem Collection,” highlights the fragility of family bonds under the Nazi regime. In fact, the Jewish family structure was severely affected and completely disintegrated in many places. Despite all odds, Jews tried to maintain family cohesion. These bonds were not only a source of comfort, but also a cornerstone of their identity. The artifacts illustrated in the calendar are more than just objects; they are comforting reminders of loving gestures and symbolize painful separations.

Recording millions of names from the past is a central task of the memorial. Many of the names are not yet identified and are waiting to be added to the database. Since 2004, Yad Vashem's name database has recorded nearly three million documented victims. The Shoah Victims’ Names Recovery Project is an initiative that aims to complete these names and encourage families to engage with the memories of their ancestors. Many of these individuals were evacuated to the central parts of the USSR during Operation Barbarossa and the terrible circumstances during this period also address the fates of thousands who have often been forgotten.

Memory as a living connection

Yad Vashem not only strives to preserve historical facts, but also promotes memory and awareness within the Jewish people. Nobel Prize winner Prof. Elie Wiesel highlighted the importance of the database: it connects the living with the dead and is a central part of collective memory. The ongoing digitization of names and stories is not only a challenge, but a source of comfort and identity for many survivors and their families.

At a time when we continue to tell our stories, Eva Erben teaches us that it's not just about what happened to us, but how we deal with that story. Her journey is a living testimony that even in the deepest darkness, a spark of hope and happiness can exist. The importance of remembering your roots, but also of shaping the future with a smile, is something we can perhaps learn from this remarkable woman's unwavering joy of life.