Rita Ross
Author: Rita Ross
Publisher: Makor Jewish Community Library
Place of publication: Melbourne, Australia
Year of Publication: 2013
Location of Book: LAMM Jewish Library of Australia
Cities/town/camps: Poland -Wolomin, Kosow Lacki, Radzymin, Warsaw, Pruszkow, Lodz; Australia - Melbourne
The Sum of Three: Rutka, Jadzia, Rita is Rita Ross’ personal account of her experiences in hiding during the Holocaust and then forging a new life in Australia. The book is divided into three sections, represented by the three different stages in Rita’s life. The first section (pages 1-26) deals with life in pre-war Poland and the desperate hunt to find hiding places for the family once the war began. The middle section of the book (pages 27-65) portrays Rita’s life in hiding. The last part and the majority of this book (pages 66-232) describe Rita’s experiences in Australia.
Rutka was born in Warsaw on 14 January 1935 to Blima and Sam Jablkowsky. The middle-class family lived in Wolomin (20 kms from Warsaw) with Rutka’s parents and maternal grandparents. Rutka’s memory of her early childhood was a happy one, but her sheltered world ended when she was four years old and the German army invaded Poland. Within a few short months, all the Jewish inhabitants were forced into the Wolomin Ghetto. On 2 October 1942, Rutka and her parents escaped from the ghetto after Rutka’s father secured a hiding place for them on a farm a few kilometres from Wolomin. When conditions became too dangerous, Sam Jablkowsky managed to find another place of refuge with Lucja and Antoni Klimek in Pruszkow who were already sheltering another Jewish family - Mania, Karol and Reginka Berman.
In hiding, Rutka was given a new name, Jadzia and from January 1943 until January 1945, she lived in a small apartment with ten other people, in constant fear of discovery. Rutka’s father managed to obtain Aryan papers and together with Karol Berman, they became the breadwinners for the family. The Klimeks, who put their lives at risk to shelter Jews, were recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.
The Russian army liberated Pruszkow in January 1945. The war was over for the Jablkowskys and the Bermans. Rutka was finally permitted to go outside into the fresh air. After liberation, the family travelled to Lodz where they lived until April 1947. They managed to obtain travel documents that enabled the family to migrate to Australia (Rita’s mother had a cousin in Melbourne). As the ship was departing from France, the Jablkowskys headed to Paris for six weeks, before boarding the Ville d’Amiens in Marseilles.
In July 1947, the Jablkowskys (where they changed their name to Jablo) arrived in Australia. Rutka now became Rita, and she continued her schooling at the Lee Street State School and then at Mac Robertson’s Girls’ School. Rita adapted quickly to life in Australia. On 21 December 1954, Rita married Bill Ross (a survivor whose story is also entwined in this memoir). Together they travelled the world, had two children and seven grandchildren. The book features approximately 160 photographs, as well as numerous documents and family portraits.
Rita’s book is broken up into short chapters. The story contains numerous anecdotes. She interweaves her experiences of racial hatred and terror with the courage of the Klimek family.