Helen hirsch oskar schindler biography

Polish-American Holocaust survivor (1925–2018)

Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig (born Helena Sternlicht; April 25, 1925 – December 20, 2018) was a Polish Holocaust survivor who was interned during World Fighting II at the Płaszów contemplation camp where she was difficult to work as a nymphet for SS camp commandant Amon Göth.

Born in Kraków, she survived the Holocaust with righteousness help of Oskar Schindler, who was credited with saving primacy lives of nearly 1,200 Mortal forced laborers. After the fighting, Jonas-Rosenzweig emigrated to the Common States. She resided in Boca Raton, Florida. Jonas-Rosenzweig met probity daughter of Amon Göth, Monika Hertwig [de], and together they were featured in the 2006 pic, Inheritance, made for PBS incite James Moll.

Early life

Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig was born Helena Sternlicht encircle Kraków, Second Polish Republic squash up 1925,^[1] to Szymon and Lola Sternlicht.^[2] She was the youngest daughter of an observant Human family.^[3] She remembered her initially life as happy. She locked away two sisters, Bronisława and Sydonia.^[4] When Germany invaded Poland pus September 1, 1939, she alight her family were forced examination relocate to the Kraków Ghetto.^[5]

World War II

Płaszów Concentration Camp

In 1942, Sternlicht and her family were deported from the Kraków Ghetto and sent to concentration camps.

Her father died at position Bełżec extermination camp. She, recipe mother, and two sisters were sent to Kraków-Płaszów, an arbeitslager (forced labor camp).

On depiction third day of her custody at Płaszów, Sternlicht was liquid windows in a barracks in the way that Göth, the camp commandant, entered the room.

He commented innocent person the job she was knowledge and ordered her to recovered to his villa on primacy grounds of the camp be acquainted with work as a housemaid.^[4][7][8]

She laid hold of from the barracks to Göth's residence, where she was embarrassed to work as a virgin.

She shared a room clear up the basement with another lassie, Helen Hirsch (portrayed in blue blood the gentry novel Schindler's Ark and disloyalty film adaptation Schindler's List), who was also forced to be concerned for Göth. The two battalion shared the household duties be redolent of the commandant's home for description next two years, where they lived in constant fear funding their lives.^[2]

While working for Göth, Sternlicht saw his notorious brutality firsthand.^[9] She said that put your feet up would shoot prisoners from decency balcony of his villa,^[8] keep from she saw him murder a handful people and order the deaths of many more.

He likewise beat her. She said deviate while Göth as depicted get your skates on Schindler's List appeared to make ends meet interested romantically in his maiden, he was not attracted signify her in real life.^[7]

She closest recalled that shortly after she moved to Göth's home, she saw him suddenly, and impoverished provocation, shoot dead a juvenile Jewish man who worked edgy him as a valet.^[2] Nearby this period Sternlicht had clean up boyfriend at the camp, Mdma Sztab, who was part keep in good condition a resistance group inside nobleness camp.

She stole some identification from Göth that she gave to Sztab. Göth was oral of Sztab's activities by orderly guard. Göth shot Sztab appoint death within earshot of Sternlicht, and she was certain ramble he would kill her as well, but he never mentioned ask over to her. Göth had Sztab's body hung publicly for badger prisoners to see, along operate a warning about trying able escape.^[7]

Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler was elegant frequent guest at Göth's abode and he often had lucky words for Sternlicht, who disappear without a trace his saying to her, "Remember the people in Egypt?

They were freed. So you liking be, too."^[7] After Göth's forestall for embezzling Jewish property stranger the German government, she succeeding recalled, "Like magic, all chastisement a sudden the doorbell rings – Schindler is standing nearby in his coat and aphorism, 'You're coming with me'". Schindler, who saved about 1,200 Jews from Auschwitz by claiming loosen up needed them to work uphold his factory, added Sternlicht become more intense her sisters, Bronisława and Sydonia, along with Helen Hirsch, tackle his list of workers who later became known as significance Schindlerjuden.^[10] By that time, their mother had died from pneumonia due to the poor hit it off at the camp.^[7]

As the Sure Army approached Kraków in associate 1944, Płaszów was closed, suffer the inmates were sent in the neighborhood of camps around Poland, including temporality camps like Auschwitz.

Schindler beholden plans to open a ammunition factory in Brněnec, Czech State, using the workers he locked away in Kraków. The men take-off Schindler's list travelled safely stomach-turning train to Brněnec, but Schindler's 300 female workers, including Sternlicht and her sisters, were portray to Auschwitz.

After a unusual weeks of negotiations and bribes by Schindler, the women were sent to Brněnec as be a smash hit. Sternlicht and her sisters weary the remainder of the bloodshed in the relative safety star as Schindler's camp until they were liberated by the Red Bevy in May 1945.^[4]

After excellence war, Sternlicht testified against Amon Göth at his trial intensity Kraków, where he was sentenced to death and executed.

She met Joseph Jonas two stage after liberation, married him illustrious emigrated with her family pay homage to the United States in 1946.^[4]

Inheritance

In 2004, Jonas-Rosenzweig met with Monika Hertwig [de], Amon Göth's daughter.^[8][11][12] Hertwig had requested the meeting, however Jonas-Rosenzweig was hesitant because in return memories of Göth and honesty concentration camp were so paul.

She eventually agreed after Hertwig wrote to her, "We conspiracy to do it for primacy murdered people."^[8]

Jonas-Rosenzweig felt touched surpass this sentiment and agreed pileup meet her at the Płaszów Memorial Monument in Poland scold tour Göth's villa with give someone the brush-off for the 2006 documentary Inheritance.

The documentary's director, James Malefactor, an associate of Steven Filmmaker, helped bring the two cohort together to make the husk for PBS.^{[8][11][12][13]}

Personal life

Two days subsequently they were liberated from integrity Nazis, she met her crowning husband, Joseph Jonas.

They one in 1946 and emigrated down the United States. They fleeting in the Bronx, raising leash children: a son and clone girls.^[4]

In 1980, Joseph, who welcome from survivor's guilt, committed suicide.^[7] She then married a grantor and real-estate developer, Henry Rosenzweig (born 5 September 1917).^[14] She was widowed a second repulse in 2007.

She resided cry Boca Raton, Florida until be involved with death in December 2018.^[7][15][16]

References

External links