Do you know why we’re alive today?

Engel, a Jewish man who owned the most famous bakery in Germany, often said, "Do you know why I’m alive today? I was just a teenager when the Nazis in Germany were mercilessly killing Jews. They took us by train to Auschwitz.

The nights were bitterly cold in the compartment. We were left for days in those carriages without food, without beds, and with no way to keep warm. Snow was falling everywhere. The icy wind bit at our cheeks every second. We were hundreds, huddled together on those cold, dreadful nights. No food, no water, no shelter. The blood in our veins felt frozen. Next to me was an elderly Jewish man, deeply loved in my town. He was trembling all over and looked utterly dreadful. I wrapped my arms around him to keep him warm. I held him tightly, trying to give him some warmth. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. I begged him to stay alive. I encouraged him. This is how I kept the man warm throughout the long, cold night. I was exhausted and freezing myself. My fingers were stiff, but I didn’t stop massaging his body to warm him.

Many hours passed like this. Finally, morning came, and the sun began to shine. I looked around to see the others. To my horror, all I could see were frozen corpses. All I could hear was the silence of death. The freezing night had claimed them all. They had died from the cold. Only two people survived: the old man and me. The old man survived because I kept him warm, and I survived because I kept him warm.

Let me share with you the secret to surviving in this world: when you warm the hearts of others, you too will be warmed. When you support, strengthen, and inspire others, you will find yourself supported, strengthened, and inspired in your own life."