Rose Girone, Oldest Known Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 113 – A Life of Survival and Resilience.
Rose Girone, believed to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor, has passed away at 113. A fierce advocate for Holocaust remembrance, Girone dedicated much of her life to sharing her story and ensuring history would not be forgotten.
The Claims Conference, an organization focused on securing justice for Holocaust survivors, confirmed her passing on Monday in New York.
A Life Marked by Survival
Born on January 13, 1912, in Janow, Poland, Girone moved to Hamburg, Germany, at the age of six. Like millions of other European Jews, she saw her world change forever when the Nazis came to power in 1933.
In 1938, while nine months pregnant, she watched as the Nazis arrested her husband, Julius Mannheim, and sent him to Buchenwald concentration camp. She narrowly avoided arrest herself due to her pregnancy. Determined to save her family, she secured Chinese visas through relatives in London, allowing them to flee to Japanese-occupied Shanghai—one of the few places accepting Jewish refugees at the time.
Life in Shanghai, however, was far from safe. By 1941, Jewish refugees were confined to a ghetto, living in cramped, unsanitary conditions. Girone, her husband, and their newborn daughter endured hunger, disease, and brutal treatment under a ruthless Japanese commander known as the “King of the Jews.”
Starting Over in America
After the war, Girone’s family finally found hope. In 1947, with only $80 hidden inside buttons, they boarded a ship to San Francisco before settling in New York City. There, she opened a knitting store with her mother, slowly rebuilding her life.
She later divorced Mannheim and remarried Jack Girone in 1969, a union that lasted until his passing in 1990.
A Legacy That Lives On
As one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors, Girone spent years sharing her story, ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust would not be lost to history. In a 1996 interview with the USC Shoah Foundation, she reflected on her experiences and the lessons she wanted to pass down.
Her message to future generations:
“Nothing is so very bad that something good shouldn’t come out of it. No matter what it is.”
Why Her Story Matters
With Holocaust survivors rapidly dwindling—the median age now 86—Girone’s passing marks another transition from living memory to history.
Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, emphasized the urgency of keeping their stories alive:
“The Holocaust is slipping from memory to history, and its lessons are too important, especially in today’s world, to be forgotten.”
Rose Girone’s 113 years were marked by unimaginable hardship, resilience, and hope. Her legacy lives on as a testament to the strength of the human spirit—and a reminder of why history must never be forgotten.
