San Antonio Survivor - Rose Sherman Williams

Rose Williams was born in Radom, Poland. She and her 3 siblings, a younger sister and brother and an older brother along with her parents, had a lovely life in Radom. Her father owned a leather factory. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Rose’s life as a twelve year old was changed forever.

The Sherman family was forced to move out of their home and move into a ghetto. There the entire family lived in one room. In 1942, the ghetto was liquidated and Rose was separated from her family and sent to another town in Poland where she worked in an ammunition factory. During this time she learned that her parents perished. From there she was sent to Auschwitz where she received her tattoo. Life in Auschwitz was extremely hard for Rose. Because she had no shoes, her feet became frostbitten and full of sores. However, it was also in Auschwitz where she was reunited with her sister, Binne. Towards the end of the war, she was forced to march to Bergen-Belsen, the worst camp that Rose had witnessed. On April 15, 1945 she was liberated by British troops.

After liberation, she worked in Stuttgart, Germany until arriving in the United States.

Rose has recently published her memoir, Letters To Rose, written with Rebecca Hoag and Robin Philbrick.