Holocaust survivor Conrad Weiner spoke Wednesday as part of the Ball State Annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom.
Weiner's message was clear and simple: "Never again."
He said he was 3 1/2 years old when he and his family were sent from their home in Romania to a concentration camp in Transnistria in 1941. The Soviet Army liberated the camp in 1944, nearly three years later.
Weiner said he made the trip to the United States when he was 22, where he studied at Indiana University. He currently lives in Cincinnati with family.
Many faculty and students attended the lecture, both for classes and for their own curiosity.
Trent Morgan, a freshman construction management major, said he thought Weiner's upbeat introduction and close made his message more optimistic.
"I think he was trying to get everyone to realize that you need to enjoy the little things in life," he said.
Weiner spoke of his memories of the last few years in the camp, where he learned to read and write, and even witnessed a wedding. He was fortunate enough to have his mother by his side to guide him and care for him when he nearly starved to death.
Weiner lectured on the opportunities the United States gave him that he would have otherwise not had in Romania and how those opportunities have changed his perspective throughout the years.
"Two things I want people to realize that is adversity does not kill you, it makes you stronger," he said. "And the second, and absolutely super important, is to never stand by and see atrocities going on around you."
Although Weiner is 74 years old, it doesn't keep him from getting around. Weiner said he gives lectures all over the tri-state area and is a substitute teacher on the side. He attributed his high school students to keeping him young and said he finds touching young people's lives rewarding.
"I get emails and I get letters, and that makes it worthwhile because we are the last generation," he said. "We are the last generation."
Although Weiner's message was generated toward those who are trying to learn about the Holocaust and the journey he endured, he said he still feels a sense of urgency to take on the issue of mass genocide in the world today.
"I think the word has to get out because although it's no longer called the Holocaust - they call it genocide or ethnic cleansing - it's still going on," Weiner said. "It's only going on because people still stand by and do nothing."
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