-
Date of Birth
Ruth's exact date of birth is not mentioned, she writes that she was born on a Monday in August in the early 1930's.
She was delivered in her home on Wolynska St. in Lvov, Poland to her father, Isaac Gamzer and mother, Barbara Gamzer. She was 1st given the Hebrew name, Rachel Tcharne, then the name that is on her birth certificate, Aurelia Czeslava. Gruener was eventually, and finally, called Luncia, her favorite nickname. -
Kristallnacht
Situation in Germany worsens. Provoked by Nazi party officials, for two nights 8,000 Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were ransacked. Non-Jewish citizens took to the streets, shattering the glass windows of Jewish owned stores. This night in history became known by the Jewish as "Kristallnacht"or "Night of Broken Glass." -
Nazis Invade Poland
In the fall of 1939, (exact date unknown), the German Nazis invaded Poland. At the begining of that year, approximately 7 million Jewish people were living in Central and Eastern Europe. By war's end, about 6 million of those 7 were dead. 3 Million of the 6 were Polish, 222,000 others were treated badly and harassed because of their race, religion, and beliefs. Such as Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the physically disabled. -
Air Raids in Lvov, Poland
Luncia (Ruth), had just turned 5, when the city in which she and her family lived, Lvov, German planes flying in formation above the city, trying to invade. They dropped bombs from the sky, as Luncia and her parents went into the bomb shelter of their home, where the stayed for several days. When the bombing ended Germans invaded the city. Luncia was forced to stop attending school. The Gamzers, along with all other Jews were forced to wear armbands with the Star of David on them. -
The First of Many Akzias
Shortly after the bombing, rumors of the begining of an akzia (Polish for deportation), started to spread. If so, it would mean that the Germans would come and take large groups of Jewish people away from their homes to be killed. The first akzia was to take away Jewish children. Not long after the rumors started, they were confermed. After which though, Luncia and the rest of her family were still alive and safe. -
Moving into the Ghetto
All Jewish citizens of Lvov were ordered to move into the ghettos. The ghettos were a run down area outside of the city, surrounded by tall fence and gaurded by Nazi soldiers. The Gamzers stayed in a small room in a tiny two-room house. Many were afraid of a mass attack on the ghetto, that would wipe everyone out. However, that was the one rule in the ghetto.Germans wouldn't enter the ghetto unless it was the day of an akzia, but sometimes a German would stroll into the ghetto to "sight seeing."