This Is Kurt Klein - American Soldier, Rescuer, And Then Husband Of Gerda Weissmann
Gerda Weissmann Klein endured three years across various Nazi concentration camps. In the latter part of January 1945, Gerda, along with 4,000 other Jewish women, was compelled to undertake a 350-mile death march to escape the advancing Allied forces.
By the beginning of May, Gerda was among the mere 120 women who had survived. The remainder, including several childhood friends, had perished due to exhaustion, starvation, arbitrary executions, and exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Gerda was just one day away from her 21st birthday when she was liberated by American soldiers. Weighing merely 68 lbs. (30.84 kg), her hair had turned almost white, her garments were ragged and infested with lice, and she had not bathed in three years.
She later recounted the moment she saw the man who would save her life:
"I was standing in the doorway of that factory, aware that I was free. I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle descending the hill, adorned with the white star of the American army on its bonnet. Two men in unfamiliar uniforms were seated inside, whom we presumed to be Americans. One of the men approached me, and I gazed at him with a mix of immense admiration and disbelief, realising I was facing someone who had fought for our cause. Naturally, I was profoundly scared. I told him, 'we are Jewish.' After a lengthy pause, he replied, 'so am I.' That was the most extraordinary moment of my life. He invited me to accompany him, courteously holding the door open for me. He has continued to hold the door open for me for 50 years as my husband."
Gerda wed Kurt Klein in Paris before relocating to Buffalo, New York, where they went on to have three children and eight grandchildren.
Gerda turned into a human rights advocate and authored her autobiography, "All But My Life."
This Is Kurt Klein - American Soldier, Rescuer, And Then Husband Of Gerda Weissmann
Gerda Weissmann Klein endured three years across various Nazi concentration camps. In the latter part of January 1945, Gerda, along with 4,000 other Jewish women, was compelled to undertake a 350-mile death march to escape the advancing Allied forces.
By the beginning of May, Gerda was among the mere 120 women who had survived. The remainder, including several childhood friends, had perished due to exhaustion, starvation, arbitrary executions, and exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Gerda was just one day away from her 21st birthday when she was liberated by American soldiers. Weighing merely 68 lbs. (30.84 kg), her hair had turned almost white, her garments were ragged and infested with lice, and she had not bathed in three years.
She later recounted the moment she saw the man who would save her life:
"I was standing in the doorway of that factory, aware that I was free. I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle descending the hill, adorned with the white star of the American army on its bonnet. Two men in unfamiliar uniforms were seated inside, whom we presumed to be Americans. One of the men approached me, and I gazed at him with a mix of immense admiration and disbelief, realising I was facing someone who had fought for our cause. Naturally, I was profoundly scared. I told him, 'we are Jewish.' After a lengthy pause, he replied, 'so am I.' That was the most extraordinary moment of my life. He invited me to accompany him, courteously holding the door open for me. He has continued to hold the door open for me for 50 years as my husband."
Gerda wed Kurt Klein in Paris before relocating to Buffalo, New York, where they went on to have three children and eight grandchildren.
Gerda turned into a human rights advocate and authored her autobiography, "All But My Life."