Leadership & Impact

My interview with Holocaust Survivor Alice-Herz Sommer

Posted by: Team Tony

Many people believe they’re under extreme stress, and a result, many lose sight of a compelling future. It can be difficult to focus on the bigger picture if you’re feeling bogged down by everyday annoyances.

For those people who get caught up in the small irritations of everyday life, I offer the story of Alice- Herz Sommer. Alice-Herz Sommer’s story might sound familiar as she became the subject of the film “The Lady in Number Six.”

Alice was born in Prague in 1903. In her thirties, she was a celebrated concert pianist. In 1942, her entire family was sent to live in Nazi concentration camps. Although her parents were killed, she survived along with her young son. Alice was spared from immediate persecution because of her piano playing abilities. Her music was incorporated into Nazi propaganda, and although she vehemently disagreed with their beliefs, she persisted in the hopes that her son would be allowed to live.

Despite the horrors that Holocaust Survivors, such as Alice, were made to endure, many of those who escaped left the camps with a powerful outlook on life. This interview was conducted before Alice’s death — she died in 2014 at the age of 110 — but reported feeling happy and grateful later in life.

Alice relied on the piano music she was so familiar with to bring her, her son and her friends an ounce of joy into their daily lives. She credits remaining optimistic as key to her tenacious spirit, and told Tony Robbins that she laughed from the beginning of her life through the rest of her years.

Alice said that being grateful for her parents, and being thankful for the blessings she had been given in life helped her to navigate hardship. To sum it up perfectly, Alice said, “Everything is a present.”

Even in her final years, Alice expressed a great deal of appreciation for the positive experiences in her life. She was an accomplished woman, a tremendous resource and a beautiful soul.

Tony Robbins had the privilege of conducting an interview with Holocaust survivor Alice-Herz Sommer, and found her to be a magnificent human being.

Watch the video below to gain powerful insight into how you could feel more positive in your daily life. If you’re having a hard time feeling optimistic, keep this powerful quotation from Alice in mind: “Hatred eats the soul of the hater, not the hated.”