Surviving Against All Odds: The Story of Three Holocaust Babies

As time marches on, the stories from World War II seem more distant, yet some remain untold. In May 2025, Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. In this context, a particular story resurfaced highlighting survival, deception, and miracles.

Three Pregnant Women at Auschwitz

The narrative centers on three women sent to Auschwitz in 1944: Eva Clarke’s mother Anka from Czechoslovakia, Mark Olsky’s mother Rachel from Poland, and Hana Berger-Moran’s mother Priska, also from Czechoslovakia. Despite being pregnant, a crime punishable by death, these women managed to hide their pregnancies, giving birth to babies who would survive against incredible odds.

The Babies

Eva, Hana, and Mark were born in April 1945 before Germany surrendered. They survived the environment of extreme cruelty at the camps where families were torn apart and sent to their deaths in gas chambers unless deemed fit for forced labor.

“They took so much from us. If this is what you become like, they will have taken your soul.” – Rachel Olsky to her son Mark

Survival through Deception

Facing danger, the mothers denied their pregnancies when questioned by the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. All three were sent to a slave labor camp in Freiberg, Germany, working long shifts with barely enough to eat. Their clothing and conditions helped conceal their pregnancies from the guards.

The Journey to Liberation

As the war neared its end, the women embarked on harrowing journeys as the Germans intended to destroy evidence of these atrocities. Yet, in a twist of fate, all three women and their babies survived. Captives on one such death train experienced moments of unexpected kindness, such as a local farmer offering milk to sustain Eva Clarke’s mother.

They arrived at Mauthausen concentration camp, unaware the gas ran out just a day before their arrival. This small detail meant they escaped a gruesome fate.

Finding Each Other

Decades later, Hana Berger-Moran reconnected with an American medic, Pete Petersohn, who was there when Mauthausen was liberated. He helped save her life as an infant. This unexpected reunion brought immense joy and closure for both.

In 2010, the babies, now grown and having formed their own families, met for the first time. They shared and contrasted their mothers’ stories, learning details of a past that seemed both distant and intensely personal.

A Continuing Legacy

In 2025, the 80th anniversary of liberation was commemorated at Mauthausen, now a preserved memorial, with the surviving babies as guests of honor. They remarked emotionally on feeling the presence of their mothers, carrying on the legacy of resilience and survival.

These stories, marked by threads of survival and family, continue to resonate with power and meaning, underscoring the enduring spirit of human life amidst unspeakable adversity.

L’chaim, to life.