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Amanda Spence
Professor Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1103
25 January 2016
Reva Kiborts Survivor Testimony
After watching this video the most memorable part of Revas testimony was that she was
able to overcome her dire circumstances and live a relatively normal life once she moved to the
United States. Her sense of resiliency and determination to seek a better life impressed me. She
witnessed the death of many family members, watched 12 children get shot, families get
separated and many other terrible circumstances. Despite these horrific events, she was able to
create a new life for herself. She could have given up and decided it was no longer worth living
but chose to move forward in a new direction. As I learned in the video, just because someone
speaks differently, dresses differently, or looks differently than you does not mean they are no
longer human like the rest of us. Everyone wants to have the liberty to be who God has created
them to be and to enjoy the freedoms that life has to offer.
I learned that the Polish people were not very kind to the Jews. They turned their nose up
at Jews and their problems. I also learned that Jews living in Poland tried to escape for Russia.
Many were stopped along the way and did not make it to Russia. I was disheartened to learn that
there were no holidays in the ghettos. Before watching Revas testimony I never knew that the
Germans placed wire on top of the ghetto walls so no one could escape. The Jews were treated
like animals during the Holocaust. The Germans showed no mercy towards the Jews and
overworked them in the concentration camps.

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I was surprised that Jews in the ghetto created a black market and sold the
remainder of their belongings in order to buy food. I was also caught off guard when I learned
that there was no dignity left in the ghetto. It was disturbing to hear that it was every man for
himself. People became vicious and mean and forgot those around them. The soldiers in the
camp had no morality and no conscience. They were too caught up in Nazi propaganda and the
concept of a superior race to remember that they were dealing with other human beings.
It was also astonishing to learn that Reva and her sisters snuck under the ghetto wall to
get to the Aryan side. They were brave enough to risk their lives and dress as non-Jewish girls.
They put everything they had on the line and looted homes for articles of clothing, silver, jewelry
and anything else people had left behind. I was struck by this compelling and tear-jerking
testimony. I cannot imagine living through an event as painful and petrifying as the Holocaust.
The thought of going for a long period of time without food, water, proper sanitation,
adequate clothing and many other necessities in life is depressing. Through Revas testimony I
was reminded never to take the ordinary days and gifts of life for granted. One day every familiar
object in life could be gone in the blink of an eye if an event similar to the Holocaust ever
occurred again. I will remember to make the most of my time with my family and appreciate
every opportunity I have to reach out to those who are struggling.
The Holocaust is not an event that can be overlooked or easily brushed off. It decimated
the Jewish population in Europe and caused many children to be orphaned. Those who survived
will never forget the scarring events and terrible treatment they received during the Holocaust.
No one should ever be disregarded as a human being and exposed to the horrors of an event like
the Holocaust. This historical event needs to be taught in classrooms so it never happens again.
Differences among races and people types should never be an excuse for genocide and hatred.

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