Eva Aigner 

Biography

Eva Aigner's life story is a powerful testament to resilience, love, and a commitment to educating others about the experiences both she and her husband Leslie encountered during the unthinkable events of the Holocaust. This is a brief chronicle of her life’s journey.

Eva was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937. By 1939, the Nazi discriminatory laws had spread across Eastern Europe. Her family, recognizing the danger, moved to Budapest, Hungary. But as Nazism extended its reach into Hungary, their lives were disrupted and put in jeopardy once again.

At the age of seven, Eva and her family were forced to wear yellow stars on their lapels and  were persecuted due to their Jewish heritage and religion. Eva was unable to attend school during this period and it seemed as though her childhood was fleeting. Eventually, they were taken from their home and confined to the Budapest Ghetto. Although there was outpouring of hate all around them, still she felt an exuberant amount of love from her family. That love kept her going through it all. Then life took an even more terrifying turn in December 1944 when she and her sister were forced to line up on the Riverfront of the Danube, with the intention of being shot into the river simply for being a Jew. Were it not for the bravery of their mother, who hurled herself from a moving train to save her two daughters the outcome would have been different.  Out of sheer mothers instinct  she used her strength and insight and her last piece of collateral, her mothers wedding ring, to bribe a guard and plead for her daughters life. Miraculously they all escaped death that day. Tragically, Eva's father and many other family members did not survive this brutal time.

In January 1945, the Soviet troops liberated Hungary. However, remnants of hate still lingered in the air as the country transitioned into Communism.  In 1956, Eva met the love of her life, Leslie Aigner, who was also a Holocaust survivor. Fate and a blind date brought them together and they fell in love and married fifty nine days later. Once again love rose from the shadows and kept them going. After they married they stood on line for bread and heard two men behind them saying “We will get the communists first then kill the rest of the Jews” at that moment they knew they needed to escape to a free country in order to build a new life and start a family.

After a harrowing escape on Christmas eve they walked beneath white sheets in the snow and Eva and Leslie made their way to America. The two settled in Portland, Oregon and built a loving family together. For years, they kept silent about the horrors of their past, shielding even their children from their harrowing experiences. However, when Holocaust deniers emerged, denying the very existence of the Holocaust, Eva and Leslie felt compelled to break their silence. 

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Recognizing the importance of sharing their history to educate others about the devastating impact of hate and discrimination, they became actively involved with other local survivors in creating the Oregon Holocaust Memorial, with Eva serving as the Co-Chair of the project.

Eva and Leslie, dedicated themselves to educating tens of thousands of students and adults about the importance of spreading love instead of hate and fostering acceptance of each other's differences. They served as board members of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center and the Oregon Jewish Museum Center for Holocaust Education for several years.

Eva and Leslie testified in front of their local legislature to emphasize the significance of mandatory Holocaust education in Oregon's public schools, ultimately leading to the passage of this important legislation into law.

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Leslie Aigner passed away at the age of 92, after 65 loving years of marriage. Eva and Leslie were given the good fortune of having a daughter and a son, four grandsons, four great-grandchildren, and the anticipation of one more on the way. Their story is a testament to the enduring power of love, family, caring for others and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable challenges.