Kati Roth was just fourteen years old when the life she knew in Hungary was torn apart by the Holocaust. Born in Miskolc in 1929 and raised in a close-knit Orthodox Jewish family, Kati remembers a simple and happy childhood—summer days on her aunt’s farm, Sabbath walks gathering flowers, and a home deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.

Everything changed in 1944. After Germany invaded Hungary, Kati and her family were forced into a ghetto and then crowded into a cattle car bound for Auschwitz. There, she endured separation, unimaginable loss, and the constant struggle to survive. A chance allergic reaction—and Kati’s determination and resourcefulness—helped save her life. After months in Auschwitz, she was sent to Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated at just fifteen years old.

But Kati’s story is more than one of survival. After the war, she made her way to Sweden and eventually to America, where she learned English, married Robert “Bob” Roth, raised two sons, and built a new life in Cleveland. She became an active member of her Jewish community and created a home filled with family, friendship, tradition, and plenty of good food.

Through it all, Kati never hid who she was. Proudly Jewish, she has shared her Holocaust experiences with students and members of her community so that others might understand where hatred can lead. Her message to future generations is both a warning and a hope: learn to accept people of every religion and recognize that, despite our differences, “we are all brothers and sisters.”

Kati Roth’s story is a powerful testament to survival, Jewish identity, resilience, and the extraordinary ability to rebuild a joyful life after unimaginable loss.