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Holocaust Survivor Judy Rodan Shares Powerful Story with Upper School Students

Holocaust Survivor Judy Rodan Shares Powerful Story with Upper School Students
  • Upper School

Today, the Upper School welcomed back Holocaust survivor Judy Rodan for another moving presentation. In her first visit in May, Rodan shared how she was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust, thanks to the courageous efforts of the Sacred Coeur Convent in Budapest. This time, she offered deeper insight into her life at the convent.

Rodan recounted how her mother put her on a train to Budapest, reassuring her that they would reunite the next day. Tragically, that day never came. At the convent, although the nuns did not show affection through hugs and kisses, their eyes emanated love. Rodan fondly remembered singing, dancing, and learning Catholic prayers and holidays, which became part of her new identity. The nuns even gave her and her family members new names to protect them.

Rodan also described the loneliness she felt when other girls received visitors, but no one came to see her. She waited for years, hoping for her family’s return. After the war, her aunt found her, and Rodan recognized her only by the sound of her voice and her strong embrace, having forgotten their native language.

Recent research by the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach confirmed Rodan's story. The head nun of the convent sheltered hundreds of Jewish girls, providing them with false identities and teaching them Catholic traditions to help them blend in. After the war, the convent cared for the children until they could be reunited with family or placed in new homes. This brave nun was later awarded the Righteous Among the Nations Award for her lifesaving efforts.

Rodan felt compelled to share this discovery with our students and the Sacred Heart community, emphasizing that love is a universal human identity, transcending faith, race, and experience.

"What was I taught? That all Catholics must love, and not hate. Guess what...when I went back to Judaism...I learned the same thing. All Jews must love and not hate."