We are saddened to hear of the passing of Holocaust survivor Rosita Green. Rosita shared her testimony as part of our Outreach Programme. May her memory be a blessing.
Rosita was born in Antwerp, Belgium in November 1936 to a comfortable, middle-class family. Rosita’s mother was from London originally and came from a left-wing political family. Rosita’s father’s family, from Belgium, was more religious. They lived in an iconic block of flats which was built and owned by Rosita’s grandfather. Rosita lived there along with her grandparents, uncle and cousins. They were a very close family and spent time with each other.
Rosita and her mother left for England in June 1939. Her father joined them at the end of August 1939. They travelled by boat from Ostend to Dover and their journeys were uneventful.
Rosita’s grandparents were taken first to Mechelen, a transit camp, and then transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where they were murdered. Rosita’s uncle was sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp but was later released due to a prisoner exchange. Rosita’s aunt and her cousins were hidden in a farm by Belgian farmers who kept them safe.
In Britain, Rosita lived with her English grandparents in London. Rosita remembered always feeling like an outsider although within three months she had forgotten all of her French. She described the war and the Holocaust as a black cloud, always hanging over her life. Later, Rosita trained as a psychiatric social worker and then a psychotherapist. She was married for over 60 years and had three children.