In 1944, at the age of 14, her life was upended when her family was forced into a ghetto. Just weeks later, they were deported to Auschwitz, where Roth was selected for forced labour and separated from her mother and siblings, whom she never saw again.
Roth survived Auschwitz, a death march and another concentration camp. After liberation, she made the journey back to her home village in the hope of reuniting with her immediate family, only to find none had survived. Tragically, her father had taken his own life just days earlier, after being incorrectly informed that all of his family were dead.
Despite the loss, Roth began rebuilding her life shortly after, meeting her husband in a displaced persons camp, where they married and had their first child, before immigrating to America and settling in Cleveland, Ohio.
Charlotte Roth joined five generations of her family in Israel (Picture: Nefesh b'Nefesh)[Missing Credit]
Explaining why she decided to make aliyah, Roth, who has two children, two grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren in Israel, told the Times of Israel: “I usually come twice a year to visit my family. Now, I decided to stay here to be with them.
“It is a truly wonderful moment in my life to be able to call myself Israeli, a citizen of our Jewish state.
"Walking these streets with five generations of my family fills my heart with deep joy and strength, especially when I see Israeli soldiers and feel safety and pride where there was once fear.”
Roth’s aliyah comes after 100-year-old Sara Unterberg became the oldest person to undertake the process, gaining Israeli citizenship in November 2025.
Explaining why she made the move, leaving behind her home in Uruguay, where she had spent most of her life, the great-grandmother of 15 said: “I realised I may not have much time left, and I want to spend it with my many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Israel."
“I believe all Jews should live in Israel. The world is becoming less safe for us.”
