SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Edith Palkowitz, a local Holocaust survivor, passed away in San Diego on Sunday at the age of 95.
Palkowitz was one of other survivors featured in the “RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust” exhibit in the La Jolla Riford Library.
“I can’t believe it because on Friday all Holocaust survivors got together and gave me surprise thank you party after having our opening exhibit, and here we are two days later and Edith has passed away,” said Sandra Scheller, the creator of the RUTH exhibit.
Palkowitz was born in Budapest and her mother passed away when she was only five years old. She was raised by her grandparents and survived living in the ghetto during the Holocaust.
“When she was 13 years old, the Nazis knocked her down three flights of stairs,” Scheller recalled. “Her teeth were knocked out [and] there’s no dentist there. That’s what I’m saying — through her silence, she became very resilient.”
Palkowitz was an instrumental part of the exhibit which featured cutouts on display of local Holocaust survivors, including Scheller’s mother.
She often worked with Scheller documenting her story for educational videos on YouTube. Before her passing, Palkowitz spent her career as a San Diego realtor and had two children.
Scheller estimates there are less than 400 survivors of the Holocaust living in San Diego. The RUTH exhibit is free and remains open until December.
