A Story of Hope Amidst Tragedy: David Wisnia and Helen “Zippi” Spitzer

The Unlikely Lovers of Auschwitz

Each year, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz, Nazi Germany’s biggest death camp, on January 27, 1945. Despite the passage of over 79 years, new details about what life in Auschwitz was like continue to emerge. This news comes from the source of Reader Wall.

The most recent revelation is the love story between two Jewish prisoners, David Wisnia and Helen “Zippi” Spitzer, as detailed in Keren Blankfeld’s book, Lovers in Auschwitz: A True Story. Despite the harsh conditions in Auschwitz, the two managed to form an unlikely romantic relationship. However, they were separated post-liberation and did not reunite until 72 years later.

The Miraculous Survival

David Wisnia and Zippi Spitzer both endured hard labor at Auschwitz. David was made to carry dead bodies while Zippi had to transport stones. When their talents were discovered by the Nazis – David’s singing and Zippi’s graphic designing – both were promoted to different roles. David performed for the Nazis, and Zippi was assigned to design camp diagrams and clean uniforms.

They first encountered each other at the place where uniforms were cleaned (“the sauna”), likely in early 1943. This led to stolen glances and secret written messages, culminating in their first secret “date” in February 1944. Zippi had built a hidden area at the top of a warehouse called Canada, which they accessed using an improvised ladder composed of tightly bound clothing. They built a small rendezvous spot made from removable bricks of clothing where they spent time together, kept watch by fellow inmates.

The Shared Love of Music

The two prisoners bonded over music. David was a child star in Warsaw, and Zippi played a mandolin in an orchestra back in Bratislava. They would sing to each other, with Zippi teaching David a Hungarian song. They formed a pact to meet in Warsaw post-war, but David ended up working with the American military, leading to their separation.

Diverging paths led David to settle down and raise a family in Levittown, Pennsylvania, while Zippi returned to Bratislava. However, thoughts of their shared experience in Auschwitz never left them. In August 2016 – 72 years after their separation – they finally reunited at Zippi’s apartment in Manhattan. The reunion was bittersweet – Zippi passed away two years later, closely followed by David in 2021.

Preserving Their Story

Lovers in Auschwitz reveals their poignant love story. Blankfeld recounts her meetings with David around 2018 while researching for her book. It was at the end of one of these meetings that David casually mentioned his love story with Zippi. That revelation led Blankfeld to delve deeper into Zippi’s background, resulting in their unique story of survival and resistance being brought to light.

A Testament to Human Resilience

Lovers in Auschwitz provides a rare story of joy during an unfathomably dark period in history. Despite the brutal oppression of the Nazi regime, the spirit of love between David and Zippi defied the ruthless odds. Their story of maintaining their identities and humanity under such dire circumstances bears testament to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.