Agate “Agi” Katz Rubin (1929–2013) was born in Mukačevo, Czechoslovakia (Munkács in Hungarian, today Mukachevo, Ukraine). In 1938, the town and surrounding area was annexed by Hungary, a future ally of Nazi Germany. Then, in March 1944, Nazi Germany occupied Hungary. A succession of antisemitic laws and policies followed, including a decree requiring Jews to wear the yellow Star of David badge. In April 1944, Agi and her family were forced into the Munkács ghetto. They lived in the ghetto under dire conditions in a brickyard. After several weeks, they were deported to Auschwitz. There, fifteen-year-old Agi was selected for forced labor. She was assigned to a work detachment that had to sort the clothing and possessions stolen from Jews. In January 1945, Agi and other prisoners were forced on a death march from Auschwitz. She was liberated by Soviet forces in April 1945.
I adopted my girlfriend's mother. They survived together. My girlfriend that we went to kindergarten on, we were friends, up until today, uh, her sister and her mother, I, I don't, we just blended in I, the minute I stayed alone and we found each other at dusk, and we just formed a family. Just by instinct. My, from my own emotional standpoint, I felt lucky that here I had somebody to care for, and never asking whether she will care for me. I wanted to care for somebody else. And I truly am able to tell you that this is the only thing that gave me more strength or gave me the strength, because I had a responsibility. For myself alone, I had no responsibility because I was only I, which meant nothing. To be alone, you are nothing. But here again, I was able to have a responsibility, and that kept me going.
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