She said, “Will you take me as a sister?” And we said, “Yes, you will be our third sister.” And that’s how we went through the war to be known as the three sisters.” We were always holding hands together so we wouldn’t be separated. — Rozalia Berke, Auschwitz survivor
In Auschwitz, two sisters chose resistance — not with weapons, but with books, courage, and love. Roma and Rozalia Kaltman survived the Holocaust by clinging to each other and forming a chosen family with a third girl in the camps, Danka. Together, they became “the three sisters,” and stayed alive despite dehumanization and death marches.
Cori Silbernagel, Director of Collections & Exhibitions is joined by Trinity Johnson, Director of Holocaust Programs & Museum Experiences to explore the stories of these incredible women by sharing a few minutes of them in their own words. Even though Roma and Rozalia are gone, their lives continue to move and inspire us.
This episode is part of a limited series, created to enrich the experience of visitors planning to attend the exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. Coming to Cincinnati Museum Center in October, 2025.
Those who visit will not just see the same exhibition shown around the world. They will also get in-depth local stories of Auschwitz survivors who immigrated to Cincinnati. During WWII, the historic train station where this exhibition will be shown saw millions of American servicemen come through its doors. But there was another group of travelers whose lives would be impacted by Union Terminal. More than 1,000 Jews who survived the Holocaust immigrated to Cincinnati, arriving in the very building where the public will be able to view Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
The upcoming presentation of this international exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of these community leaders and organizations.
- The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
- The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
- H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- Jacob G. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- Helen G., Henry F., Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- The Neil Bortz Family
- Anonymous
- Beth and Louis Guttman
- Fred and Patti Heldman
- Paul Heldman and Deborah Kirshner
- Roger and Julie Heldman
- The Kantor/Knue Families
- Rockwern Foundation
- Rosenthal Family Foundation
- Les and Renee Sandler
- Larry and Rhonda Sheakley
- Marcia & Richard Weiland (of blessed memory)
- Western & Southern Financial Group
Interviews of Roma Kaltman, Rozalia Berke, Henry Meyer, and Bella Ouziel are from the archive of the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education
For more information:
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling. Special thanks to Julie and John Cohen for their support of this series. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. was created by Musealia in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
Presented by NEON.
Musealia
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
NEON
https://www.neonglobal.com/en/
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. ticket info, additional resources for both adults and students, travel itineraries and more
https://www.cincymuseum.org/auschwitz/
Visit the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/
