Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1932, Erika Gold grew up as an only child in a loving Jewish family whose life revolved around tradition, education, and community. Her father owned a haberdashery, and her happiest memories were of Shabbat dinners, baking Hungarian pastries with her mother, and celebrating holidays with her large extended family.

Everything changed in March 1944 when Nazi Germany invaded Hungary. Forced to wear yellow stars and move into crowded housing, Erika’s father was sent to forced labor while she and her mother worked in a military uniform factory to avoid deportation. At just twelve years old, Erika experienced hunger, fear, and the constant threat of death. In a daring escape, she and her mother jumped from a Nazi truck and were hidden for six weeks by a courageous housekeeper. Her father was ultimately saved through protective papers secured with the help of Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz. The family survived.

After the war, Erika’s journey to freedom took her from Hungary to Cuba and finally to Cleveland, Ohio, where she rebuilt her life. She pursued a career in medical technology, married Richard “Dick” Gold, and raised two children grounded in education, curiosity, and resilience. A devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, Erika has dedicated her later years to Holocaust education, speaking to thousands of students and donating treasured family artifacts—like her childhood four-leaf clover necklace—to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

A recipient of numerous community awards, Erika lives by the values that sustained her: gratitude, learning, and strength. Her message to future generations is simple and powerful—stay together, be strong, and keep learning.