Rysia Kraskin

Birth: March 12, 1922 in Warsaw, Poland

Death: October 13, 2006 in Victoria, B.C.

Plot: Row D – Plot 57

Inscription:

פּ״נ
RYSIA KRASKIN
MARCH 12, 1922 — OCTOBER 13, 2006
A Survivor Of Concentration Camps:
Częstochowa and Skarżysko, Poland
Ravensbrück, Burgau and Turkheim, Germany
A WOMAN OF GOD
רישה בת גיטא וי אברהם
ת׳נ׳צ׳ב׳ה

Translation of inscription:

פּ״נ
(Abbreviation of Hebrew: “Buried here”)
Rysia Kraskin
March 12, 1922 — October 13, 2006
A survivor of concentration camps:
Częstochowa and Skarżysko, Poland
Ravensbrück, Burgau and Turkheim, Germany
A woman of god
רישה בת גיטא וי אברהם
(Hebrew: Rysia bat Gita ve Avraham)
ת׳נ׳צ׳ב׳ה
(Abbreviation of Hebrew: “May his/her soul be bound with the bond of life.”)

Biography:
Rysia Kraskin was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1922. She had 3 older brothers. She graduated from High School in 1939, just before the war broke out. After the German army came, she and her family were required to wear the yellow Star of David. Just before the ghetto was closed, Rysia Kraskin’s parents sent her to live with friends in the countryside where she remained until 1942. That summer, she was taken as she walked along a street and brought in a truck to Skarżysko camp. At this munitions factory she and others worked 12 hour shifts. It was hard physical labor without food. Many didn’t survive.

A year and a half later, Rysia was taken to another munitions factory, Częstochowa. It was the second of five camps that Rysia Kraskin endured. She was transferred from camp to camp sometimes by foot, sometimes packed in trucks, or crammed into cattle cars on trains. They were occasionally beaten and often locked in without food or water.
Rysia risked her life to stay with a young woman who was sick with typhoid. The woman’s aunt also attended. Because the young woman was not left alone in the bed, her life was spared. She and Rysia remained friends even though her friend lived in Israel.

Other women showed great acts of selflessness and bravery as well. Helen Jacobs (also buried in this cemetery) is another example. Helen and Rysia survived Skarżysko, Częstochowa, Ravensbrück, Burgau, and Turkheim together. They were shipped from Ravensbrück to Burgau in a sealed cattle car. Many perished en route. When they got to Burgau, the doors were open and Helen was handed water. Without taking a sip, she brought the water to Rysia who was lying on the floor on the opposite side of the car in a weakened condition. Helen then got water for herself and later helped Rysia off the train.

Later that day Helen once again saved Rysia life. People were screened before being allowed into the camps. If they seemed healthy enough to work, they were admitted, if not, they were sent directly to their death. The story has evolved to be told that Helen was somehow able to get a tube of red lipstick. In order to make them appear healthier than they were, Helen rubbed a little lipstick on both women’s cheeks and onto their lips. However, Helen used blood, not lipstick. As Rysia was barely alive, Helen’s action saved her life. Both women were liberated by Americans at the end of April 1945, and remained lifelong friends.

Rysia passed on October 13, 2006. Her grave was prepared Geoffrey Perkins, the caretaker at the time and his partner Joy Wilkins. Just shy of the regulation 6 feet depth, they hit bedrock. Without time to dig in another plot, they decided to build up the grave with rocks and earth that had been piled up by the shed. Joy Wilkins was aware of Rysia’s story. While she was at home waiting for the funeral service to be completed, Joy found a tube of red lipstick. It wasn’t her color and it had never been used. With permission from the Rabbi, put the tube of red lipstick in the grave as she filled it in.

The following text was delivered by Rysia Kraskin at a Yom HaShoah Memorial Observance on April 14, 1996 – 25 Misan 5756

I was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1992. My father was a merchant and I was the fourth child. I had three older brothers. My three brothers went to a non-Jewish government school. My parents sent me to a Jewish school. My brothers went to school on Saturday and I was home. I graduated from High School in 1939, a few months before the war broke out. In September the war broke out. The Germans came into Warsaw a month later. We had to wear the Mogen Dovid. in the fall of 1940 the Germans announced that they were closing the ghetto so no one could go in or out. Before they closed the ghetto my parents sent me to friends in the countryside. There was no ghetto there. I was there until 1942. In 1942 in summertime the Germans took me from the street. They took me with others in trucks and brought me to Skarzysko camp where there was a munitions factory. We worked 12 hours shifts in the factory, one week in the day and one week at night. I was lucky because I spoke German. People were falling like flies because of the hard physical work and no food. A year and a half later they took the whole camp to Czenstochowa, also a munitions factory. It was my second camp of five camps. From there they took us at night walking night and day to Germany as the Russians came closer. They took us to concentration camp Ravensbruck. There was a hell. We were beaten by the Germans. Girls were examined and killed if they had a pimple on their bodies. From there they sent us in cattle wagons for many days. I think it was 16 days. We were locked in with no water and no food. After many days they took us to another camp, Burgau. There we were not long. From Burgau they took us to Turkheim, which was in Bavaria. Around the 20th of April 1945 they took us out to take us to Dachau, also walking. On the way we ran away because the Germans were not watching us as before because of the American planes going around. At the end of April, 1945, April 27th, the Americans came in and liberated us. We became “menschen” again. We became human beings.
Even as we went through hell, even amidst the horror of this terrible time, we didn’t forget that really were human beings and how to care for other people in need. During the first year in the first camp, there was a typhoid epidemic. The Germans used to come everyday to our barracks and if they found someone was sick they took them out immediately and most people we never saw them again. The girl who was sleeping with me in one bunk got sick. I knew if I would leave her and go somewhere else because I would be afraid to catch it, they would take her away. I stayed with her although I was sure I would get typhus, not to let the Germans know she was sick. They would know that if she was alone without me she was sick. I stayed with her, and her aunt who was also there helped her until she got better. She is still my friend and lives in Israel.
During the trip on the cattle train from Ravensbruk to Burgau, after arriving in Burgau without water for many days they opened the doors. Half were dead. When they opened the doors German women handed up cups of water. Helen Jacobs who was living here and who was with me in all of the camp, she got first the water. She was standing near to the door. Instead to drink immediately the water, she brought it to me where I was lying on the other side of the wagon. Then she went back to drink for herself. If this is not a great kindness! She handed me life, “mayim chayim.” She saved me.

I don’t know where she had the strength, Helen. We had to walk from where the train stopped to the camp. I was half alive. Half of the women were dead. When we came to the barracks we were told that the SS women will soon come and look us over, if we were capable to work. I was so weak I wanted to lay down on the bunk but Helen didn’t let me. She took out lipstick, I don’t know where she got it, and she put some on my lips and a little bit on my cheeks, I should look like a healthy person. And again she saved my life.