Ida Resmovits
Ida Resmovits, married Leibovits
Ida Resmovits was born on April 7, 1922, in Teresva / Taracköz. This small town is located in the Tisza Valley at the confluence of the Teresva and Tisza rivers. Throughout history, the town has belonged to Slovakia, Hungary, and today to Ukraine. It borders directly on Romania.
The life story of Ida Resmovits, as recounted by her grandson Matan Leibovits. He visited Geislingen on June 20, 2024, and had several very emotional encounters at the WMF, at the memorial site, and with residents of the town.
“My grandmother never told her two children anything about her time in the concentration camp. It must have been very difficult for her, and the trauma was still too fresh. It wasn’t until she was with her grandchildren that she began to share some of her experiences. As a young woman, she was too busy building a new life and settling into a new country.
I found a document from 1953 in which my grandmother noted that she had been at the Auschwitz concentration camp and also at the Geislingen concentration camp.
My grandmother grew up in Teresva in a religious family. Her date of birth is listed as May 28, 1920, on some documents, and April 7, 1922, on the transport list. She had two younger brothers and a younger sister. In 1941–1942, the entire family was arrested by the Hungarian police. But Ida and her mother were taken off the train at the last minute. She never saw her father or siblings again. As far as I know, those who were arrested were murdered on the Dniester River. My grandmother survived for another two years with her mother. In April 1944, they were taken together to the Mateszalka ghetto and from there to the Auschwitz concentration camp in May 1944. My great-grandmother was gassed. My grandmother was spared and sent to perform forced labor. In July 1944, she was taken to Geislingen along with other Hungarian prisoners. There, she was once honored as “Worker of the Month” and received a pair of wooden clogs. At WMF, there was a foreman who treated the prisoners with kindness and humanity. He told her, “I lost two sons on the Eastern Front. This war is senseless.” When the opportunity arose, he smuggled in an apple and gave it to her. The female SS guards treated her very harshly. To them, she was just No. 20735.
In April, they were taken from Geislingen to the Dachau-Allach camp. From there, they were to be taken to the mountains. On the way there, they were liberated by the U.S. Army. An SS woman said, “I was always good to you.” She then gave her a hard slap.
The Americans took her to a U.S. DP camp in Landsberg. From there, she set out on the journey back to her hometown of Teresva. Once there, she discovered that all her siblings and parents had been murdered. In Teresva, she met her future husband. His sisters had been with her at the Geislingen concentration camp. They got married and lived in Prague until 1949. From there, they emigrated to Israel. They had two children: a daughter and a son, who is my father. Today she has six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Her time in the concentration camp must have been very difficult for her. It haunted her her entire life. She spoke about it only very sparingly. However, she would wake up screaming every morning.
Still, her home was the friendliest place for us kids. We lived next door to each other in the same village. She waited for us every day with a freshly prepared meal. My grandpa would keep an eye out for us, and only when he saw us would she put the schnitzel in the pan. She was also very friendly to other people.”
Her daughter recounted: “My mother never said anything. It’s only through my nephew that I’m learning more about her story of suffering. She cried every night. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, she cried all day long. As a young girl, I couldn’t bear it and had to go out into the garden. I have only one photo of my grandmother, which a neighbor hid and returned to my mother after the war. That is the only memento I have of my family.”
Ida Leibovits passed away in Israel in 2011.
“My grandmother never told her two children anything about her time in the concentration camp. It must have been very difficult for her, and the trauma was still too fresh. It wasn’t until she was with her grandchildren that she began to share some of her experiences. As a young woman, she was too busy building a new life and settling into a new country.
I found a document from 1953 in which my grandmother noted that she had been at the Auschwitz concentration camp and also at the Geislingen concentration camp.
My grandmother grew up in Teresva in a religious family. Her date of birth is listed as May 28, 1920, on some documents, and April 7, 1922, on the transport list. She had two younger brothers and a younger sister. In 1941–1942, the entire family was arrested by the Hungarian police. But Ida and her mother were taken off the train at the last minute. She never saw her father or siblings again. As far as I know, those who were arrested were murdered on the Dniester River. My grandmother survived for another two years with her mother. In April 1944, they were taken together to the Mateszalka ghetto and from there to the Auschwitz concentration camp in May 1944. My great-grandmother was gassed. My grandmother was spared and sent to perform forced labor. In July 1944, she was taken to Geislingen along with other Hungarian prisoners. There, she was once honored as “Worker of the Month” and received a pair of wooden clogs. At WMF, there was a foreman who treated the prisoners with kindness and humanity. He told her, “I lost two sons on the Eastern Front. This war is senseless.” When the opportunity arose, he smuggled in an apple and gave it to her. The female SS guards treated her very harshly. To them, she was just No. 20735.
In April, they were taken from Geislingen to the Dachau-Allach camp. From there, they were to be taken to the mountains. On the way there, they were liberated by the U.S. Army. An SS woman said, “I was always good to you.” She then gave her a hard slap.
The Americans took her to a U.S. DP camp in Landsberg. From there, she set out on the journey back to her hometown of Teresva. Once there, she discovered that all her siblings and parents had been murdered. In Teresva, she met her future husband. His sisters had been with her at the Geislingen concentration camp. They got married and lived in Prague until 1949. From there, they emigrated to Israel. They had two children: a daughter and a son, who is my father. Today she has six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Her time in the concentration camp must have been very difficult for her. It haunted her her entire life. She spoke about it only very sparingly. However, she would wake up screaming every morning.
Still, her home was the friendliest place for us kids. We lived next door to each other in the same village. She waited for us every day with a freshly prepared meal. My grandpa would keep an eye out for us, and only when he saw us would she put the schnitzel in the pan. She was also very friendly to other people.”
Her daughter recounted: “My mother never said anything. It’s only through my nephew that I’m learning more about her story of suffering. She cried every night. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, she cried all day long. As a young girl, I couldn’t bear it and had to go out into the garden. I have only one photo of my grandmother, which a neighbor hid and returned to my mother after the war. That is the only memento I have of my family.”
Ida Leibovits passed away in Israel in 2011.