Melissa

With great sadness, we received information about the passing of Auschwitz Survivor Julia Wallach, who died at the age of 101. Julia Wallach, née Kac, was born on 14 June 1925 in Paris as the only daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants. During the German occupation of France in July 1942, her mother Marie was arrested in the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup. Julia never saw her again. On 24 April 1943, Julia and her father Joseph were arrested after being denounced. They were imprisoned in Drancy. On 23 June 1943, they were deported to Auschwitz in transport no. 55. Julia was 18 years old. In the camp, she was registered as prisoner no. 46645. Her father did not survive. Julia owed her survival in part to one of her cousins, whom she met there, and who advised her never to miss work, under any circumstances, or she too would go "up the chimney". Julia listened and went to work, even though she was extremely ill with typhus. In January 1945, she was taken on an evacuation march. During the following months, she was transferred westward, including to Ravensbrück. In April 1945, she managed to escape during a death march and eventually reached American soldiers. After the war, she recovered the family apartment in Paris, married a fellow survivor, and raised two children. From the 1960s onward, and with growing intensity in recent decades, Wallach spoke regularly in schools and public events about her deportation and life in Auschwitz. In the 2020s her testimony reached wider audiences through films made by her granddaughter, filmmaker Frankie Wallach. In 2022, she was awarded the Légion d’honneur for her educational work. May her memory be a blessing. Photo: thelastones.org/temoin/julia…