Zuzana Růžičková (Czechia, 1927-2017), Holocuast survivor
Zuzana Růžičková (F / Czechia, 1927-2017) was a Holocaust child survivor.
She was the author of One Hundred Miracles (2019)
- <Czechia> <Theresienstadt> <Auschwitz> <Theresienstadt Family Camp> <Bergen-Belsen> <Liberation of Bergen-Belsen>
NOTES : Zuzana Růžičková was born in Plzeň, Czechia, to a Jewish family. Deported to Theresienstadt in 1942, she was then sent to Auschwitz in December 1943, where she remained in the Terezin family camp until liquidation. She was sent with her mother to Germany and ultimately ended in Bergen-Belsen, until liberation. A talented harpsichordist since her childhood, after the war, she could resume her musical studies, and become an internationally acclaimed performer. She lived and died in Prague.
Biography
By Christopher J. McClendon (University of Michigan, April 2020)
Zuzanna Ruzickova was born January 14th,1927 in Plzn, Czechoslovakia. Her family owned a department store and her father had spent 4 years in Chicago during the 1920’s working at the Ginsburg department store. She learned English from her father who returned to Czechoslovakia from Chicago. She began taking piano lessons as a reward for her recovery from pneumonia. She was invited to be a pupil of Wana Landowska’s in Paris but due to the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938, she was unable to attend.
In 1941, the gestapo began organizing transports from Plzen to Terezin. At 13, Zuzana was among Jewish children used by the gestapo to deliver invitations to members of the town’s Jewish community, informing them of the date they would be deported. She later describes this as seeing life at its very worst stating that it was a nightmare. In 1942, Zuzana and her family were forcibly relocated from Plzen to Theresienstadt by train.
Upon arriving at Theresienstadt, Zuzana met Fredy Hirsch, a 25-year-old German Jew, who assumed the responsibility of caring for the camp's children by arranging activities and exercise for them. Zuzana along with other children in the camp did agricultural work, applying manure to fields and working in vegetable gardens. Because of this, she was able to sneak food to her family from the gardens. Her father died in Spring of 1943, but she was able to remain close with her mother. In December 1943, the 2 of them were sent to Auschwitz. Zuzana was given the option to stay in Theresienstadt but did not want to be separated from her mother.
After arriving at Auschwitz, she along with the other prisoners were stripped and tattooed. They were then forced to sign a document stating that they had been arrested in Theresienstadt for anti German activities. Soon after her arrival, she was reunited with Fredy Hirsh who advised her to lie about her age saying that she was 16 rather than 15. Zuzana later credited Hirsch with her survival, as if she hadn’t lied about her age she likely would have been gassed. Zuzana began working with Hirsch as a teaching assistant, keeping her from more dangerous jobs and giving her protection against the various diseases in the camp.
After going through another selection process, Zuzana and her mother were sent to Hamburg, Germany. In Hamburg, Zuzanna worked protecting and repairing oil pipelines as well as maintaining gas tanks. She was able to remain with her mother, but suffered greatly from hunger and dangerous working conditions. However, she was able to earn extra food from other prisoners by singing for them. In January of 1945, Zuzana was moved to the Tiefstack sub camp where she worked in a cement factory. At the end of February, Zuzana and other laborers were transported to Bergen- Belsen. Zuzana later commented that if there was a hell, this was the lowest part. Bergen-Belsen was an extermination camp meant for them to die in. At this point during the war, the camp was disorganized, overcrowded, and stricken with disease. When her mother fell ill, Zuzana was forced to sneak out of the camp to gather turnips in order to survive. In April 1945, Zuzana and the other prisoners who could still walk were ordered to march from the camp to a railway station 2 miles away. When they returned to the camp and woke the next morning, the guards had abandoned the camp leaving no food and disconnecting the water supply.
On April 15th, British and Canadian Soldiers arrived at Bergen-Belsen. Zuzana became ill after eating the rations provided by the soldiers. Their body’s had not yet adjusted to digesting real food again. She was taken to a hospital and treated. Since she spoke English as well as other languages, she was able to work as a translator for the medical staff as she recovered. Although her mother remained ill, the 2 of them were able to return to Czechoslovakia together. Zuzana would go on to study at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and become a world renowned musician.