Toni Rinde Biography

Toni Rinde was born in Przemysl, Poland, in 1940, about fourteen months after the invasion of Poland. The town's Jews were rounded up into a ghetto, but at first were still able to leave on short trips. On one such trip in early 1942, Rinde's parents met a Polish woman who agreed to shelter the sixteen month old baby. Her parents also managed to escape the ghetto and were partisans in the woods until the war ended.They were then reunited with their daughter, which was a difficult transition for her. The family eventually came to the United States, where they settled in New Jersey. While in college, Rinde was introduced to her husband John Rinde, another Holocaust survivor. They came to Florida after he finished medical school, where she became involved with several Jewish organizations and the Florida Holocaust Museum. In this interview, Rinde discusses her childhood in the United States, marriage and family, and how being a Holocaust survivor has impacted her life.