Gisella Perl

Gisella Perl
Occupation	medical doctor, gynaecologist and obstetrician
Known for	Heroically thwarted the Nazis while she herself was a captive in their death camps

After the World War 2 Perl wrote of her experience

Gisella Perl was a Hungarian doctor, who was sent to the Auschwitz death camp, where, due to her medical knowledge, the Nazis tried to use her to help carry out their genocide plans.

Perl was born in the late 19th century, in Sighet, a town that was part of Hungary, when she was born, but is now part of Romania. She became a medical doctor, and a gynaecologist and obstetrician.

Due to being Jewish she was sent to the Auschwitz death camp, where the camp administration had her supply basic medical care to captives. Perl was instructed to inform infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele of all pregnant captives -- an order she defied, when she realized he would subsequently order their execution. Perl hid their pregnancies. And, when possible, terminated their pregnancies, or delivered their babies, and then euthanized them, as there was no way the Nazis would allow a newborn baby to survive, and hiding the child put everyone involved at risk.

Perl, and her husband, who was a surgeon, had two children, and her daughter lived secretly with a Christian family, and also survived the war.

Perl continued to run a hospital, at Auschwitz, for the captives who survived the war. She then toured Europe, on foot, looking for her family. She gave up medicine, as she toured and spoke on the Nazi's death plans. In 1948 Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of US President Franklin Roosevelt, met with her, and encouraged her to return to practicing medicine. In a rare move the United States Congress passed a special bill, granting her US Citizenship.