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Ruth Sax survived the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, three concentration camps, and a number of encounters with the dreaded “Dr. Death,” Josef Mengele, in Auschwitz. As a tribute to her mother, Sandra Scheller wrote the book Try to Remember-Never Forget. Scheller and Sax will speak about the book, and Sax’s experiences, at the Chula Vista Public Library, 365 F Street, on Thursday, April 27, at 5:00 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The program is free of charge and in partnership with the City of Chula Vista’s Office of Cultural Arts.

Ruth Sax was eleven when the Nazis loaded her family onto a train to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. Ruth’s head was shaved to prevent lice infestation, and her feet wrapped in paper for warmth in the winters. Separated from her father, she and her mother were eventually sent to Auschwitz, where they witnessed daily atrocities. Forced to face Josef Mengele six times, they were allowed to survive. Finally Ruth was sent to the Oederan Camp where she stayed until the liberation of the camps. Throughout her ordeal in Auschwitz and Oederan, Ruth was made to wear a sack-like dress. Each week, the Nazis would paint a large white X and stripe down the dress’s backside. Following the liberation, Ruth was miraculously reunited with her parents. She later emigrated to the United States and married her childhood sweetheart. Now in her eighties, Ruth Sax still gives talks about her ordeal.

Scheller notes that, as many countries today are coping with political and social upheaval, her book is a reminder that events of the past must be taken seriously, as they still have the potential to reoccur.