Rena Kornreich Gelissen

About the Author

Rena Kornreich Gelissen, a Holocaust survivor born in Poland in 1925, endured unimaginable horrors during World War II, including deportation to Auschwitz where she and her sister Danka formed an unbreakable bond that sustained them through the camps' brutality. After the war, Rena immigrated to the United States, built a family, and dedicated her life to educating others about the Holocaust's atrocities. Co-authoring her memoir 'Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz' with Heather Dune MacAdam, she shares a poignant, firsthand account of resilience, sisterhood, and survival amid genocide. Rena's narrative not only documents the systematic extermination but also celebrates the human spirit's capacity for hope and defiance. She passed away in 2011, leaving a legacy of testimony that continues to inspire and warn future generations.