Ruth Minsky Sender

Ruth Minsky Sender
Ruth Minsky Sender
Born	Rifkele Riva Minska; 3 May 1926 (age 97); Holocaust survivor, memoirist

Ruth Minsky Senderowicz (born 3 May 1926) is a

The Cage, To Life and Holocaust Lady

.

Early life

Rifkele Riva Minska was born in Łódź, Poland to Avromele and Nacha Minska. Riva was born on May 3, 1926. She was the fourth of seven children: Chanele, Yankele, and Mala preceded her; brothers Motele, Moishele, and Laibele followed her. Riva's father, Avromele Minska died shortly after Moishele's birth.

World War II

Before the

Lodz Ghetto, where younger brother Laibele contracted tuberculosis. On September 10, 1942, their mother was taken out of the ghetto during a Nazi raid, leaving Riva to care for her younger brothers. She adopted them to keep the family together, which lasted until Laibele died and Riva, Motele, and Moishele were rounded up with the other remaining Jews in the ghetto and sent to Auschwitz

. Riva and her brothers were separated at the gates.

After a week, Riva was transported to a labor camp in

moved to the United States of America

and started a family.

Post-war

After liberation, Ruth returned to Łódź with friends from the camp. They found that their former homes were occupied by people who had acquired the homes after the Jewish removal. Ruth and her friends decided to flee upon learning that Jewish survivors of the camps were targets for murder. They stayed in an abandoned apartment with other survivors.

The newlywed couple arranged to be taken to a

displaced persons camp

in Germany, where the couple gave birth to sons Laibele and Avromele. Also while at the camp, Ruth was reunited with her brother and sisters (Chanele, Yankele, and Mala) that escaped to Russia.

Afterward the family emigrated to the United States, where two more children, Chaim and Nachele (Nancy), were born. The family settled in Commack, New York and later Setauket, New York and as of 2023, she still resides there with her husband.^[1]^[2] She occasionally speaks on her story; specifically at H.B. Mattlin Middle School, a large middle school in Plainview, New York; where her sister Chanele’s children went to school.^[3]^[4]

Published works

The Cage (Macmillan
, 1986)

To Life (Macmillan, 1988)

The Holocaust Lady (Macmillan, 1999)

References

^ Sender, Ruth Minsky (27 March 1988). "LONG ISLAND OPINION; A Survivor's Duty Is Not to Forget". New York Times. Ruth Minsky Sender lives in Commack.
^ "About The Author". Simonandschuster.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020. She lives with her husband in Setauket, New York. She had three grown sons and a daughter and several grandchildren.
^ "Smithtown Students Inspired By Survivor's Story". Simonandschuster.com. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
^ "Plainview-Old Bethpage School District Learn Personal Historic Lesson From a Holocaust Survivor". 16 April 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[1] Sender, Ruth Minsky (27 March 1988). "LONG ISLAND OPINION; A Survivor's Duty Is Not to Forget". New York Times. Ruth Minsky Sender lives in Commack.

[2] "About The Author". Simonandschuster.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020. She lives with her husband in Setauket, New York. She had three grown sons and a daughter and several grandchildren.

[3] "Smithtown Students Inspired By Survivor's Story". Simonandschuster.com. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.

[4] "Plainview-Old Bethpage School District Learn Personal Historic Lesson From a Holocaust Survivor". 16 April 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

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