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In 1887, Yvonne's great-grandparents emigrated from Vienna, Austria to New York. Yvonne’s grandmother was born in New York in 1888, making her an American citizen. In 1890, the family returned to Vienna. Years later, Yvonne’s mother was born in Vienna. When Yvonne’s mother got married, both sides of the family moved to Brussels, Belgium, which at the time was a neutral country.
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In 1939, Yvonne’s grandmother, being a United States citizen, was able to leave Europe and settled in Chicago with a cousin. The family believed that her presence in the U.S. would help them obtain visas to America more easily. Yvonne was born on April 5, 1939, in Brussels, Belgium.
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In May 1940, Yvonne’s father and brother were taken to a labor camp in Southern France. Many years later, Yvonne learned that her father was murdered in Auschwitz, just five days before the camp was liberated. Meanwhile, Yvonne, her mother, great-grandmother, and great-aunt stayed in Brussels. Eventually, they went into hiding in a convent.
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While in the convent, Yvonne’s mother became the governess of 25 hidden children. The food was scarce, and when Yvonne’s mother asked the Mother Superior to share her food with the children, she refused. Yvonne and her mother decided to leave the convent and returned to their apartment, though her great-grandmother and great-aunt remained in the convent until the war ended.
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Shortly after, Yvonne’s mother became gravely ill. A local pharmacist took them in and hid them in his cellar for 2 ½ months. While in hiding, a friend gifted Yvonne a doll, which became her only toy during the war. She still cherishes that doll to this day.
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Once her mother recovered, they made contact with the underground, which helped find a widow willing to hide Yvonne in a suburb of Brussels. Yvonne stayed with the widow for three years, and her mother visited her every Sunday, even walking 15 miles on one occasion to see her.
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On May 8, 1945, Yvonne’s mother picked her up, and they reunited with her great-grandmother and great-aunt. In March 1947, the family left Belgium, taking a train from Antwerp to Copenhagen, followed by a ferry to Sweden, and finally a ship to the United States.
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They settled in Chicago, where Yvonne was reunited with her grandmother, who had arrived in Chicago before the war. Yvonne attended school and eventually graduated from the University of Illinois. In 1959, she married (though later divorced), and she has three children, five grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
Yvonne has returned to Brussels several times with her family, revisiting the places from her childhood during the war.
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Yvonne Aronson interview at Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School -2023-2024
Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School
