For some people, when they go through a tough life experience, their initial response to the experience is to tuck it away and never speak about it to anyone ever again. Sometimes for some people, they find it easier to keep it private, keep it to themselves, and to not share the experience with others. Yet, sometimes sharing tough life experiences with others can help with healing deep wounds, but also can help prevent history from repeating itself.
Eva Olsson went through a tough life experience that was known as one of the most darkest times among humans—she was a survivor of the Holocaust. In May 1944, she and her family were ordered to Auschwitz. Upon arriving, she and her sister Fraidel were forced to go to one side of the camp while they forced the rest of her family to the opposite side, to which she never saw the rest of her family ever again.
Eva and sister worked in labor camps, slept on the floor, and were forced to do heavy backbreaking physical work everyday. Eventually they were sent to a different camp which Eva felt was a miracle because it was less physical labor intensive and they had better food and arrangements. She even contracted typhoid in April 1945 on top of everything else she was being forced to experience.
On April 15, 1945 at 3pm, it was ordered for all prisoners to be shot. Eva and her sister Fraidel ended up being liberated by Canadian and British soldiers on April 15, 1945 at 11am.
Going through something scary and life changing such as the Holocaust could have made Eva keep her story private or she could have just hid in her home the rest of her life. She chose to be brave instead and shared her story. Across North America alone, she gave over 4,600 presentations to share about her war experiences. These presentations led to her reaching an audience of over 1.5 million people, that spanned over 50 years post her time spent at the concentration camps. Giving these presentations created a legacy for others to learn from her experiences and to be thankful for all that they have in their own lives and the true importance of giving back to others.
On August 4, 2026, Eva passed away at the age of 101 after spending her early 20s in the Auschwitz’s concentration camps. Her legacy will live on well after her death for being brave to share an incredibly tough experience she went through. By sharing, it not only helped with her healing, but it gave others courage to share their stories as well, and that could also help prevent history from repeating itself in the decades to come.
We will always remember the life and legacy of Eva Olsson.
October 28 1924 - August 4, 2026❤️