Obituaries

ROSALEE GLASS HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, 102, WHOM PRESIDENT TRUMP HONORED AT RECENT WHITE HOUSE HANUKAH PARTY DIES

Rosalee Glass, a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor whom President Trump honored at last week’s White House Hanukah celebration, where he passed Anti Semitism Executive Order, has died. President Trump praised the Holocaust hero, author, and award-winning film “Reinventing Rosalee” which impacted the world.

At the celebration, President Trump stated, ” We are profoundly honored to be joined this afternoon by Rosalee Glass, a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, the darkest chapter of human history. After the war, Rosalee came to America and started a drapery manufacturing business. Now she has written a book, starred in an award-winning film, and is going strong at the age of 102. (Applause.) Where is Rosalee? Where is – hi. You’re looking good. Thank you, Rosalee. Thank you for being here. It’s an honor. And you do – you really fill our hearts with open joy, Rosalee. So many people. And we know of your story. In honor of Rosalee and the millions of Jews who suffered unthinkable persecution, we renew our pledge now and always: Never again. Never again.”

Rosalee Glass, ( Raisla Talerman) was born in 1917 in Warsaw Poland. At the age of 15, she became a successful businesswoman manufacturing men shirts, which she sold to stores around Warsaw. At 18 she grew to employ 10 women. Abraham Glass, a violinist, met and fell in love with Rosalee. They married and stayed married for 60 years.

On a walk, shortly after they married, they were met by a row of six Nazi soldiers, one of whom shockingly slapped Rosalee across the face. She and Abraham immediately decided to leave the German-occupied part of Poland for what they thought was safer, the Russian side of Poland.

They settled in Bialystock and Rosalee gave birth to a son, Elias. Two weeks after Elias was born they were taken prisoner in the middle of the night and put on a train to an unknown destiny, to a prison camp in Siberia, Russia.

While incarcerated in a gulag in Siberia, Rosalee lost baby Elias due to starvation. Another baby born to her in Siberia was named Manny. Years later, she was taken to Khazakstahn where she lost a second child, Perla, to tuberculosis due to the poor living conditions. Rosalee, her husband Abraham, and son Manny found themselves in a Displaced Person’s Camp in Feldafing, Germany, where they lived for many years.

Subsequently, they immigrated to the United States with the help of the Jewish Family Service which took them to Miami Florida. Shortly thereafter. Rosalee gave birth to a daughter, Lillian Glass.

In Miami, Rosalee duplicated her business savvy and created a successful drapery manufacturing business for 20 years. Afterward, she and Abraham retired to Leisure World in Laguna Hills, California. Abraham Glass passed away at age 90. Three years later Rosalee experienced yet another tragedy. Her adult son Manny succumbed to death via a medical malpractice situation wherein he was intubated improperly and became a vegetable and died.

It was then that her daughter Dr. Lillian Glass moved Rosalee in with her and they shared a very special bond until now, living an exciting life together as a team, traveling the world. They went back to Warsaw Poland and buried photos of Rosalee’s parents and siblings as Rosalee sang a Jewish prayer over their makeshift grave. Visiting the Monument to those who were taken from Poland to Siberia via cattle-car emotionally moved Roaslee and her daughter.

One of the highlights of her life while traveling was being personally blessed by Pope Benedict at his coronation. Knowing that the Pope, as a youth had a Nazi past, Rosalee shared that she felt emotionally cured of the horrors she experienced in the Holocaust.

Remarkably, in her 90’s Rosalee began an acting career where she appeared in commercials for Blue Cross, Porsche, Hallmark Cards, and many others. Her favorite commercial, which she did at age 97, was when she starred in a Dodge commercial that aired during the SuperBowl.

At age 94, Rosalee won the title of “Miss Congeniality” in the Ms. Senior California Pageant”. At 99, she wrote a book of her original sayings “Rosalee Glass – 100 Years of Wisdom to Get You Thru Life’s Ups and Downs,” which has a five-star rating on Amazon.

When she was 100, Rosalee went riding with the sled dogs in Alaska and at age 101 Rosalee starred in an award-winning documentary film about her life “Reinventing Rosalee”. The film won 52 awards world-wide and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. At 102 she loved the glamour of being photographed on the Red Carpet while attending numerous film festivals. She was honored to win “Best Documentary” in many of the festivals she attended.

Meeting President Trump and hearing the beautiful words he said about her as he honored her at the Annual White House Hanukah Celebration last week and his signing the law in her honor to fight Anti-Semitism was the highlight of her life. She believed that it was a miracle for her as a former Holocaust survivor to now be honored at the White House by the President of the United States.

Meeting President Trump, along with Vice President Pence, and Ivanka Trump last week was one of the happiest events of her life.

Ironically, this past week was also the most tragic event of her life. While boarding the plane during her Washington DC trip, an employee at the airport, transporting her in an aisle wheelchair, dropped Rosalee on her back, not once, but shockingly twice. Shortly afterward, Rosalee Glass tragically died of a blood clot to her heart.

“While Rosalee was almost 103, she was not old. This extraordinary, bright, woman with her radiant smile was vibrant and full of life. She inspired people wherever she went. She and I gave lectures not only about the Holocaust and her experiences but inspired others by showing them by her example that” bad times are not forever” and that it is never too late to live your dreams” said her daughter Dr. Lillian Glass.

“Rosalee and I had many plans in place for the future to give speeches together and to show her award-winning film “Reinventing Rosalee” with our aim of fighting antisemitism and hate by inspiring others through her film. In good health both mentally and physically, Rosalee was ready to live, not die. Her death in my view was nothing more than the result of pure negligence,” said Dr.Glass.

Rosalee Glass is survived by her loving and devoted daughter Dr. Lillian Glass of Los Angeles, California.