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Irene Furst (z”l)

October 1, 1921 – November 30, 2019

Birthplace: Lodz, Poland
Religious Identity: Jewish

“My father was separated from us in Auschwitz and he was sent to a concentration camp. I don’t remember the name, and he died there…so did most of my family.”

Irene Furst grew up in Lodz, Poland in a secular Jewish family during World War II. Irene was studying at the University in Krakow when the Nazis invaded Poland. Without a choice, she quit her studies and returned home. Irene and her family were forced into the Lodz ghetto in 1940 and remained there until 1944. Irene’s mother died there. After being deported to Auschwitz in 1944, Irene and her sister were separated from their father and would never see him again. The two sisters were sent together to the Stutthof concentration camp. Here, Irene lost her sister to Typhus. After the war, Irene met her late husband, Gilbert, in Germany and they decided to come
to the United States because he had family living in Baltimore, Maryland. They settled with distant relatives and began a new life.

“The most important thing is family, friends, and love. That’s the way I feel. I used to be a speaker talking about my experiences, my Holocaust story. They asked me whether I hate the Germans, if I hated the Germans; hate is a very disturbing emotion. I don’t want to hate, but I will never forgive them for what they did but we want to go on with our own life.”

-Biography from “In Celebration of Life: The Living Legacy Project” (2016)

The Holocaust Testimony Project

More about Irene

Irene Furst’s obituary | Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

Oral history interview with Irene Furst | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Holocaust Survivor Speaks to Middle School Students | Shady Side Academy