{"id":11688,"date":"2015-03-04T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/?p=11688"},"modified":"2015-03-04T13:13:04","modified_gmt":"2015-03-04T18:13:04","slug":"the-lady-in-number-6-miraculous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/2015\/03\/the-lady-in-number-6-miraculous.html","title":{"rendered":"The Lady in Number 6 \u2013 Miraculous!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HerzSommerRafaelAndAlice\"<\/a>\"Screen-shot-2012-04-09-at-1.38.00-PM\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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(Alice and her son before the concentration camps – Alice in 2014)<\/p>\n

Alice Herz-Sommer, also known as Alice Sommer, (26 November 1903 \u2013 23 February 2014) was a pianist, music teacher, and supercentenarian from Bohemia, and a survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where she was sent by the Nazis because of her Jewish origins.\u00a0 She moved to Israel after the war and then lived in Belsize Park in London from 1986 until her death, and at the age of 110 was the world\u2019s oldest known Holocaust survivor.
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\nA film about Herz-Sommer\u2019s life, The Lady in Number 6, won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary in 2014.<\/span>
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\n\u201cWhat is absolutely AMAZING about this woman, is that after all she witnessed and experienced during the tragedy of the Holocaust, Alice never allowed it to destroy her joy for life, let alone become bitter.\u00a0 Alice still exuded a soul reaching smile and was able to see the joy and beauty in life and people.\u00a0 Since Alice was an accomplished pianist, she was not sent to the gas chambers.\u00a0 Along with her son, she performed in over 100 concerts while in Theresienstadt.\u00a0 Her husband died at Dachau in 1944.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alice declared a firm belief in the power of music: \u201cMusic saved my life and music saves me still\u2026 I am Jewish, but Beethoven is my religion<\/em>.\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
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\n\u201cHatred breeds only hatred.\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
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\n\u201cOnly when we are so old, only are we aware of the beauty of life.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>
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\n\u201cI think I am in my last days, but it doesn\u2019t really matter because I have had such a beautiful life.\u00a0 I have lived through many wars and have lost everything many times \u2013 including my husband, my mother and my beloved son.\u00a0 Yet, life is beautiful, and I have so much to learn and enjoy.\u00a0 I have no space nor time for pessimism and hate.\u00a0 Life is beautiful, love is beautiful, nature and music are beautiful.\u00a0 Everything we experience is a gift, a present we should cherish and pass on to those we love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alice is a true hero and inspiration who demonstrates the key principle \u2013 The Law of Focused Attention – what you consistently focus your attention upon becomes the fabric of your future circumstances.\u00a0 Alice believes life is a miracle, a gift and to be optimistic, to love music.\u00a0 In the face of Adolph Hitler, Alice played her music and inspired herself and others every day.\u00a0 She created her own reality.\u00a0 She found a way to peace and survived horrible conditions in the Holocaust to live an amazing life to age 110.\u00a0 Her energy, enthusiasm and twinkle melts your heart\u2026enjoy the video below.<\/span><\/p>\n

blessings,<\/span>
\n \ud83d\ude42 Lee<\/span>
\nThe MEGA Coach<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n