80: Vilma Grunwald

 80: Vilma Grunwald

 80 years ago today (July 11, 1944) a Czechoslovak Mother and Wife - Vilma Grunwald - about to knowingly die in the Gas Chamber wrote a letter.

She could have survived the Selection, but didn’t want to have her 16 year old disabled son, John, spend his last minutes alone, so she went with him to the Gas Chamber at the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland and wrote a short letter to her Husband and her 11 year old Son, Frank, in another part of the Camp that was later delivered to them.

Vilma Grunwald's note of July 11, 1944: “You, my only one, dearest, in isolation we are waiting for darkness. We considered the possibility of hiding but decided not to do it since we felt it would be hopeless. The famous trucks are already here and we are waiting for it to begin. I am completely calm. You — my only and dearest one, do not blame yourself for what happened, it was our destiny. We did what we could. Stay healthy and remember my words that time will heal — if not completely — then — at least partially. Take care of the little golden boy and don’t spoil him too much with your love. Both of you — stay healthy, my dear ones. I will be thinking of you and Misa. Have a fabulous life, we must board the trucks. Into eternity, Vilma."

The Grunwalds arrived to Auschwitz from Theresienstadt where they lived in the Czechoslovak Family Camp. For those who don’t know: The Germans kept a "Model Ghetto" at Theresienstadt (Terezín) in German-occupied Czechoslovakia for the sole purpose of showing the International Red Cross how well the Germans were treating the Jews.

The façade of Theresienstadt was made to resemble an ordinary European town while behind the fake paint and fake food used for the cameras the residents were starving and dying as with any German-run Ghetto during the war.

After the International Red Cross visited Theresienstadt in 1943 most of the Ghetto was then shipped to Auschwitz where a few were selected for work. The rest were then kept together (whole families while the International Red Cross team that visited Theresienstadt went to Auschwitz in 1944. The IRC were only allowed to see the one set of barracks.)

After the IRC visit everyone in those barracks were taken immediately to the Gas Chambers - 6,500 from the Family Camp between July 10-12, 1944. Of the 17,517 Jews deported to the Czechoslovak Family Camp, only 1,294 survived the war.

You can see more about the letter and about the other Son, Frank (who survived) in the documentary “Misa's Fugue.”

Here is a picture with the letter and John, Vilma and Frank (before the war.)