Rose Girone, Oldest Known Holocaust Survivor and Advocate, Dies at 113
Rose Girone, a woman who embodied resilience in the face of unimaginable horror and who dedicated her life to ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust were never forgotten, has passed away at the age of 113. Her death marks the loss of a living link to a dark chapter in history and underscores the urgent need to preserve the memories of those who endured the Nazi regime.
Girone died on Monday in New York, according to the Claims Conference, a New York-based organization dedicated to securing material compensation for Holocaust survivors. Her passing leaves a void in the community of survivors and advocates who tirelessly work to educate future generations about the dangers of hatred and intolerance.
Greg Schneider, the Claims Conference executive vice president, emphasized the importance of continuing Girone’s legacy. "Rose was an example of fortitude," he said in a statement. "But now we are obligated to carry on in her memory. The lessons of the Holocaust must not die with those who endured the suffering."
Born on January 13, 1912, in Janow, Poland, Girone’s life took a dramatic turn when her family moved to Hamburg, Germany, at the age of six. In a 1996 filmed interview with the USC Shoah Foundation, she recalled a relatively normal childhood before the rise of Adolf Hitler. When asked about her career aspirations before the Nazi regime, she simply stated, "Hitler came in 1933 and then it was over for everybody."
Her words encapsulated the sudden and devastating impact the Nazi regime had on the lives of millions of Jews and other minorities across Europe. The rise of Hitler marked the end of normalcy, security, and hope for countless individuals and families.
Girone’s story is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to survive even the most extreme circumstances. Her life serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of unchecked hatred and the importance of vigilance against all forms of discrimination.
According to a recent study by the Claims Conference, approximately 245,000 Holocaust survivors are still alive today, scattered across more than 90 countries. However, their numbers are rapidly dwindling, as most are elderly and in frail health, with a median age of 86. This reality further emphasizes the urgency of capturing and sharing their stories before they are lost forever.
"This passing reminds us of the urgency of sharing the lessons of the Holocaust while we still have first-hand witnesses with us," Schneider said. "The Holocaust is slipping from memory to history, and its lessons are too important, especially in today’s world, to be forgotten."
Girone’s personal story is one of courage, resourcefulness, and unwavering determination to protect her family. In 1937, she married Julius Mannheim through an arranged marriage. In 1938, while nine months pregnant and living in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), the Nazis came to take Mannheim to the Buchenwald concentration camp. In a moment of quick thinking, she asked her husband to leave his car keys with her. When one Nazi ordered her to be taken as well, another refused, saying, "She’s pregnant, leave her alone."
The following morning, her father-in-law was also arrested, leaving Girone alone with their housekeeper. After her daughter, Reha, was born in 1938, Girone managed to obtain Chinese visas from relatives in London, which she used to secure her husband’s release from Buchenwald. This remarkable feat of determination saved her husband from almost certain death.
With little more than clothing and some linens, the family boarded a ship to Japanese-occupied Shanghai when Reha was only six months old. They faced immense hardship and uncertainty in Shanghai. Initially, her husband made a living by buying and selling secondhand goods. He later saved enough money to buy a car and start a taxi business, while Girone knitted and sold sweaters to supplement their income.
However, their relative safety was short-lived. In 1941, Jewish refugees in Shanghai were rounded up into a ghetto, forcing the family of three to cram into a bathroom in a house, infested with roaches and bed bugs. Her father-in-law arrived shortly before World War II began, but he succumbed to illness and died soon after.
Life in the ghetto was marked by scarcity and oppression. They had to wait in long lines for food and lived under the control of a ruthless Japanese man who called himself "King of the Jews." Girone recounted the brutality of the Japanese military, saying, "They did really horrible things to people. One of our friends got killed because he wouldn’t move fast enough."
Information about the war in Europe was scarce, as British radios were prohibited. The family lived in a constant state of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure of the fate of their loved ones and the future of the world.
After the war ended, they began receiving mail from Girone’s mother, grandmother, and other relatives in the United States. With their assistance, they boarded a ship to San Francisco in 1947 with only $80, which Girone cleverly concealed inside buttons. They arrived in New York City later that year, ready to begin a new chapter in their lives.
In New York, Girone started a knitting store with the help of her mother, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and determination to build a better future for her family. She was also reunited with her brother, who had gone to France for school and later obtained U.S. citizenship by joining the Army. The reunion at the airport marked the first time she had seen him in 17 years.
Girone later divorced Mannheim and, in 1968, met Jack Girone, whom she married the following year. He died in 1990.
When asked in 1996 what message she would like to leave for her daughter and granddaughter, Girone offered words of wisdom born from a life marked by both profound suffering and enduring hope. "Nothing is so very bad that something good shouldn’t come out of it," she said. "No matter what it is."
Rose Girone’s life was a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of preserving the memories of the Holocaust. Her story will continue to inspire generations to fight against hatred and intolerance and to strive for a world where such atrocities never happen again. Her legacy will live on through the stories she shared and the lessons she taught.
My father survived the Holocaust. Censorship didn’t stop the Nazis, it helped them.
