Born Yenta Faiga Auerbach in Łódź, Poland, in 1936, Jeanette Buchwald’s early childhood was shaped by love, tradition, and a close-knit family—until the outbreak of World War II forced her into a life of constant flight and unimaginable hardship. Fleeing the Nazis, her family crossed forests at night, were deported in cattle cars to Siberia, and endured brutal winters in a Soviet labor camp where survival depended on relentless work and resilience.

After years in exile in Uzbekistan, and the devastating loss of nearly her entire extended family, Jeanette returned briefly to Poland before rebuilding her life in a displaced persons camp in Germany. In 1949, she immigrated to the United States, arriving in Cleveland as a young girl who had already learned six languages and survived war, hunger, and displacement.

Determined to create opportunity from adversity, Jeanette became a nurse, caring for some of the earliest open-heart surgery patients at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She built a loving family with her husband, Frank, raised three children, and dedicated herself to community, tradition, and service. Today, she speaks publicly about the Holocaust, urging future generations to remember, to cherish freedom, and to understand that “war is good for no one.”

Jeanette Buchwald’s story is one of courage, reinvention, and unwavering commitment to life—proof that even after profound loss, it is possible to build a future filled with purpose, family, and hope.