Remarkable story, spirit
After the war, Spitz continued her work as a court reporter, eventually becoming a chief reporter in the U.S. House of Representatives. She covered the State of the Union addresses of Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan, as well as addresses to Congress by visiting heads of state.
Spitz retired from her work as a court reporter in 1985. Two years later, she was spurred into action when a Colorado high school teacher referred to the Holocaust as the “Holohoax.” “I knew I had to do something,” says Spitz. “I was compelled to tell the story.” She put together a 50-minute talk about her experiences in Nuremburg, including a presentation of slides she brought back with her. For the past 17 years, she has made presentations on
“The Nazi Doctors Case of the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials” to audiences all over the world. Her message is about basic human rights, the dignity of life, and the difference between good and evil.
Spitz gained national recognition for her efforts. In 1995, Steven Spielberg’s SHOAH Foundation conducted an interview with Spitz w hich is now in theU.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Five years later, the National Court Reporters Association presented Spitz with the first Humanitarian Award ever presented in the organization’s 101-year history.
Spitz began documenting her experiences for future generations. She recorded her memories along with official testimonies from the Nazi Doctors trials in her book, Doctors From Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans. The book has garnered praise from former President Jimmy Carter and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, whom she met at the University of Denver while serving on the board of the Holocaust Awareness Institute.
Finding common ground
Spitz moved to Eagle’s Trace in 2005 and has enjoyed her new lifestyle tremendously. “The two best decisions I ever made were to go to Nuremburg when I did and to move to Eagle’s Trace when I did,” she says.
Highly regarded by her peers, Spitz filled the room to capacity with Eagle’s Trace residents at her presentation. Many audience members were directly impacted by World War II. Christine Martin, a Holocaust survivor and Eagle’s Trace resident since 2006, was liberated by American forces in 1945 and came to the U.S. in 1949 as a displaced person. “Once you go through a war, you never forget it,” says Martin, deeply affected by her recollections.
Another Eagle’s Trace resident, Joe Ward, was awarded three Purple Hearts for his service in the war. He recognized some of the sights from Spitz’s slide show. “People need to hear [Spitz’s] presentation,” says Ward. “Not this generation, because we lived through it—our young people need to know this part of history.”
That is one reason Spitz is particularly interested in sharing her story with students. In fact, a middle school student and his father recently drove to Eagle’s Trace from Waco so the boy could interview her. Spitz also stays connected to readers of her book via e-mail. Doctors from Hell has been published in Thailand, Israel, India, Pakistan, and the Czech Republic.
Peace at last
When Spitz was speaking at a medical convention, one of the doctors was intrigued by her recurring nightmares. He asked if she ever found the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I thought that was a marvelous question,” says Spitz. “And the answer is yes. In writing my book, I found the light.”