Jewish Holocaust Survivor Reunited With Rescuer
Sixty-one years ago, Ruth Gamzer Gruener was eight years old and living in Lvov, Poland (now part of Ukraine). For eight months, during the Holocaust, Joanna Szcygiel Zalucka's parents allowed Ruth to hide in their daughter's bedroom, behind Joanna's trunk or under her bed. As a result of the Szcygiels care, Ruth survived the Holocaust. In 1953, Ruth and her parents moved to Brooklyn. Ruth and Joanna did not see each other again until Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005.
Thanks to the Manhattan-based Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, Gruener and Zalucka were reunited for the first time since 1944.
Joanna, 82, of Wroclaw, Poland met Ruth at JFK International airport in New York on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. The two women, who share an extraordinary bond, will both be honored at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, November 29th.
Upon meeting Joanna again Ruth sobbed. Gruener said, "It is just so wonderful that no words can describe how I feel."
Zalucka called it a miracle. It was a miracle that Gruener survived.
Gruener and her parents were the only ones from an extended family of 300 who survived the Holocaust.
On November 8th 1941, the Germans ordered the establishment of a ghetto in Lvov. This was a signal to Ruth's parents, Barbara and Isaac Gamzer, that their situation was dire.
Deportations had begun. Children were often among those targeted.
Joanna's father and mother agreed to hide Isaac and Barbara's daughter. The Szcygiels also had two other daughters, Maria and Helena, to care for, in addition to Joanna and Ruth.
Mr. and Mrs. Gruener placed their daughter in the Zalucka's Christian home because they feared the Nazis would deport or kill their daughter.
Every day for eight months, the Szygiels risked their lives to protect and ultimately save Ruth.
Twice during Ruth's hiding at the Szcygiels she was nearly discovered. Joanna's sisters both had boyfriends who supported the Nazis. On a number of occasions, these men came close to meeting Ruth in the Szygiel's apartment.
Joanna took special care of Gruener. She bathed Ruth, combed her hair and helped teach her how to read and write.
After eight months, Ruth went to the home of another Christian family. At the Ojaks' home Ruth went into hiding with her parents. For the next two years, Joanna brought food to the Ojaks. When the Soviet Army liberated Lvov in July 1944, the Grueners came out of hiding.
Ruth spent so much time immobilized that she had to relearn how to walk normally.
After the war, Ruth and her family went to Munich, Germany. From Germany they moved to Brooklyn.
Over the years, Ruth and Joanna have corresponded but the pair has never met. In 1953, Joanna shared in the joy of Ruth's marriage to another Holocaust survivor, Jack Gruener. Jack Gruener survived 10 Nazi concentration camps.
Joanna took pleasure in learning that Ruth and Jack had two sons together. The couple now has four grandchildren.
Today, it is also a miracle that the two women have lived long enough to be reunited.
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous hosted Joanna's trip to New York to be reunited with her surrogate sister.
Yesterday, Gruebner hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the woman to whom she owes her life.
Gruebner said: "I cannot fully express how grateful I am to Joanna and her family. They opened their hearts and home to me, knowing that if they were caught, they would be killed as well."
"The generosity and bravery that people like Joanna and her family displayed during the Holocaust is what have allowed me to live and build a wonderful family of my own."
"I am so thankful to hear and The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous for making this special reunion possible."
Zalucka will spend the next two weeks in New York with Gruener and her family.