The community mourns heroine Veronica Phillips
JOHANNESBURG – The Holocaust survivor passed on at the age of 95.
A survivor of the most tumultuous times in history finally bowed her head in farewell. The Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre (JHGC) mourned Holocaust survivor Veronica Phillips who passed away on 24 February this year.
The centre shared that Philips was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1926. After spending some time under the protection of Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz and Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg in the ‘International Ghetto’ in Budapest, the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators deported Phillips to Ravensbrück concentration camp in December 1944. Phillips survived Ravensbrück, Penig and Johanngeorgenstadt concentration camps and the ‘death march’.
After moving to Johannesburg after the war, Phillips built a distinguished career as a genetic scientist at the University of the Witwatersrand. Later in her life, she became a close friend of the JHGC and began sharing her testimony with many learner and adult groups. In 2015, at the opening of the centre, Phillips donated her childhood doll as an artefact to be displayed in the centre’s permanent exhibition, which will serve as a constant reminder to them of her resilience and courage.
“Veronica was always larger than life, and left a huge impression on everyone she met. Her compassion, huge heart and passion for education will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time,” The JHGC shared on their Facebook page.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) also paid tribute to Phillips whom they described as having done so much to further Holocaust commemoration and education in South Africa in the latter part of her life.
Phillips had only just entered her teens when World War II broke out, changing her life forever. “Thanks to the intervention of diplomats Carl Lutz and Raoul Wallenberg and the fact that Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany, she and her family were protected from the worst impact of the Holocaust until late in the war.
“Phillips survived numerous horrors before being liberated by the Allies in 1945. After the war, she succeeded in rebuilding her life, marrying and becoming an acclaimed microbiologist and geneticist at Brunel University, London. Eventually, she moved to South Africa, where for 20 years she was a lecturer in microbiology at Wits University,” the board shared.
They went on to state that until late in her life, Phillips never spoke publicly about her harrowing experiences, but this changed when she accepted an invitation to speak at Yom HaShoah in Johannesburg.
SAJBD stated, “For the SAJBD, Veronica was an invaluable source of support and guidance, for which she will be greatly missed. We pledge ourselves to ensure that her story, as well as those of all her fellow victims, is never forgotten. May her memory be for a blessing.”
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