Born on September 13, 1926, in the small mountain town of Danylovo, Czechoslovakia, Ruth Safar Lebovitz grew up in a close-knit Orthodox Jewish family of twelve children. Her early years were filled with faith, family traditions, and the rhythms of life on their small farm. But as World War II spread across Europe, Ruth’s peaceful childhood was shattered by anti-Jewish laws, ghettoization, and deportation.

At just seventeen years old, Ruth was sent to Auschwitz, where she was separated from her parents and young sisters—most of whom were murdered upon arrival. Only Ruth and her sister Rivka survived the selection. Through courage, determination, and the protection of her sister, Ruth endured forced labor, brutal transports, and death marches across Nazi-occupied Europe. Liberated in 1945 after being wounded and gravely ill, Ruth weighed only seventy pounds and faced the painful reality of a family largely lost to the Holocaust.

After the war, Ruth rebuilt her life with remarkable resilience. She married fellow survivor Abraham Lebovitz, raised three sons, and eventually immigrated to Cleveland, where she worked as a tailor and nanny while creating a loving family that now spans generations across the United States and Israel.

Ruth Lebovitz’s story is one of unimaginable loss, enduring faith, and the power of survival. Her legacy stands as a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder that the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.