Betty in the World

Featured Reunited after 82 years

In 2021, Betty was reunited with her childhood best friend Ana María Wahrenberg over Zoom. The two women had said goodbye in Berlin as children, neither knowing whether the other survived. Their reunion, brought about by the USC Shoah Foundation, was covered by news outlets around the world.

Videos The reunion story

Part 2 of NBC's coverage is available only on their website: Watch Part 2 on NBC News →

Videos Reunion series from the Florida Holocaust Museum

Videos Betty's talks & testimony

Videos In memoriam

Articles Coverage of the reunion

• The Washington Post Nov 2021

  At age 9, best friends separated fleeing the Nazis. Now, 82 years later, they finally hugged again.

• The Washington Post Mar 2021

  Best friends separated in the Holocaust just reunited. They were 'laughing like they were still 9 years old,' family said.

• The Washington Post Mar 2021

  Video: Holocaust survivor Betty Grebenschikoff talks about long-lost best friend Ana Maria Wahrenberg

• People 2021

  Best Friends Reunite 82 Years After They Were Separated by the Holocaust: 'Such a Miracle'

• Central Florida Public Media 2021

  The Holocaust separated this little girl and her best friend. Eighty years later, the Florida Holocaust Museum reunited them.

• The Times of Israel 2021

  'Amazing detective work' reunites best friends thought murdered in the Holocaust

• The Times (UK) 2021

  Jewish friends torn apart by Kristallnacht are reunited

• Global News (Canada) 2021

  A friendship interrupted: Two women reunited 82 years after escaping Nazi Germany

• Tampa Bay Times 2021

  St. Petersburg woman thought best friend was lost in Holocaust. Now, they Zoom.

• Beverly Press 2021

  BH resident reunites Holocaust survivors

• ABC Action News 2021

  Two best friends who fled Nazi Germany reunited after 82 years

• Bay News 9 2021

  Separated by War, Childhood Friends Reconnect After 80 Years: 'It's A Gift'

Profiles & Interviews About Betty's life

• Press of Atlantic City 2023

  Holocaust survivor fled two countries to find peace and a mission in South Jersey

• Global Times (China) 2013

  The homecoming

In German Auf Deutsch

• Bild 2021

  Goodbye after 83 years: You would like to cry, but you have no tears

• Bild 2021

  Nazis had separated them: Jewish girls find each other again after 82 years

• Cóndor 2021

  Ein Wiedersehen zwei jüdischer Freundinnen aus Berlin nach 82 Jahren

Films & Documentaries On screen

• Documentary 2002

  Shanghai Ghetto — Betty is featured as one of the survivors in this documentary about the 20,000 Jewish refugees who found safe haven in Shanghai during World War II.

• Documentary

  Survival in Shanghai — Betty is among the survivors interviewed for this more recent documentary exploring the same chapter of history.

Podcasts In her own words

• The Memory Generation Podcast Episode 11

  Betty Grebenschikoff — interviewed by Rachael Cerrotti about her life, her escape from Berlin, and her years in Shanghai.