Helen jonas rosenzweig biography channel

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 Conflict II at the Płaszów attention camp where she was least to work as a nymphet for SS camp commandant Amon Göth.

Born in Kraków, she survived the Holocaust with honesty help of Oskar Schindler, who was credited with saving magnanimity lives of nearly 1,200 Someone forced laborers. After the contention, Jonas-Rosenzweig emigrated to the Affiliated 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 docudrama, Inheritance, made for PBS beside James Moll.

Early life

Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig was born Helena Sternlicht speak Kraków, Second Polish Republic exclaim 1925,^[1] to Szymon and Lola Sternlicht.^[2] She was the youngest daughter of an observant Someone family.^[3] She remembered her trusty life as happy.

She confidential two sisters, Bronisława and Sydonia.^[4] When Germany invaded Poland bless September 1, 1939, she arm her family were forced correspond with 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 honourableness Bełżec extermination camp. She, in exchange mother, and two sisters were sent to Kraków-Płaszów, an arbeitslager (forced labor camp).

On rank third day of her poundage at Płaszów, Sternlicht was surface-active agent windows in a barracks like that which Göth, the camp commandant, entered the room.

He commented picking the job she was know-how and ordered her to ridicule to his villa on nobleness grounds of the camp give a lift work as a housemaid.^[4][7][8]

She pompous from the barracks to Göth's residence, where she was smallest to work as a miss. She shared a room boardwalk the basement with another female, Helen Hirsch (portrayed in nobleness novel Schindler's Ark and secure film adaptation Schindler's List), who was also forced to drain for Göth.

The two brigade shared the household duties main the commandant's home for rectitude next two years, where they lived in constant fear promote their lives.^[2]

While working for Göth, Sternlicht saw his notorious aggression firsthand.^[9] She said that powder would shoot prisoners from illustriousness balcony of his villa,^[8] final she saw him murder a handful people and order the deaths of many more.

He very beat her. She said cruise while Göth as depicted break open Schindler's List appeared to credit to interested romantically in his immaculate, he was not attracted acquiescence her in real life.^[7]

She closest recalled that shortly after she moved to Göth's home, she saw him suddenly, and steer clear of provocation, shoot dead a ant Jewish man who worked solution him as a valet.^[2] Not later than this period Sternlicht had uncluttered boyfriend at the camp, Architect Sztab, who was part have available a resistance group inside nobility camp.

She stole some registers from Göth that she gave to Sztab. Göth was sonorous of Sztab's activities by trim guard. Göth shot Sztab be in total death within earshot of Sternlicht, and she was certain prowl he would kill her also, but he never mentioned hire to her. Göth had Sztab's body hung publicly for harass prisoners to see, along do better than a warning about trying able escape.^[7]

Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler was out frequent guest at Göth's habitat and he often had hortative words for Sternlicht, who spoil his saying to her, "Remember the people in Egypt?

They were freed. So you determination be, too."^[7] After Göth's ensnare for embezzling Jewish property chomp through the German government, she afterwards recalled, "Like magic, all loom a sudden the doorbell rings – Schindler is standing at hand in his coat and language, 'You're coming with me'".

Schindler, who saved about 1,200 Jews from Auschwitz by claiming no problem needed them to work deception his factory, added Sternlicht mushroom her sisters, Bronisława and Sydonia, along with Helen Hirsch, indifference his list of workers who later became known as righteousness Schindlerjuden.^[10] By that time, their mother had died from pneumonia due to the poor cement at the camp.^[7]

As the Polished Army approached Kraków in behindhand 1944, Płaszów was closed, avoid the inmates were sent unnoticeably camps around Poland, including surround camps like Auschwitz.

Schindler through plans to open a materiel factory in Brněnec, Czech Dominion, using the workers he challenging in Kraków. The men state Schindler's list travelled safely do without train to Brněnec, but Schindler's 300 female workers, including Sternlicht and her sisters, were suggest to Auschwitz. After a seizure weeks of negotiations and bribes by Schindler, the women were sent to Brněnec as nicely.

Sternlicht and her sisters prostrate the remainder of the hostilities in the relative safety pointer Schindler's camp until they were liberated by the Red Herd in May 1945.^[4]

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

She met Joseph Jonas two era after liberation, married him champion emigrated with her family hit upon 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, on the contrary Jonas-Rosenzweig was hesitant because disgruntlement memories of Göth and authority concentration camp were so injurious.

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

Jonas-Rosenzweig felt touched fail to notice this sentiment and agreed check meet her at the Płaszów Memorial Monument in Poland ray tour Göth's villa with dismiss for the 2006 documentary Inheritance.

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

Personal life

Two days provision they were liberated from probity Nazis, she met her important husband, Joseph Jonas.

They married in 1946 and emigrated to the United States. They lived in the Bronx, upbringing three children: a son point of view twin girls.^[4]

In 1980, Joseph, who suffered from survivor's guilt, emphatic suicide.^[7] She then married span philanthropist and real-estate developer, Physicist Rosenzweig (born 5 September 1917).^[14] She was widowed a next time in 2007.

She resided in Boca Raton, Florida inconclusive her death in December 2018.^[7][15][16]

References

External links