Holocaust Survivor Holds Comic-Con Audience Rapt in Session on Tattoo Art

Comic-Con may be known as a place to celebrate fictional heroes but on Thursday, a real-life hero stole the show.

Ben Midler, a Holocaust survivor from Carlsbad, held a conference room in rapt attention at Comic-Con during a discussion of “Art from the Holocaust: The Tattoo.”

The discussion focused on graphics and comics that showed tattoos branded on prisoners in concentration camps during World War II. That included little-known comics and strips but also more well known examples like a scene from an “X Men” comic featuring the character Magneto and the mouse characters in the Pulitzer Prize -winning graphic novel “Maus.”

“They weren’t people. They were rodents. This is how we were portrayed,” said Sandra Scheller, whose mother was a Holocaust survivor and has led education efforts.

Midler educated the room by talking about his experiences.

Born in Poland, he spent time in six concentration camps, including the infamous Aushwitz. He was 15 when he was first taken to the camps and was kept alive because he was young and could work. But like many Jews he was branded with a tatto that remains today.

“It was very painful, but I went through it,” said Midler, who is now 95.

Although Midler at first didnt’ talk about his experiences, today, he speaks about the Holocaust at schools and universities and appears regularly at an exhibit at the Rancho San Diego Library. He tells students that no matter what hardships they face, they can live good lives.

“My motto is be positive,” he said. “Yesterday is gone. Today is today. Tomorrow is a better day.”

At one point, Midler showed off his positivity and energy by standing on a chair on the podium to bend down and touch his toes.

Throughout the discussion, he received several bouts of applause in the crowded room.

“I’m overwhelmed that you all came,” said Dina Babbitt, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

Moderator Matt Dunford noted that Holocaust denials continue today and said, “It’s important to capture these events in comics and graphic novels. We need this more than ever in this age.”