Ruth Brand was born Rifka Szabo and is a survivor of the Holocaust.

She was born in 1928 and came from Cozia, which at the time was called Rumania. She was with her brother, sister, mother, grandmother, and cousins when they loaded her up on the trains cattle cars to be taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp. They were on the train for three days and nights. You could imagine her fear about getting told to leave her home and incorporate with the people that were chauffeuring her to a place unfamiliar; hearing about nasty rumors going around concerning Jewish people getting killed. When they all got off the train her family and others were sorted through by Mengele and German officers. A ghastly stench hit the people as they viewed tall chimneys with smoke and fire shooting from the tops; they had no idea that this would be the end of their lives. There was a sorting and selection process the people had to go through. While this selection process condemned the Jewish people to death, Rifka was one of the few 12% - 15% selected to survive because she looked strong enough to work. Rifka was ordered to undress, was shaven, and thrown into cold showers. She was told her family was dead and burned. She and the other workers were given a thin dress and cap to wear as their uniform. The consequences of surviving were she and the others had to clean out the ashes from the fires. She was selected to be the supervisor of the workers. She would yell at them that they could take breaks and that show would let them know if the Germans were coming soon that they may get back to work and not get caught resting. Some of the officers heard her yelling to the workers but not knowing what she was saying praised her for her yelling at the other workers; she got extra soup for this. What came of Rifka in the end was she got saved and went to America and married a young Army man who saw what they Nazis had done to her and her people and would help her get to Palestine so that she may help to build Israel. She was married and had 4 sons. Some of her family photos survived only because she sent some to her uncles in America when her family was still alive and well. She will be forever haunted by her past.

I was age six and already a sales lady, with a step stool of course to reach the counter, to reach the scales. But uh, we were never children. (Szabo) It was three days and three nights of this unbelievable situation.. In theses conditions there were people who went off their minds, there were people who gave birth, and there were people who died. (Szabo)

Szabo, Rifka. Personal Interview. 26 Nov 1997.