Synopsis
This one-women verbatim work of documentary theatre incorporates Rose Ickowicz Rechnic's (1925-2006) actual words as it explains her experience of the Holocaust. The German invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939 forever changed Rose Ickowicz Rechnic's life. Days after the invasion, Nazis killed her father along with 28 other men from her neighborhood because they were Jews.
Rose, her mother, sister, and brother survived the ghettos for four years before transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Upon arrival, she saw her brother for the last time. In January 1944, less than five months after arriving in Auschwitz-Birkenau, The Nazis selected Rose Ickowicz Rechnic's mother and sister for the gas chambers. The last words her mother spoke to Rose was, "Try to survive and tell the world."
Rose survived, but she lost almost all her family.
Rose was seventeen years old when she entered the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau in August 1943. She was nineteen years old when liberated by British troops from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945. Rose, who lived through selections, typhus, dysentery, starvation, and torturous labor credits her survival to miracles, but most importantly to luck.
Her mother's charge to survive and tell the world provided Rose with a reason to stay alive even during her deepest moments of despair. Rose would go onto rebuild her life. She married a survivor, immigrated to the United States, raise two daughters, and had a career. Rose's family would grow to include five grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
She conquered the Nazi ideology of hate and destruction by speaking the truth of the Holocaust while living a life of joy, love, and creation. Rose once said, "when my time comes to leave this earth, I know that my spirit will meet with those of my parents, siblings, and the rest of my martyred family. And together we will watch over our loved ones here on earth. I will leave this world a happy woman!"
Rose shared her truth of the Holocaust with people for over fifty years. We aim to do justice to her history and help keep her loving memory alive with this play.
Content Warning: Description of trauma, violence, and death.
About the Performer
Isabella Regruto is honored to portray Rose Ickowicz Rechnic. Isabella is a 2022 Rowan University graduate with a major in Theatre with concentrations in Musical Theatre and Acting. Recent credits include #2 in The Wolves and Camille in Colors in the Dark. She would like to thank her family, friends, Anthony, and Lydia for their constant support during this process. A special thank you to her mom and dad for always believing in her, and a special thank you to the Rechnic family and to Rose - it is a privilege and an honor to be a part of continuing to share her story with the world.