Elly Gross
Encyclopedia
Elly Berkovits Gross is a Jewish Holocaust
survivor and author of several Holocaust related books of poetry and prose. She currently resides in the United States, where she is a frequent invited speaker at museums and schools around the country.
, Romania
to Eugene and Irina Berkovits. In 1942, her father was inducted by the invading Hungarian forces into a forced labor camp, where he perished on the Russian front. Elly and her remaining family, her mother and younger brother Adalbert, were taken to Cehei ghetto 'the day after Pesach' in 1944 along with most other Jews in Sălaj County
. Six weeks later, her family, along with thousands of other Jews were transported via cattle cars to Auschwitz concentration camp
. She was separated from her mother and brother, and never saw either again. Elly credits her survival of the camp to 'miracles', noting that few others of her age group survived the ordeal.
Elly was transferred to Fallersleben, a part of the Neuengamme concentration camp, where she perform slave labor for Volkswagen until she was liberated at Salzwedel
by the Allies on April 14, 1945. Elly returned to her home town, where she soon married family friend Ernest Gross. They have two children and five grandchildren, who also reside in the United States. Elly graduated from LaGuardia Community College
with an Associates Degree in Fine Arts in 1993 at the age of 64.
Several of these works have been translated into Spanish and Romanian.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
survivor and author of several Holocaust related books of poetry and prose. She currently resides in the United States, where she is a frequent invited speaker at museums and schools around the country.
Biography
Elly was born in Şimleu SilvanieiSimleu Silvaniei
Şimleu Silvaniei is a town in Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 16,066 people .Three villages are administered by the town: Bic , Cehei and Pusta .-History:...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
to Eugene and Irina Berkovits. In 1942, her father was inducted by the invading Hungarian forces into a forced labor camp, where he perished on the Russian front. Elly and her remaining family, her mother and younger brother Adalbert, were taken to Cehei ghetto 'the day after Pesach' in 1944 along with most other Jews in Sălaj County
Salaj County
Sălaj is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Crișana and Transylvania, with the capital city at Zalău.-Geography:Sălaj county has a total area of ....
. Six weeks later, her family, along with thousands of other Jews were transported via cattle cars to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
. She was separated from her mother and brother, and never saw either again. Elly credits her survival of the camp to 'miracles', noting that few others of her age group survived the ordeal.
Elly was transferred to Fallersleben, a part of the Neuengamme concentration camp, where she perform slave labor for Volkswagen until she was liberated at Salzwedel
Salzwedel
Salzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:...
by the Allies on April 14, 1945. Elly returned to her home town, where she soon married family friend Ernest Gross. They have two children and five grandchildren, who also reside in the United States. Elly graduated from LaGuardia Community College
LaGuardia Community College
LaGuardia Community College is a two-year community college located in the Hunter's Point section of Long Island City in the New York City borough of Queens, and is a component of the City University of New York. LaGuardia is named after former Congressman and New York mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia...
with an Associates Degree in Fine Arts in 1993 at the age of 64.
Works
- 'Poems of Elly Gross: Memories of a Holocaust Survivor.'
- 'Storm against the Innocents and other stories'
- 'Elka's Growing Up in a Changing World'
- 'Elly: My True Story of the Holocaust'
Several of these works have been translated into Spanish and Romanian.