Tibor Spitz was just 10 years old in 1939 when Jewish persecution started in Slovakia. He and his family did what they could to survive, including hiding in a hole in the snow for 200 days after the Germans invaded his county. 

"The world war started with hatred against Jews. Ended up with 70, seven zero, 70 million dead bodies," Spitz said.

Tibor's story, along with seven other local Holocaust survivors, was shared in front of hundreds of people Sunday at Mount Saint Mary College.

Jewish Family Services of Orange County worked in partnership with the Jewish Federation of North America to pair each survivor with local songwriters to create musical pieces based on their experiences during the war. 

"I think that music cuts to a different place in people's souls, a different place in people's experience, so that you can have words that you share with someone but when you add the dimension of music, it awakens emotion," said Kelleigh McKenzie, Spitz's songwriter from SageArts.

"To hear her perform it was overwhelming. I'm absolutely not an emotional person and I become very emotional," Spitz said.

Spitz has been sharing his story to younger generations for years and said World War II serves as just one example of the constant fight for freedom.

"Each generation has to fight for truth and justice, otherwise, and freedom. Otherwise we lose it," Spitz said.

This was the first year for the event and the survivors came from Orange and Ulster counties, but in the years to come they're trying to expand to reach survivors throughout the lower Hudson Valley.