Rose Girone, oldest living Holocaust survivor, dies at 113

Rose Girone, the oldest living Holocaust survivor and a passionate advocate for sharing survivors’ stories, has passed away at the age of 113. Her death was confirmed by the Claims Conference, a New York-based organization dedicated to Jewish material claims against Germany.

Born on January 13, 1912, in Janow, Poland, Girone and her family later moved to Hamburg, Germany when she was just 6 years old. In a filmed interview with the USC Shoah Foundation in 1996, she recounted how her life changed dramatically when Hitler rose to power in 1933, bringing an end to any career plans she may have had.

Girone was one of the few remaining survivors of the Holocaust, with only about 245,000 survivors still living worldwide. Their numbers are dwindling rapidly as most are now elderly and in fragile health, with a median age of 86. The atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators resulted in the deaths of six million European Jews and other minority groups.

Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, emphasized the importance of continuing to share the lessons of the Holocaust in Girone’s memory. He stressed that as the survivors pass away, it is crucial to ensure that their stories are not forgotten and that the world remembers the horrors of the Holocaust.

Girone’s own story is one of resilience and courage. Married to Julius Mannheim in 1937 through an arranged marriage, she found herself pregnant and alone in Breslau, Poland when the Nazis came to take her husband to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Despite the hardships she faced, Girone managed to secure her husband’s release with the help of Chinese visas from relatives in London.

Fleeing to Japan-occupied Shanghai with her husband and newborn daughter, Girone and her family endured difficult conditions in a ghetto before eventually immigrating to the United States in 1947. Settling in New York City, she started a successful knitting business with her mother and was reunited with her brother, who had become a U.S. citizen after serving in the Army.

Girone’s resilience and determination to rebuild her life after the horrors of the Holocaust serve as a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit. Her message of finding light in the darkest of times is one that resonates with all who hear her story.

In 1968, Girone remarried Jack Girone and continued to live a full and meaningful life. Despite the challenges she faced, she remained hopeful and optimistic, leaving a legacy of courage and resilience for her daughter and granddaughter.

As we mourn the loss of Rose Girone, we are reminded of the importance of preserving the stories of Holocaust survivors and ensuring that the lessons of history are never forgotten. May her memory be a blessing and may her story inspire future generations to stand up against hatred and injustice.