Helene Rounder

Hélène Rounder-Diatkin (15 February 1922 – 14 April 1972) was a member of the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. After being caught and imprisoned, she became a member of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz.

Early life Rounder was born on 15 February 1922 in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, to Wessan "Max" Rounder (1890–1942) and Léja "Louise" Ber (1892–1942), Jewish immigrants who had moved to France at the beginning of the 20th century from Poland and Russia, respectively, and had married in 1933. Rounder and her older sister Marie (1913–2000) were raised first on rue des Ternes in the 17th arrondissement, and later on rue de Châtillon in Montrouge; the family also spent some time living in Royan in western France. Rounder's parents ran a tailor shop on rue Championnet in the 18th arrondissement.

After her release from prison, Rounder resumed her resistance activities. On 18 June 1942, Special Brigades officers arrested André Diez and Yvonne Picard, whom they had been surveilling since March 1942 due to suspicions he was printing and distributing communist leaflets. Rounder's name was found in documents belonging to Diez, and she was one of around 60 people who were subsequently arrested due to being identified as having links to Diez and Picard.

Imprisonment at Auschwitz

Rounder was detained at Fresnes Prison until 3 August 1942, when she was moved to Fort de Romainville, a Nazi transit camp. On 1 September, after Rounder was identified as being Jewish, she was separated from the communist activists and was transferred to Drancy internment camp, where she remained until 18 July 1943. During her time at Drancy, Rounder worked as a teacher and writing registration cards for newly interned prisoners. On 18 July 1943, Rounder was deported on convoy 57 from Bobigny station to Auschwitz, where she was tattooed with registration number 50290.

Rounder was subsequently repatriated back to Paris, suffering from scurvy, where she resided with her sister Marie in Seine-et-Marne. She subsequently learned that her mother had died of cancer on 28 March 1942 in Paris, while her father had been arrested during the Vel' d'Hiv roundup in July 1942 and deported to Auschwitz on convoy 7 on 19 July; he was murdered after arriving at Auschwitz on 24 July. The family's business had been Aryanised. She subsequently obtained a degree in English from the University of Aix-en-Provence. While Rounder kept a violin in her possession, she stated that she no longer played it, preferring to play the harmonica. She remained close friends with Violette Jacquet-Silberstein, a fellow member of the Auschwitz orchestra who lived in Cassis. Rounder supported the twinning of Marseille with the Israeli city of Haifa.

Rounder died on 14 April 1972 of breast cancer. Her name was later engraved on the Wall of Names at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris.