Holocaust survivor to speak at University of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — A Holocaust survivor who was imprisoned in the Auschwitz death camps will be sharing her experiences at the University of Utah on Sept. 15.

Sora Vigorito was just 3 years old when she was kidnapped and taken to Auschwitz along with her twin sister in 1944. There, she was tortured by Dr. Josef Mengele, a Nazi doctor who experimented on pairs of twins and people with inherited anomalies.

Vigorito's sister died while in Auschwitz, but she survived to the camp's liberation in 1945.

As the youngest known survivor of the Mengele twin experiments, she will share her story with members of the Jewish faith at the university, along with all attendees interested in hearing her story.

"We want as many people as we can to come," said Rabbi Moshe Nigri, co-director of Youth and Family Programming and director of Chabad on Campus at the University of Utah.

Vigorito has shared her experiences with other groups, but Nigri said she does not often fly to Utah because of the state's relatively small Jewish population.

The event will be held in the Siciliano Auditorium at Gardner Commons on the University of Utah campus at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Nigri said the event is expected to bring between 150 and 200 attendees to hear Vigorito's experience. Attendees are encouraged to reserve seats online. Donations are encouraged to help fund the event, but attendance is not required.

Multiple different organizations are involved with the event, including Chabad at the University of Utah, Prosperity U, Interfaith U, Hillel for Utah and the Smith-Pettit Foundation.

The Interfaith U director will speak at the event, as will Rabbi Nigri, before turning the time over to Vigorito.

Nigri said he expects a strong turnout.

"This is a story for any religion. Everyone should hear about this story," he said.

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