Rose Sherman Williams shared her journey of survival, honoring her family’s memory and serving as a beacon of strength and hope for generations to come.
SAN ANTONIO — The Holocaust Memorial Museum San Antonio announced the passing of a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor and local advocate who settled in the Alamo City after being liberated from Auschwitz in 1945.
Rose Sherman Williams was one of few Holocaust survivors still living in the Alamo City, where she moved to raise her family alongside her husband Jack, according to a post on the museum’s Facebook page.
Born in Random, Poland, Williams’ life was forever changed at the age of 12 when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and her family was forced out of their home.
She lived in various ghettos – areas where Nazis forcibly segregated and kept Jews -– and was ultimately separated from her family when she was sent to concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.
Speaking with KENS 5 in 2015, Williams said she endured countless beatings and nearly starved. She described how she watched Nazi soldiers murder Jewish children and their families, including her own grandmother who was gunned down.
Following her liberation by British soldiers in 1945, Williams worked in Stuttgart, Germany, until arriving in the U.S. with her family.
In 2015, Williams said that despite the horrors she endured, her experience represented strength and faith.
“Every morning when I get up, I say thank God for another beautiful day and I’m still here,” she said.
Williams spent decades as an advocate standing up to hate and antisemitism in the community.
She was among the crowd at the local Jewish Community Center in 2021 after anti-Semitic attacks in San Antonio prompted community members to gather in solidarity and reject the hateful rhetoric.
“It is nothing really new to me,” she said at the time. “We just have to try and overcome it.”
In the Facebook post over the weekend, The Holocaust Memorial Museum San Antonio mourned William’s passing.
“She spent countless years sharing her story of resilience and survival with thousands of students throughout South Texas and visitors to the Museum,” the post read. “Rose’s legacy and her impact will be felt for generations to come.”
The museum closed early on Tuesday to allow staff the opportunity to say goodbye to Williams.