Korean ‘Comfort Women,’ Female Holocaust Survivors Meet, Share Memories

Korean “comfort women” and Holocaust survivors meet in 2011. Image by YouTube Screenshot

By Josefin Dolsten April 14, 2016

Korean “comfort women” met with Holocaust survivors as they toured the U.S. to raise awareness of the Japanese sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.

Yi Ok-seon, 89, and Kang Il-chul, 88, visited the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County, Long Island, on April 9, where they spoke with two female Holocaust survivors, reported.

The four women shared testimonies of their difficult experiences with an audience of more than 100 people.

In attendance was the Dutch representative to the UN, Karel J. G. van Oosterom and New York State Assembly member Charles Lavine.

“My grandfather was a victim of World War II. Taking this [the visit of the survivors] opportunity, let’s not forget that painful period and let’s make an effort to build a correct view of history for future generations,” van Oosterom said.

This was the third time the Korean women met with Holocaust survivors.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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