Ettie Steinberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ettie Steinberg
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Esther Steinberg
11 January 1914 |
| Died | 4 September 1942 (aged 28) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Spouse(s) |
Vogtjeck Gluck
(m. 1937–1942) |
| Children | 1 |
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Esther "Ettie" Steinberg (born January 11, 1914 – died around September 4, 1942), also known as Ettie Gluck after she married, was an Irish Jewish woman. She was one of the very few Irish people who tragically lost their lives during the Holocaust.
Ettie's Early Life
Ettie Steinberg was born on January 11, 1914. Her birthplace was Veretsky, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. Her parents were Aaron Hirsh Steinberg and Bertha Roth.
In 1925, when Ettie was about 11 years old, her family moved to Dublin, Ireland. She had six brothers and sisters. They lived at 28 Raymond Street, which is close to the South Circular Road in Dublin. Ettie and her siblings went to school at St Catherine's School on Donore Avenue.
Ettie's Adult Life
Ettie worked as a seamstress in Dublin. This means she made and mended clothes. While in Dublin, she met Vogtjeck Gluck, who was from Belgium. They fell in love and got married on July 22, 1937. Their wedding took place at the Greenville Hall synagogue in Dublin.
After their wedding, Ettie and Vogtjeck moved to his home city of Antwerp, Belgium. However, the Nazis were gaining power and causing trouble in Europe. Because of the growing dangers, Ettie and Vogtjeck decided to move further away. Their son, Leon, was born in Paris, France.
The Family's Tragic End
Ettie and her family kept trying to escape the approaching German forces. Her family in Dublin worked hard to get them special papers, called visas. These visas would allow them to travel safely to Northern Ireland.
Sadly, the papers arrived one day too late. The family was captured by the Germans. They were forced onto a train heading to Auschwitz, a terrible place where many people were killed.
Ettie knew the danger they were in. She quickly wrote a postcard to her family and bravely threw it from the moving train. The message on the postcard was a secret code. It said, "Uncle Lechem, we did not find, but we found Uncle Tisha B'Av." This meant, "we did not find bread (safety), but we found destruction." A kind stranger found the postcard and mailed it.
Ettie, her husband Vogtjeck, and their son Leon arrived at Auschwitz on September 4, 1942. They sadly perished there immediately.
Remembering Ettie
Ettie Steinberg is remembered in several places. There is a memorial for her at a secondary school in Malahide, County Dublin. You can also find a memorial at the Irish Jewish Museum in Portobello, Dublin.
In June 2022, a special memorial stone called a Stolperstein was placed outside her old primary school on Donore Avenue. Other similar stones were also placed for her husband, her son, and three other Irish Jews who died during the Holocaust. These stones help us remember the people who were lost.
