Holocaust Survivor William “Bill” Harvey says he is lucky to be alive.
“The torture, and the beating, and the killing what i had witnessed and what I lived through, is unbelievable for a human being to imagine,” he said, speaking of his experiences in the camps.
Born William Herskovitz in Czechoslovakia, he spent two years in concentration camps including Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
“I was so sick, that I couldn’t even stand up on my feet,” Harvey said. But he pulled through. Today marks the 73rd anniversary of his liberation from Buchenwald.
Harvey spends much of his time sharing his story with the public. He spoke with law students at Loyola Law School Wednesday afternoon. Student Ryan Snyder helped to organize the event.
“It’s really important to have the holocaust survivors tell their stories now, Snyder, co-president of the Loyola Law School Jewish Law Students Association, said. “[It’s important] for future generations to understand the fact that this is true, the fact that these [stories] happened, and the details of these stories.”
Harvey’s mother, Zaley, perished in the gas chambers.
“She’s the one whom I always thinked about when I wanted to give up,” he said.
But Harvey never gave up. He became a successful celebrity hairdresser. Today, he has two children and four grandchildren.
When asked if the world has learned its lessons from the Holocaust, Harvey responded, “no the world has definitely not learned,” adding there has been “so much progress in technology, in medical science, [but] the human race haven’t [sic] learned to love. “
Harvey says he’ll continue sharing his story. “To teach people not to stay silent is the most important thing.”