Chaja Nacha Lassmann, a Holocaust survivor, passed away on February 3, just days before her 100th birthday.
Chaja was 14 years old when World War II began. She and her mother were the only survivors of a family of more than one hundred people. In Auschwitz, Chaja was subjected to experiments by Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor known as the "Angel of Death." "They messed me about so much I thought I would never have children," she stated in a video testimony from the collection of the Holocaust Museum of Oporto.
After the war, she returned to Lodz, her hometown, in search of her father and younger sister, who had been hidden by a Polish woman, but she never found them. Later, she married another Holocaust survivor and emigrated to Brazil, where she built her family. She had three children: Silvia, Mauricio, and Josef, the latter a member of the Jewish Community of Oporto.
Chaja is a symbol of strength and resilience. Her ability to overcome even the most unimaginable hardships continues to inspire generations.
Watch Chaja Lassmann's testimony:
