Hilda was her best friend growing up. The march of 350 miles ended May 7, when Klein was at last liberated. She was one of only 120 who survived. Hilda did not. Hilda died in Klein's arms in a field of wet grass in Czechoslovakia a week before the survivors were liberated.
Survival is a great privilege.
It is also a deep obligation. Klein, now 76, asked the students to think how different the world might have been if the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust had been allowed to make their contributions. Klein said the three years she was in a camp circled by an electric fence, not a single girl attempted suicide. If you think the darkness is so total remember, never, ever give up. When it gets really dark, this is when we see the brightness of the stars.