Ella Blumenthal, a survivor with a story to tell

Evelyn Kaplan, along with her three siblings, was born of a woman who by all accounts, should not been alive.

Thrust into violence, her mother, Ella Blumenthal survived two death camps as well as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Evelyn, accompanied by her daughter, Danielle Katz, were part of a commemorative ceremony held at Westpark Cemetery, of which saw the observation of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising which took place on April 19 1943.

Ella, who is the youngest of seven, was born in Warsaw and described herself as a naughty child who lived a good childhood until Poland was invaded by the Nazis. In a video testimony broadcasted on the day, she recounted how on the day of the uprising, the Nazis conducted their routine search for Jews through the ghetto, “Suddenly they were met with Molotov cocktails and gunfire coming down from rooftops and windows. The Warsaw uprising was formed and the Germans were taken by surprise,” she said. Unfortunately, even with this surprise they still couldn’t stand up against the German army. “The sight of a burning ghetto is forever etched in my eyes. I could never erase it,” she said tearfully.

The holocaust survivor also faced a gas chamber. While in there, she held onto the hand of her niece, and whispered to her ‘don’t be afraid, I don’t think it will hurt.’ In that moment she came to terms with the idea that they would soon be reunited with the many family members they had already lost. But, in one quick moment the heavy doors of that gas chamber sprung opened and at it a man stood who said ‘you are not going to be gassed’ words that none of them believed at first, “But today I am here telling you its a miracle. A miracle that I am even sharing this,” she said.

Evelyn said she grew up to understand that there was a vulnerability about her mother that needed to protect, and that she would for the rest of her life. When she was little girl Evelyn would ask her mother of the framed black and white photo that was displayed on her mantle piece. It was only when she was old enough to understand that Ella shared the people in that picture was her family and that that was the only remnants of them.

From being one of two of her immediate family to survive the holocaust, to now having four children, 11 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren, Ella, whose memoir, I am Ella, was just released, has lived a life many could not even fathom. She has lived in South Africa since 1948 and is a feisty, 101 year-old who is full of vigour.

(Trailer of a documentary on Ella’s life [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJffwoQ4y84])

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