We have lost a courageous woman, an extraordinary contemporary witness, and a dear friend of the BADEHAUS memorial site: Shoshana Bellen, née Blanka Hellman.

Blanka was the daughter of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Poland and was born in Föhrenwald in 1946. Despite the traumatic experiences, her parents Max and Francia Hellman’s greatest wish was to start a family. Blanka, whom they lovingly called Blimeh (Yiddish for “flower”), was their “miracle child,” as, due to the hardships and illnesses they endured during the years of persecution, they had not expected to be able to have children.

In 1949, the family emigrated to the United States, where Blanka grew up. At the age of 21, she married Anthony Bellen. Two years later, the couple emigrated together to Israel. “We wanted to ensure that all Jews would have a viable homeland,” said Shoshana, who chose a new name at the immigration camp: Blimeh became Shoshana (Hebrew for “rose”).

In 2016, on the occasion of her 70th birthday, she returned to Föhrenwald for the first time and has since remained closely connected to our memorial site. We visited her several times in Israel. Shoshana is commemorated at the BADEHAUS through her family history, and she will always remain in our hearts. Shalom, Shoshana!

In October 2025, Shoshana visited us for the last time on the occasion of our major commemorative event, “80 Years of Föhrenwald.” In front of more than 600 people, the young BADEHAUS participants presented her life story in a staged reading, after which Shoshana herself spoke: