Julia Wallach

Julia Wallach

Julia Wallach was born Julia Kac on June 14, 1925 in Paris, France.

She was the only Daughter of Polish Jewish Immigrants living in France.

Julia was 14 years old when the Germans invaded and occupied Paris in June 1940.

Julia’s Mother, Marie, was arrested during the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup and Julia never saw her again.

The Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (French:  la rafle du Vel' d'Hiv' and German: Rafle du Vélodrome d’Hiver) took place on July 16-17, 1942 in German-Occupied Paris.

French Nazi Collaborators including 9,000 Paris Policemen, arrested 13,152 Jews including 4,114 Children in Paris and kept them at the Vélodrome d'Hiver (an Indoor Bicycle Racing Track) in Paris before being sent to the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland.

Only 100 of the 9,038 Adult Jews arrested during the Roundup survived the War.

None of the 4,114 Jewish Children arrested during the Roundup survived the War.

On April 1943 Julia and were Father, Joseph, who were in hiding, were denounced as Jews and arrested.

They were imprisoned at the Drancy Internment Camp outside of Paris.

On June 23, 1943 both were deported to the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland on Transport Number 55.

Of the 1,008 Men, Women and Children deported from Drancy to Auschwitz on Transport Number 55 with Julia and her Father 518 of them were gassed immediately upon arrival at the Camp.

383 Men and 217 Women were selected for Forced Labor including Julia.

Her Father, Joseph, died (it is not known if he was gassed upon arriving at Auschwitz or from doing Forced Labor there.)

Julia was registered as Prisoner Number: 46645 at Auschwitz.

Julia survived in Auschwitz until she was made to go on a Death March in January 1945 (because the Soviet Red Army was close to liberating the Death Camp.)

She walked in the snow and cold with 58,000 other Prisoners.

Anyone who stopped was shot dead by the Germans.

Julia ended up in the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp 56 miles from Berlin.

As the Soviets again came close to liberating Ravensbrück Julia was sent on another Death March in April 1945 from which she escaped and eventually reached American Soldiers.

She was 19 years old when the War ended in May 1945.

After the War Julia went back to Paris and recovered her Family’s Apartment (which many Survivors in Postwar Europe were not allowed to do.)

On July 27, 1945 Julia married Marcel Wallach, another Holocaust Survivor, and had two Children.

From the 1960s onwards she regularly spoke about the Holocaust and what happed to her.

In  2022 Julia was awarded France’s Légion d’honneur.

Julia Wallach died on September 23, 2026 at the age of 101.