Holocaust Survivor Yvonne Aronson: 'I've Had a Fortunate Life

A woman who spent her childhood hiding in cellars and living in constant silence told a library audience she considers herself fortunate.

Yvonne Aronson, now from Skokie, Illinois, was born in Brussels on April 5, 1939, one day before her grandmother escaped to New York. Her family had fled Vienna when her mother recognized the growing danger of Nazi-occupied Europe.

Her childhood was spent moving between hiding places across Belgium. At one point, when Aronson's mother fell dangerously ill with a 104-degree fever, a local pharmacist risked everything to hide them in his cellar for three months.

Aronson remembers sitting perfectly still on a wooden chair in socks, watching strangers' feet pass by a small street-level window. She was just a toddler, but she understood that any noise could put her rescuers in danger.

Her aunt was killed at Auschwitz after being caught with false papers in 1941. Aronson herself was eventually hidden with a widow and her adult son, living in plain sight but isolated from other children.

Bored and alone at just 3½ years old, she taught herself to read. She read the same five books over and over again. "That pretty much saved me," she told the Burlington audience.

Every Sunday, her mother would travel by streetcar to visit. When a strike shut down the system, Aronson waited in the hallway with her doll. Her mother walked 15 miles to reach her daughter.

Aronson's mother visited the American consulate monthly, persistently asking for visas despite being repeatedly dismissed. Eventually, the official relented, and they left Brussels in 1947 for the United States.

Sunny's Take

The little girl who couldn't speak English became fluent in just one month through intensive daily tutoring. The child who had to stay silent in a cellar found her voice in a new country.

Today, Aronson has three adult children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She spends her time sharing her story at libraries and schools, ensuring the people who saved her and the millions who perished are never forgotten.

Her mother's tireless courage kept her alive through impossible circumstances. The strangers who hid them risked their own lives for people they barely knew.

"I have had a very, very fortunate life," Aronson said, and she means it.