Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter with Nazi "Angel of Death" Mengele

Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter with Nazi "Angel of Death" Mengele

January 27, 2009

An 87-year-old Holocaust survivor spoke to a Second Life audience last week about her experiences with the horrors of Auschwitz during World War II, including an encounter with the dreaded "Angel of Death," Josef Mengele.

New World Notes reports on the appearance by Fanny Starr, who now lives in Colorado. Fanny spoke in SL via an avatar belonging to her daughter, Helen:

Helen's mother has made it her life's mission to recount her experiences to as many people as will listen.  Extending her voice to Second Life, Helen tells me, is just another venue to do so.

"I did not have to convince her, I just asked," Helen tells me. "SL technology can reach a broad base of people in a small atmosphere, something a RL classroom cannot achieve."  Then there's another consideration, for a woman on the cusp of 90: "[S]he can lecture from the comforts of her home versus the classrooms she has lectured in for the last 30 years..."

"The responses are amazing," Fanny's daughter Helen tells me, "but the emotions outweigh the comments."

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Comments

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by MaskedPixelante - January 27, 2009 at 1:14 pm -0500

I wonder if Super Hitler was there.

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by DeepThorn - January 27, 2009 at 1:41 pm -0500

Congrats! 

A. Getting someone edging onto her 90s using second life. (Blows my mind honestly.)
B. Getting out the message and story of such an important time of her life.
C. Being able to talk about it all, which some people just can not do after surviving something like that.

All on all, that is great, and I hope that her goals in doing this are met.

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Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Wolvenmoon - January 27, 2009 at 2:11 pm -0500

I'm so glad she's reaching this audience. I'm afraid we're to see the holocaust repeated in this coming generation or so, unless there's a major push to stomp out that kind of hate.

Suddam had 1.8 million butchered, other tyrants in the middle east are trying for that kind of stuff. Perhaps her efforts will raise sensitivity and we'll prevent history from repeating itself.

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Zevorick - January 27, 2009 at 2:14 pm -0500

I wish I could hear it on my speakers at work, but unfortuantely even at max volume it's a bit soft. I'll have to wait until I get home

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Arell - January 27, 2009 at 2:57 pm -0500

I'm glad she got her story out there for people to hear, but I'm going to continue to wonder why people keep treating SL like it's relevant.  If she wanted to share her experience, a youtube video with a viral campaign would have reached more people.  I mean, we mock politicians and businessmen for using SL.  Why is a holocaust surviver any different?

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Bennett Beeny - January 27, 2009 at 4:14 pm -0500

I agree.  Using Second Life rather than Youtube to tell her story is kinda like handing out leaflets to people walking by your house while ignoring the Public Access TV station next door.

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Shadow D. Darkman - January 27, 2009 at 3:01 pm -0500

Maybe we should introduce Elie Wiesel to Second Life. His story is one of the most touching Holocaust stories I've read.

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"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Arcanagos - January 27, 2009 at 5:11 pm -0500

Agreed, I've read his book as well and it's one of the best accounts of that era I've seen

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Shadow D. Darkman - January 27, 2009 at 5:20 pm -0500

Which one? He's written loads of books. I read Night.

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"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by Frank - January 28, 2009 at 12:56 am -0500

I also read that (given we went to the same High School this is hardly surprising).  One thing I like to do when I hear about someone either liking the nazis or wanting torepeat that crap they did I just remember the various german cities on fire due to round the clock bombing by various allied nations.  The message is clear, pull that kind of crap and we will annihilate you.

Re: Holocaust Survivor Visits Second Life, Tells of Encounter
Submitted by hayabusa75 - January 27, 2009 at 5:56 pm -0500

I couldn't finish the wiki article on Mengele.  I started feeling ill about halfway through the part on human experimentation.

"There is no sin except stupidity." - Oscar Wilde

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