Jeanette

Jeanette Spiegel

Jeanette Spiegel was born on October 17, 1923, in Vienna, Austria, to Ossie and Etta Koenigsberg, a Jewish couple who raised her alongside her older sister, Irma. Her father ran a furniture store, and the family lived in an assimilated part of Vienna. Jeanette’s early life was shattered on March 15, 1938, when the Nazis marched into Vienna, greeted by enthusiastic Austrians. This turning point marked the beginning of her harrowing journey of survival.
In January 1939, Jeanette was sent on a Child Transport to Belgium in hopes of escaping Nazi persecution. Her parents made the painful decision to send her away, knowing it was the only way to keep her safe. She never saw them again. In Belgium, she lived with her aunt and tried to maintain some semblance of normal life. She attended school, made friends, and hid in plain sight. But safety was fleeting. She was betrayed by a schoolmate who denounced her to the Gestapo. For years, she evaded capture, constantly moving, always looking over her shoulder. However, in April 1944, her luck ran out. Arrested for being Jewish, Jeanette was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau at the age of 20. She spent nine brutal months in the camp, where she narrowly escaped death in the gas chambers on a day when, by some miracle, the chamber malfunctioned.
Enduring slave labor and surviving a death march in January 1945, Jeanette eventually made her way back to Vienna, clinging to the hope of finding her family. Tragically, she discovered she was the only survivor. Despite the profound loss and trauma, Jeanette went on to rebuild her life. She married Herbert Spiegel, with whom she has shared 65 years, and together they settled in New York City.
Jeanette Spiegel is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, cherishing her family. Now 101, Jeanette remains deeply concerned by the rise of antisemitic violence in the United States. Her resilience and story stand as powerful reminders of the strength of the human spirit in the face of unthinkable adversity.