Hate Ends Now: The Holocaust Cattle Car Experience
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It's not easy for 95-year-old Tibor Hollo to speak about the most agonizing time of his life when he was locked in a cattle car, ending up at Auschwitz, alone and just 15-years-old.
"They packed us into these box cars, I know it was over 100 people," he told CBS's Ted Scouten.
With tears streaming down his face, Hollo was sitting in a replica of one of those cars that's on tour around Florida and the country. The car was on display at Bal Harbour's Founders Circle.
The idea behind the "Hate Ends Now, The Cattle Car Experience" is to put people where others once stood to feel their stories of horror, fear, and despair. Hollo never forgets.
"Lots of people didn't come out of the cars. The death began in these boxcars," he said.
Solly Hess is bringing the tour to schools and communities.
"We're all brothers and sisters, we're all God's children, that's what Hate Ends Now is all about," said Hess.
Hess, along with creator Jordana Lebowitz of ShadowLight, said people to really understand the consequences when bigotry and hate go unchecked.
"If people during the Holocaust would have stood up more, had not let hate go unchecked, then it would have saved millions of lives," Lebowitz said.
"I think this should be replicated, this exhibit, and shown to many people in many areas. Maybe they start realizing that there's a better way," Hollo added.
Hollo's mother was one of 6 million people murdered in the Holocaust and he wants to make sure history does not repeat itself. He said there's a simple place to start, "Love thy neighbor, love thy neighbor!"
The exhibit now goes to Tallahassee and Orlando, but will be back in South Florida the week of April 5th in downtown Miami. Organizers are finalizing details on the dates and location. To find out more got to HateEndsNow.org.
If you'd like to see other survivor stories check out a CBS 4 documentary March of the Living: Return to Auschwitz. CBS4's Ted Scouten and Photojournalist Rafael Murciano accompanied four Holocaust survivors back to Auschwitz where they told their stories and preached a message of fighting prejudice, bigotry and hate.
