Jul 30, 2007 10:54 am US/Eastern
Holocaust Hero: Notable New Yorker Ruth Gruber
Rescued 1,000 Jewish Refugees From The Holocaust
by Kate Sullivan
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Her name is Ruth Gruber and she's 95. In 1932, Gruber set a world record by becoming the youngest person to ever get her PhD, at the age of 20. But that's just the beginning.
In 1932, her passion was journalism. Hired by the New York Herald Tribune to write a series of stories about women under communism, she was sent to Germany to take photographs. It was here she saw first hand the horrors of the Holocaust, even attending a Hitler rally.
There are few people living right now that can say they heard Adolf Hitler speak. Gruber is one of them.
"I think you have to write with passion from your head and your heart," says Gruber. "I had to see what he looked like. I had to hear what he sounded like. I was that determined. The most important lesson I learned was how you become a dictator legally," says Gruber. "One thousand soldiers, men with swastikas waving them and I was trying to make myself as inconspicuous as possible."
This was a bold move for a Jewish girl from Brooklyn.
"Every other word that came out of his mouth was damn the Americans, kill the Jews, everything we did here was wrong, America was horrible."
This experience laid the foundation for Gruber's life defining moment in 1944, when President Roosevelt asked Gruber to go on a secret mission to bring 1,000 Jewish refugees from Italy to America.
"This was the most important assignment of my life, and it was. It changed my own life."
Terrified but impassioned, Gruber journeyed with the 1,000 refugees, bringing them to safety by boat to Oswego, New York, all the while documenting their struggles.
"The way many survived in tunnels and sewers, and as they told their stories often I would stop writing and my notebooks because my tears were wiping up my notes," says Gruber. "They were so good to me. Day and night we paraded up and down the decks and they would tell me how they survived, how they risked their lives to save others."
Her role in history is showcased in the CBS movie titled Haven in 2001.
"This is such a wonderful thing that is happening, and I was determined to make it as smooth as possible."
Eventually one of her photos became the cover of Life magazine. Today she has written a new book, simply called Witness – a modest title for a woman who did far more than just observe.
"Anybody who uses those tactics...and lies to the people...lies all the time...can be another Hitler," says Gruber. "I realize we can be good people. We don't have to be Hitler and kill people. We can save people."
The refugees that Ruth helped to save are now scattered throughout the world. Many have died. They went on to do great things. In fact, one of them created the modern day C.A.T. scan. That person was able to save thousands of lives. The ripple effect of Gruber's life is undeniable.
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