Used long before written text, the tradition of oral storytelling has preserved moments of triumph and darkness.
"We hope by talking about it people are going to learn about the signs," said Erika Gold.
It's why on any given week you will find Erika Gold sharing her story of how she became a Holocaust survivor.
"If anyone would've known we were there, all four of us would have been shot on the spot," said Gold.
Her narrative is shaped by the images engraved in her memory.
"The cross, the arrow cross and the uniform and they were just loud and mean and hateful," recalled Gold.
Nearly 80 years later, a familiar sight appeared across her screen. Armed men parading Nazi paraphernalia down the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.
"It is a shocker because I thought we learned and accomplished things and things were getting better...Unfortunately those people didn't just disappear," said Gold.
However, beyond the hate-fueled demonstration that took place, it was the President's words that represented a far greater danger for Gold.
"You also had people that were very fine people on both sides," said President Donald Trump at a press conference Tuesday.
"They all identify with hate. That's their motto. There were no fine people because that is the glue, hate is the glue," responded Gold.
Gold says she believes Trump deliberately softened his words to appease these hate groups.
"I could see Hitler in him," said Gold.
